CHENNAI: Meeting the awesome foursome is a surreal experience. Their locks sway relentlessly as they cozy up for a chat at Le Royal Meridien. Mirshad Buckman, the vocalist seems to be the band's official spokesperson.
On their maiden visit to Chennai to perform at Flames Nightclub of the hotel, the band shares their excitement on being in the city. “We are excited about the way crowd have accepted us. People seem to be receptive to alternative genres of music in Bengaluru and Delhi”, says Mirshad.
When these schoolmates came together in 2001, it was Asela Bandara, the bassist, who came up with this funky name, and but are they paranoid? “Yes, I think we are,” says Mirshad adding that “Aren’t all human beings paranoid in some way or the other?” Their lyrics are hugely influenced by their lives. “In our lives so far, we have lived through war. There was a point when the only sound we could hear was that of bombings, fighter planes, screams and it has somehow made their way into our lyrics,” says Mirshad.
“There are also issues on racism, greed for power, corruption and so on,” adds Dhanushka Samarasinghe, the lead guitarist.
Having lived in a nation, which was ravaged by war, these youngsters embraced rock as an outlet. Ever since then, loud music has been their mouthpiece. Convinced about their call, these youngsters left school soon after their plus two. Their ideology on education is profound. “Music is in itself a form of education, sadly, it is not accepted in Sri Lanka,” says Mirshad.
Contrasting India and Sri Lanka, the band says, “The Indian media is a lot more savvy about our genre.”