Live bands are back in business. More specifically, live acts who perform at hotels in the city are seeing a resurgence. It was only three years ago that enjoying a classic Hotel California was probably a request you could only direct to the resident DJ at a hotel bar. However, it seems, ever so slowly, the ‘live band culture’ is making its way back into the hospitality industry. If you take a look around, almost every hotel has a dedicated ‘live night’ at their in-house club. “It is just a warmer feeling when you have a band playing,” says Nadisha Thomas, who plays crooner at the Vintage Bank bar, Hilton. Whether a two-piece band singing a tune by the lobby or a high energy six-piece group raking in the applause, these bands make a connection with their audience in a way that recorded music cannot.
So why did the trend decline in the first place, you may ask. “In the ’70s and ’80s, every single hotel had a live band,” reminisces veteran guitar player Donan Murray. In fact, he adds, “If you didn’t have a band, you didn’t have a crowd.”
Then, about 15 years ago, the whole culture fell apart – that was around the time MIDI files came in, Murray recalls. “With this option available in the late ’90s, it was easy for hotels to cut costs. The music was prelaid and only a crooner and keyboard player were required. So, before long, several drummers and guitarists found themselves out of a job. “In those days, it was a full time gig, six nights a week,” explains Murray, and this is what the band did for a living. It wasn’t too long before even the crooners were dispensable, by early 2000 – the reign of the DJs had begun.
This was perfect timing, because if you remember it was toward the late ’90s that Chennai’s first discotheque, Hell Freezes Over (HFO), opened their doors. The city was ridden with a sudden surge in DJs, everybody wanted to be one – the expense was not too high for hotels as it was just one person and his equipment. Gradually, new genres arrived like trance, house and electronica. Best of all, DJs would occasionally indulge in the latest hit regional song that was in tune with the masses. But with changing times, the new age band is all geared up to be just as versatile. “I play Ennamo Yedho on the piano alongside melodies by Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder,” smiles a 51-year-old Francis Menezes, who plays at the lobby of Le Royal Meridien. It all depends on the mood of the crowd. Adds Nadisha, “There are usually foreigners in the audience when I sing, so we weave in some Latin and Spanish as well.”
In fact, given the discerning music audience in the city, some five star establishments are going the extra mile to fly in international talent on a contract basis. “We look out for bands and instrumentalists to suit the ambience of the space,” reveals Virendra Thapa, F&B Manager at the Sheraton Park hotel. Presently, their restaurant On the Rocks employs a flautist all the way from Russia. In fact, in the past two years, the hotel has brought in instrumentalists from Paraguay, Ukraine and the UK. Asked about the high investment entertainment cost, and he responds immediately, “When it’s a hotel of this stature, you look for only the best.”
Perhaps in an age where DJs have become commonplace, live bands have turned a novelty once more. Is this another phase, will live bands in hotels face a threat yet again? “I think live bands will always have a special place,” promises reputed DJ Vijay Chawla.
DJs and live bands cater to different kinds of audiences and, as along as there is a constant shuffle, people won’t get bored. “People need something to be excited about to show up at a club,” Chawla elaborates. And live bands give people exactly that.