BENGALURU: The banning of concerts at Palace Grounds and the clampdown on live music has left music buffs in Bengaluru scrambling to find some place to listen to their favourite music. Then in early 2017, a group brought to the city a concept they experimented with in New Delhi. ‘House concert Bangalore’ was formed by a group of people dedicated to bringing back the city’s culture of giving new artistes a chance to perform.
In December, the group finished its 15th concert and according to the organisers, the level of interest shown by Bengalureans has been encouraging. The plans usually start with someone volunteering to host a concert at their house and then connecting with the organisers. “We then check out the venue and figure out how many people can be accommodated and then we ask people to book their tickets,” explained Manu Mathew, one of the people behind the initiative.
Speaking to City Express, Mathew explained, “We usually promote artists who release original music and such concerts, with an intensely focused audience, are a great venue for those looking to spread their music or even experiment with new genres.” The Facebook page for the event, ‘House Concert Bangalore’ provides artistes’ bio and the area where the concert will be held. Exact venue details are provided after one registers.
“In the recent past we have had some international artists come over as well. We regularly have artists from other states like Kerala or Assam or other places as this provides exposure to a variety of music,” Mathew said. The visitors are usually not more than 60-70 in number, depending on the size of the venue. At the end of the concert, visitors can choose to make a voluntary contribution to the artiste if they liked the music. However, this is usually not the reason many people come.
“House parties are the norm here but we have a large group of music lovers and with the same interests in music. Blessed with a large house, it would be great to have a get together with friends and new people and also listen to originals being played at our house. We hope to host a concert soon,” said Siddhartha M, a resident of Koramangala.
The organisers are now looking out for bigger venues. “Several apartments which have performance areas have come forward asking us if we would host something there. We are definitely looking at the option,” Mathew explained.