Be it for a budding artist or a seasoned musician, Bengaluru has always been a city which welcomes experimentation and innovation in music. One such musician who embodies this spirit is singer-songwriter and guitarist Bruce Lee Mani, the frontman of Thermal and a Quarter, a rock band from Bengaluru that has been defining the city’s musical landscape for over three decades. Blending this creativity and innovation, Mani is geared up to take the stage with acclaimed Hindustani classical singer MD Pallavi and Sumana, a popular singer-songwriter and live performer based in Paris, promising an experimental exploration of music.
With the upcoming performance aptly titled Works in Progress, Mani is set to bring a fresh perspective. “I’m doing a solo set of my new material – with a guitar, a piano, and vocals. The three songs that I’m presenting with Pallavi, we’ve been working on for the last two months. In fact, we’re not yet finished. We’ll be recording it immediately after the show. So it is literally up-to-the-minute stuff,” Mani reveals.
Furthermore, in collaboration with Pallavi for the show, Mani has been working on a set featuring musical reimaginings of 12th-century Kannada poems in a contemporary format. “We are taking a chance on presenting this material because we have never performed it live,” he shares.
Additionally, collaborating with Sumana, he notes how the performance will be a fusion of many genres. “She has a different approach; she’s much in the modern-contemporary pop zone and it will be interesting to see what her compositional approaches are to how we work together,” he says.
The show will feature a mix of performances, including Mani’s solo set with guitar, piano and vocals. “It’s not just about entertainment, it’s about having an experience that can be stimulating, that can challenge you, that can make you think differently,” Mani explains.
Giving a sneak peek into the setlist, he reveals how the entire setlist is complete surprise package. “Some of the songs I’m doing have never been performed live before. In fact, I wrote a song yesterday that’s going to be played tomorrow. That’s in keeping in with the title,” he shares. A die-hard Bengalurean, Mani credits the city for its impact on his work, saying “The city seeps into our work, into our lyrics, into the way we write, the way we speak, the way we sing: the city’s laid-back vibe and open-minded audience make it the perfect setting for this musical experiment.”
Reflecting on the genre of the upcoming show, Mani stresses how it cannot be termed as a single genre. “With Sumana, it’s going to be very contemporary pop. My material is also pop, but there may be overtones of rock and more. With Pallavi, it’s 12th century poems. So, you can call it some kind of fusion,” he says. He also comments on the expectation of the surprise setlist that will be performed. “It’s always a bit of a guessing game. But with trust in our ability and our experience, we present it with integrity and with professionalism,” he signs off.
(Bruce Lee Mani will perform at The Blueroom on May 4 at 6pm. Tickets available on @theblueroom.blr on Instagram)