They have one word for their music — awesome. And with their repertoire of everything from dappankuttu to Bollywood to metal, pop, rock and disco, it’s hard to disagree. Then you add in their bold Afro wigs and bright lungis and the whole ‘live’ experience is upped to one you never expected. So if you haven’t heard ‘Live Banned’ from Bangalore before, clear out your calendar for the weekend, because the band is in town for the Covelong Point Classic Surf Contest 2013. And minus the surf boards on stage, you can well hope for just about anything else on the costume front...including pink latex suits! Lead vocalist Amrit Rao tells City Express about their new video in the making and why Chennai tops Bangalore any day.
Off the top of your head, can you think of one artist that should be ‘banned’ ?
(Laughs) Nicki Minaj
Haha. Anything else that goes in your banned bucket?
Arranged marriages, autos and American pop (US Top 40)
You play such a wide mix of genres. Have you had any crazy, unexpected requests?
Nothing too crazy so far. It’s just that because we play multiple genres, sometimes we get treated like a jukebox rather than a band. I don’t know why, but the song that we get requested for most often wherever we go is ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine.’
Ever had anything weird or memorable happen to you during a show?
We’ve played close to 90 shows now. And recently, there was a massive Ganesha Festival happening in Bangalore. We ended up getting a gig for a small community of people on the outskirts of the city and mid-song all of a sudden, this guy comes up on stage and puts a 50-rupee note in my pocket. That, I will never forget. There was also the time at a pub when somebody in the audience (who was probably drunk) got on stage to bash me...but the Ganesha festival here (Bangalore) definitely had our ‘weirdest’ moment!
There’s a lot talk about Bangalore being a lot cooler than Chennai — better pub scene, lots of venues to perform at...What do you think?
Maybe just literally (weather wise), Bangalore is cooler. But otherwise I’d say it’s just a misconception. I mean, what’s the point of having so many pubs, if they’re not open beyond 11pm? I come to Chennai all the time, and I love it! There’s so much to do...you can chill out at Besant Nagar and head to the beach, catch a play or come off to the Surf Festival we’re playing at this weekend.
You get pretty creative with your costumes on stage. Are there any costumes that you want to try, but are too outrageous to pull off?
We’ve done everything from colourful lungis and harem pants to jumpsuits and sarongs, so there isn’t a lot left. But I’ve always wanted to try on a latex suit...
What colour?
Pink.
Give me a heads up when you’re doing a show wearing that! What about an album, do you have one on the cards?
We’re a very audio-visual band. So I don’t think we will come out with a regular album. So videos, yes, maybe even a movie...Right now we’re planning a video for our single ‘The Death Dance’ — it’s about funeral processions and the genres are metal and dappankuthu. I think we might actually come down to Chennai to shoot it in October. Hopefully, we’ll have it ready for release by the end of the year.
(Live Banned will be performing at the Covelong Surf festival on September 28 at 6pm)