They define their music as experimental, alternative and ambient rock. Formed in late 2010 with the main aim of composing original music, Swastika was the brainchild of three friends Varun Singh, Uday Nair and Tanvar. Meaning 'well being' or a 'lucky charm', the band comes with a lot of meaning and history, striving to perform original and powerful music.
“Influenced a lot by alternative, jazz, blues, funk, progressive music, we decided to form a band and start off with singing at college festivals and competitions in Pune. That’s how people started to know us,” says Bassist Varun Singh. With Uday Nair as the lead guitarist, Tanvar on vocals and Abhishek’s entry, the band became a four-piece.
Though the title of the band has a very Indian flavour to it, the band’s compositions are all in English. “Though Hindi has the maximun audience outreach in India, we prefer English to any other regional language, as, we as a band relate to the kind of music, we grew up listening to. We connect more to it, and hence it is more original,” explains Varun.
With over 10 original compositions to their credit, the band is planning on releasing their debut album, named after them, pretty soon. “Our tracks have been featured on a lot of websites and album compilations. We do not have a solo album yet. It has been due for quite sometime now, and we are working on recording the songs. I hope it will be ready very soon.” Swastika’s songs are a hit in the college circuit and their cover songs have been well appreciated for their Grunge and Rock n Roll style. But, as a band they believe that their music will speak for them. “We never tried and worked on publicising our band as we wanted people to come to our concert after listening to our music. We just play our own thing and will be more than happy if people will appreciate it. Marketing will happen automatically if our music gets popular. So, we are focusing on our music,” Varun shares.
Ask him if one can make a living on music in India, he replies, “Not at the moment. The independent music scene in the country has evolved in a very fast pace and soon there will be more local festivals and opportunities for musicians to showcase their talent.” He then goes on, “Back in 2007-08 only popular bands would get to perform. But, now every single band has more than one opportunity to make some great music.”
The band is making their maiden visit to Hyderabad, where they will be playing a tribute to Pearl Jam, featuring Rishank Kaul on vocals, Varun Singh on bass, Uday Nair on guitar and Gautam Deb on the drums. “As a band, Pearl Jam has been very influential. All the members of the band has been very inspirational musicians and this opportunity means a lot to us. We have been waiting for a really long time for this.”
The band will play over eight popular Pearl Jam numbers and a few of their own compositions. On Hyderabad, he says, “We are looking forward to playing in Hyderabad and are very excited to get feedback from the audience. Its a great place and the culture of the city is really different.”
Swastika will perform at the Hard Rock Cafe today, from 9 pm onwards.