HYDERABAD: With the reopening of cafes, bars and restaurants, and after a bleak 2020, things have finally started looking up for live bands this year. The upcoming music fest, ‘Unlock Fest 2021’ on March 20 at Wesley Degree College grounds also promises to bring the beat back into our lives. Among the participating bands here are Eagle Riders, SOTN, Stereo Town, The Revivalers and Cloud and Wonder. Hyderabad nightlife has something for everyone. Here are some of the city’s favourite bands:
Niraval
This is one of the city’s oldest multi-lingual (Tamil-Telugu-Hindi-Malayalam) bands. Formed in early 2016, it currently comprises seven members. The founding members are Krishnan Ganesan, lead vocals and keys, Sweekar Agasthi, vocals and multi-instrumentalist, Sagar Ramchandruni, bassist/guitar, Vaishak Menon, drums, and Falak Chhaya, flute, vocals, and guitars. The band added two more members this year Bobby Abraham on keys and Rajesh on the flute/saxophone. On a mission to promote regional music and a new sound in the city, the band covers artists such as Ilayaraja, AR Rahman, Keeravani, Amit Trivedi, etc. On the choice of the songs, Krishnan says, “Though most places in India play English music and classic rock, people have grown up listening to regional songs. As a way of connecting with audiences, we are reviving the lost sound of the region.” On their plans for the year ahead, Krishnan shares, “We have performed four originals so far and are working on our EP to be released late 2021 with four songs.”
Meghna & Loki and Meghna Dundi Trio
This is a two-piece as well as a three-piece band. The trio has been performing together since 2014. Loki Pai plays the bass and rhythm guitar. Chuba Jamir is the drummer and Meghna Dundi, is the vocalist. The band is well-recognised for Meghna’s unique vocal style and extensive repertoire. They play English classics, English Pop, and soft rock. “We play the music that we enjoy and love, and for the most part that people can connect with,” says Meghna. Along with her brother, Meghna has also released an original single, So-called Angel (Brown Canary), an edgy classic rock song.
Octavez
The sextet comprising vocalists Deepu Deepu, Rajashekar Katlakunta, Rohit Pranav, on the keyboard, Tony Jack, drummer, Boney K David on bass and Sudheer, lead guitarist create a kaleidoscopic ambience with their soulful concerts. The boy-band which was formed three years back is cashing in on the popularity of the regional music scene in the city. They perform a mix of old classics and new songs and their USP is contemporary music in Telugu and Hindi. “We have two signature medleys of Harris Jayaraj,” says Rohit. He adds, “We want to explore more musically, we will soon be dropping some originals.”
Band Capricio
Re-branded recently, this Telugu music band opens to packed venues wherever they perform. City-based Capricio has regaled Hyderabadis with their Telugu medleys and has taken pride in belting out local hits since November 2016. This band was formed by Sai Teja and Eknath Kiran. They have been joined by Shravan and Nishanth and Ayaan. Eknath is on bass and lead vocals, Sai Teja on percussions, Ayaan on vocals, Shravan on keys, and Nishanth on guitar. The band’s USP has always been their medleys. “Since being the first Telugu band of Hyderabad, Telugu songs have become our specialty,” says Sai Teja. Even as cover songs are their forte, they plan on releasing original music by April this year. Though they do not have a female singer on board, Sai Teja says, “We have done collaborations with female singers such as Satya Yamini, Chinmayi, Sunitha and others.”
Elyzium
This five-member regional band was launched on December 25, 2020. The quintet comprises lead vocalist Dinker Kalvala, Vidya Sagar on drums, NVS Charan on the keyboard, Kaali on acoustic guitar, and Richard Madella on bass guitar. Apart from popular cover songs, this multi-genre band with a great sound has released two originals Prema and Pretty Ponne, with another release lined up later this month. At a recent gig, the band performed with a group of four vocalists (two women and two men) as a choir. “It is the first time that any band from the city had collaborated with a choir on stage,” informed Anurag Verma, the manager. “Our USP would definitely be our sound (the output for our listeners) and our originals,” commented Dinker.
— Tamanna S Mehdi
tamanna@newindianexpress.com @tamannamehdi