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Making the cut

Heady mix Faridkot in performance

The final seven of the third edition of Channel V’s “Launchpad” have been announced and the good news is that three Delhi bands have made the cut. The gruelling talent hunt which has launched bands like Zero, Them Clones and Zephyr in the past has this time given three Delhi bands, The Circus, Faridkot and Blank Noize, a national platform.

Blank Noize reserved its place in the records by being the first ever independent Hindi rock band to sell over 2000 copies in the first two months of the first album release. “We’ve spent a lot of time practising and improvising on our songs and I think that’s what helps us the most when we’re recording in the studio,” says Nikhil Malik who plays multiple roles of guitarist, recordist and also dabbles in mixing. Going back in time, vocalist, Kashif Iqbal remembers the band’s first performance with Pakistani band Jal. “It was a make or break situation, as first gigs always tend to be a bit messy but it turned out to be just fine.” The band is planning its third studio album, but before that, “we’ll be playing a lot of live shows, as we haven’t done any lately,” adds Kashif.

Members of The Circus describe their music as a mix of various genres such as metal, funk, electronica…. “It all combines into a heady mix, which we can basically call our own. We have been gigging regularly in the Delhi circuit and have been featured in the Rolling Stone and RSJ magazine,” says vocalist Abhishek Bhatia. Faridkot is a Hindi/Punjabi band which is inspired by the likes of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Its members believe that rock doesn’t necessarily mean use of English language.

“The primary element here is music and we believe that music can be written in any form, language or fashion which is evident in the realms of folk music that exists in various cultures,” says the band led by vocalist I.P. Singh. “Being in front or background on the stage doesn’t really mean much as long as you are enjoying yourself and you make the crowd groove along with you,” adds Singh. He says it is time alternate music goes mainstream. “We are seeing that the audience is accepting music from new bands, new music directors. It’s a mutual maturing process, if you give the people new music, they will like some and that will inspire and challenge us to think out of the box and keep evolving as musicians.” Faridkot will be performing in Tabula Rasa restaurant this Tuesday.

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