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Rocking in the book racks

A new experience Bleeding Words in performance

One wouldn’t typically expect to see a local rock band plying their trade in a small space nestled between rows of books and shoppers sipping beverages from Coffee Day. That is exactly what took place though recently at Ambience mall in Gurgaon.

As part of the Reliance Timeout Rock Festival 2009, the band “Bleeding Words” took the “stage” in store for a two hour set. The group, decked out in the typical rock uniform of jeans and black T-shirts, featuring bands of past and present, played mostly covers ranging from Pink Floyd to Bryan Adams. The band draws inspiration from a wide range of genres.

Drummer Varun Katiyar said it was a bit different here from the more traditional venues the group has played at.

“It’s not the ideal situation,” Katiyar said. “It’s a new experience and something different. We’ve softened the music as we usually play more metal and hard rock.”

While the acoustics left something to be desired and the band was a bit out of their element, the 25 people or so milling about looked to be enjoying the respite from shopping. One of the goals of the band is to entertain the audience and in this case they seem to have succeeded.

As Katiyar explained, the band was happy to bring some ambience to the store and it was no big deal to do their thing and head back home. Being paid for your time never hurts either. As the old saying goes any exposure is good exposure and as an up and coming amateur band, “Bleeding Words” seemed to be taking this to heart. The rock festival is not only a way to entertain shoppers and draw foot traffic but a way to showcase aspiring bands from across the Delhi region. The performances typically take place every Saturday from 6-8 pm. What impact this will have on the Delhi music scene that still seems to be defining itself is anyone’s guess.

“The live music scene is coming up. People are used to covers and we’re trying to show people we can write songs and compose music,” said Katiyar. “It is good that Delhi bands are being asked to go abroad and participate in festivals.”

For a band like “Bleeding Words”, whose line-up has changed in the last few months, the festival is a chance to keep playing and to get better and find the right balance. And as shoppers aren’t we all a bit tired of the in-store loop of continuous light rock?

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