BackRock moves home
Shillong or the North-East are no longer rock utopias. Delhi is becoming home to an increasing number of bands from the region
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It’s a muggy April evening, and the normally placid lawns of the Vista Park Hotel in Gurgaon, near Delhi, are witnessing a flurry of activity. An international decorative lighting company is organizing an event, and they have pulled out all the stops by hiring a band for entertainment between presentations. It is a curious sight as the band stands out among the black suit and tie crowd—an all-girl band toting electric guitars, dressed in funky tops and shorts. The Vinyl Records (TVR), a post-punk band, is from Arunachal Pradesh. But it is among a growing number of musical acts from the North-East that are making a beeline for Delhi to make a living.
A similar case can be made for Tarik, arguably the most outspoken band from Shillong. Even fans back home may not know that the angry, questioning songs that focus on life and its problems in Meghalaya, find shape in a narrow lane in Lajpat Nagar, also home to a sizeable Afghan community.
Being good at Western music is one of the stereotypes about people from the North-East. There is some basis in the cliché, and many from the region learn music early in life, often while singing in church choirs. Of all the states from the region, Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, is touted as the “rock capital of India", largely thanks to the exploits of Lou Majaw and his erstwhile band, Great Society, which had its heydays in the 1980s and 1990s. The truth is that there are fewer opportunities for musicians in the North-East than big cities such as Delhi and Mumbai. Yes, people flock to annual festivals such as Hornbill and Ziro, but regular gigs are restricted to a few bars, college festivals and some open-air performances. “It is mostly in expensive places," says Wanphrang Diengdoh, bassist, vocalist and prime mover of Tarik.
Haggai Rongmei, guitarist of Yesterdrive, was more forgiving. “The music scene in Itanagar is growing, but it will take 10-15 years," he says. That is why his Britpop-inspired group from Arunachal Pradesh has made Delhi home since its inception in early 2013. Of course, not everyone arrived in the city tempted by the idea of more gigs. The members of The Vinyl Records and Diengdoh, 30, came to New Delhi to study.
Soon after the arrests, the Police Officers’ Wives Association for Care organized a concert by British band Smokie. It laid bare the double standards that local musicians have to face in the North-East—while the red carpet is rolled out for has-been acts from the West, restrictions hamper live shows by local bands. “Who was their main sponsor? Royal Stag whisky," guffawed Diengdoh. “Imagine the hypocrisy. While the husband is rounding up kids for drinking, you are organizing a concert sponsored by a liquor company."
Tarik’s songs about poverty, the power of the church and lack of opportunities back home, has meant fewer gigs in Delhi. The band is unwilling (guitarist Valte Chongthu and drummer Shaun Morehead travel from Shillong when gigs crop up) to exploit the minority North-East tag to further their artistic ambitions.
“In Delhi, there is a North-East festival happening almost once every two months. It’s good for the average urban person who can visit the stalls and experience things from that geographic location," Diengdoh says. “But it caters to a particular kind of people from the region. These participants are there because organizers are aware that things that they say won’t be problematic for the event. So we’ve never been invited to play there…I wonder why."
The Vinyl Records is asked to perform at festivals promoting North-East culture. Their problem has been finding acceptance in a scene dominated by men. While they say that local bands have been supportive, event promoters and venue managers are often unconvinced about the band’s musical ability. “People are sexist and look at us as a sort of visual treat," says 23-year-old Mithy Tatak, the band’s drummer. “We have to break such stereotypes every time we take the stage." Formed in 2011 in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh by Tatak, guitarist Banu Jini, 24, and bassist Minam Tekseng, 23, TVR came into its own when the trio came to Delhi to pursue their undergraduate studies. There they met vocalist and keyboard player Cheyyrian Bark, 24, from Guwahati. The band had to convince parents back home that they could juggle studies and music. “They thought it was a hobby with us and were a bit sceptical," Tekseng says. The band’s straight-ahead but energetic music harks back to such all-girl punk and post-punk bands such as Girlschool, The Slits and CSS—often featuring songs about having a good time. But a more potent offering is The Vibe, which touches upon the ups and downs of life in Delhi and the creeps that they sometimes encounter. Band members have a curiously ambivalent attitude about living in a city that is notorious for its lack of women’s safety. “We sometimes hate it, but Delhi has given us so many opportunities," says Bark.
Over the past year, TVR’s fortunes have risen and the group has toured Bhutan and Sweden. “When we play in Delhi, people think that we are touring from the North-East," Tatak says. “The irony is that we haven’t performed more back home because there are fewer venues and local bands don’t get paid much."
Yesterdrive has found out that stereotypes can sometimes be a blessing in disguise. “Many promoters we have met in Delhi prefer North-East bands," Thapa says. “People here think that the North-East is more music-minded. They think every third person there plays music."
None of these bands want to return to their home state soon. Diengdoh says, “They are misfits on so many levels. Back home, these kids won’t fit in because of a restrictive society or lack of space. In Delhi, you have this complete level of anonymity. You can forge bonds based on many things—like music..."
DELHI CALLING
Five North-East bands that have made the Capital their home
Over the past couple of years, the Capital has become a second home for a few bands and solo artistes from the North-East. Here are the five major ones:
®The Vinyl Records
Members of The Vinyl Records, an all-girl punk band, came to study at Delhi University from Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh. Having already released an EP, ‘Whims’, they have chosen to remain in the Capital and focus on their musical career.
®Frisky Pints
This Mizoram band plays pop rock and were recently in the running for Hard Rock Calling, an international bands competition organized by the restaurant chain.
®Yesterdrive
With members from Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram and West Bengal, the band caught the eye of attendees at the last two editions of the Ziro music festival in Arunachal Pradesh. Having already released an album, they are busy with their sophomore effort, which is slated for a September release.
®Tarik
This band is cut from a different cloth. With a righteous anger that they share with their punk and noise rock forebears in the West, the Shillong band focuses on the problems that beset their home state.
®Minute of Decay
Comprising the Muivah sisters—Worshon (guitar), Singchon (bass) and Thotyaphy (drums) from Imphal, Manipur—it’s a covers-heavy band. The classic rock inspired group recently released an EP, ‘Finding Betsy’.
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