Playing second fiddle and fast overtaking every event out there is Great Indian Rock (GIR). Here’s what you can expect

By itihas shetty

December has a galore of gigs that will make your existence in this particular era worth every bit. And mind you I ain’t referring to the oft heard events or the usual  shows and bands. In the wake of the world sitting up and noticing India’s positive vibes towards this extreme side of music, the quality, standard and quantity of the  concerts have multiplied and just in case you have not noticed this happening then reading any further will seem like burdening yourself. But if you happen to have a broad smile for the very reason that you always wanted such a thing as major concerts and massive music related gatherings to happen then whatever follows after this is absolutely aimed at you.

Before I get into what is happening where I want to talk about the humble beginnings our live rock/metal scene has had and what it is to have all the action in the  year twenty ten. There are quite a few well-known, accepted and band-encouraging events that have had organizers taking on the reigns to nurture fresh and original talent. If not for these events and people then the meaning of bands in India would still have been restricted to playing at marriages and the occasional pubs where  you have to play what you are asked to. God and Satan, both know how unfair and cr**y it would have been to see this happen and most of all watching the talent getting wasted.

Independence Rock, Great Indian Rock, Rock In India, Pubrockfest, Livewire, June Rock Out, Summer Storm Festival, Deccan Rock Festival are a few events that you and I know of. While Deccan Rock Festival and Summer Storm Festival have had just one gig each the others have been on for a while now. Specially Independence Rock, as this year it would complete twenty five years of its coming into being. Playing second fiddle and fast overtaking every event out there is  Great Indian Rock (GIR). Originated in 1995, it was an initiative by Rock Street Journal magazine owner Amit Sehgal and has been a blessing in disguise for Indian bands. Beating themselves at their own game, this is one event that had begun in the capital city and now has a coverage of eight cities with umpteen bands getting the exposure..

GIR this year is going to make the previous editions seem small as the number of international bands gracing the stage would be more than ever. Progressive  Black/Viking metal band Enslaved (Norway), Progressive bands Meshuggah (Sweden) and Tesseract (UK) and Metalcore act Purified in Blood (Norway) are the ones  flying down to India. Each band is a classic representation of their respective genres. The event is planned for three days over four cities, and unfortunately  Bombay is excluded. So the nearest venue for Bombayites would be Pune. Fifteen selected Indian bands would also be joining as performers. The schedule for  GIR 2010 looks something like this:

Pune (December 17)
Elysium Lawns, Koregaon Park, Pune
headlining bands : Tesseract,
Enslaved, Meshuggah

Kolkata (December 17)
Nicco Park, Kolkata
headlining band : Purified In Blood

New Delhi (December 18 and 19)
Hamsadhwani Open Air, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
headlining bands (on December 18) : Tesseract, Enslaved, Purified In Blood
headlining bands (on December 19) : Meshuggah

Bangalore (December 18 and 19)
Palace Grounds, Bangalore
headlining band (on December 18) : Meshuggah
headlining band (on December 19) : Tesseract, Enslaved, Purified In Blood

The tickets for Great Indian Rock are already out and are available at http://kyazoonga.com/greatindianrock2010.

Another highlight and definitely to be mentioned is the annual cultural festival organized by IIT, Bombay named Mood Indigo. The event I am going to enlighten  you about is Livewire. This is a competition of upcoming bands where three finalists get to perform alongside a major headlining act on the pronight. One of the  most reputed and well-paid competitions, Livewire defied rules after inviting bands like Ensiferum and Porcupine Tree in the past. So this is not just another college competition. And in the same context the date to be marked for this year is 21st December when doom/death metal band Katatonia from Sweden will cast  a spell over their fans in India. This is by far the most exciting development in the scene and for tickets keep a track on the festival’s official page http://moodi.org/katatonia.

At this rate we are fast reaching a stage when we get to pick and choose events to attend and are not forced to go just because it is a concert and we have  nothing else to do. Before I get to know about another madass event happening in your neighborhood go book your tickets for the ones mentioned here. And do  not forget to raise those horns while you are at it.