After a gap of a few years, Delhi-based band Bandish is back with its second album, self-titled Bandish. The band, formed in 2005 by ex-Euphoria drummer Christopher Powell, has found a niche for itself.
“I left Euphoria for personal and professional reasons. I can’t really explain what happened but I wanted to move on. Since Euphoria doesn’t exist anymore I think I made the right decision five years back. Else Bandish wouldn’t have happened,” smiles Chris Powell.
It was Shubha Mudgal, for whom he had played the instruments, who inspired Chris to come back to the industry and it was not difficult for him to get some really fine musicians to play with him.
“I had made some good friends in the music circle over the years. The guys have at least 10 years of experience and have their own forte. It didn’t take much time to convince them and now we are a ‘happy family’. We have the most sought-after bass guitarist, Brennon Denfer, in our group, who has played for movies like 3 Idiots also and also Desmond who is again one of the best in the country. It is the versatility of our artists that sets us apart from the other bands,” says Chris.
Ulrich Gomes on the keyboard and vocalist Deepak Nair are known for their stage presence.
“Everybody is a prankster in our team but it’s Gomes and Deepak who liven up the atmosphere,” says Chris.
So, how can a band with such experience and stature be comfortable with Pete Lockett, an international artist, and KK, a Bollywood playback singer, on board?
“We had some amazing sufi compositions and if I had asked our vocalist, who has a hard-core rock background, to sing sufi, it would be unfair to the music. So we made Krishna sing a soulful number,” says Chris.
An internationally acclaimed percussionist has played for the title track and he also appears in the cover video. “Pete Lockett is an inspiration for all musicians. He has played classical instruments like dholi for the title track, which is something new for the Indian audience. Even KK for that matter, not many people know that he is a complete rocker and the audience will love to see his new musical avatar,” he further adds.
For his part, Pete Lockett says, “From our very first recording together, it really clicked with Bandish. It is great to hear a rock band in India actually using traditional percussions in the mix. They are leading the way with that for sure. It was a pleasure throughout to be involved with them.”
There are totally eight tracks in the album and it has flavours of jazz, rock, sufi and classical music in it. All of them are high energy like Tere Bin, which is a classy rock ballad sung by KK who gives a fresh, romantic feel to go with a backdrop of some great guitar licks.
The band has also included sufi tracks like Khuda Baksh rendered by the soulful voice of Krishna and an emphatic live tribute to the all time classic Dumma Dum Mast Kalander. The band plans to tour the country to promote their latest venture.