Rock claims its rightful place in Bangalore

Rock music is not wanton entertainment but a subtle mirror that reflects the highs and lows of every passing generation. It is often misunderstood as accidental noise born out of a misguided sense of entertainment. But people don't call it a religion for nothing. One has to be hard enough to love rock. Hard in spirit. Hard in outlook. Courageous. Audacious.Brave.
But first, other genres that comprise a bulk of guitars and drums such as heavy metal or alternative rock are simply known as rock. A strange sub-genre is called modern rock, which sprang up overnight sometime between 2001 and 2002. This genre is a lie because what is modern rock today is classic rock day after tomorrow. What is the point in giving loyalty to a genre that betrays the listener as time passes? It's the fault of marketers; they have sliced rock into numerous sub-genres to make money, effectively digging a grave for original rock music.
The good thing is, off all the cities in India, youths in Bangalore know the difference between rock and fake rock. Mumbai comes next, perhaps. Delhi is a little behind. To arrive at this, all one needs is a cursory look at the street scene: most international bands either come to Bangalore or Mumbai.
Bangalore rockers love classic bands. Their good luck is that the city has numerous places that promote this music, says Deepti Agrawal, who handles bands performing in Hard Rock Cafe.
A popular myth, which needs to be shattered, is that only young people with strange hairdos are rockers. Those who were in their early 30s in 1980 now spot grey hair, yet the spell of Iron Maiden has not worn off. "Iron Maiden was new and totally unknown here. But the rock bug bit me and there was no turning back," says Olivia Paul, 52, an architect. "I bought a suitcase-full of records from London. My colleagues thought I was being childish," she remembers fondly.
In the documentary `Flight 666' based on Iron Maiden's global trip to 21 cities, the first airport the Boeing 757 flew by lead singer Bruce Dickinson was Mumbai airport. Then a flashback of the bands Bangalore tour in June 2007 shows up. A young boy on a train says he discovered the band in his friend's uncle place. Similarly, points out Sachin Sharma, 55, a chartered accountant: "Every time I play some Iron Maiden track in low volume, my son and his friends would increase it and eject me out of the drawing room. They are taking over."
More rockers in Bangalore?
When Bryan Adams came to New Delhi in 2004, the tour organizers got entangled in a massive web of red tape. The venue had to be changed and in the confusion, many frustrated rock fans stopped caring. Subir Malik of Delhi-based rock band Parikrama is quite vocal about the issue. If you have a show with 15,000 tickets, politicians and bureaucrats who have the power to give a venue, will eat up 5,000 tickets. It's goddamned corruption, he argues. Such red tape is missing in Bangalore, if not entirely.
After considering the fan base in an area, international bands such as Deep Purple and Rolling Stones look at whether they can cover the cost of the tour. So heading to Delhi is a bad dream for them.
"I have several friends who live in Bangalore only because the rock music scene is so vibrant. Where else will you find a pub like Styx that plays only heavy metal? Every time I go to a local music concert, the scene is heartening. The talent of bands (local acts) is varying, but the fan base is unflinching," sums up Deepa Roy, an environmentalist and metalhead.
Politics, drugs and getting high
Since loyal rockers are a minority, they have to live with a tag on their forehead that screams: WEIRDO!
Actually, rock is also a form of protest and often takes a political hue. One big dampener for rock has been the fact that authorities haven't given it the dignity it deserved, points out Deepa. No rock band has been banned in India yet. The song `Bande' by Indian Ocean for the film `Black Friday', based on the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, did stir things up. In the US, Rage Against the Machine came under heavy attack for burning the country's flag at Woodstock 1999.
And what about drug use by rockers? "Remember Kurt Cobain," says Ashwini Jerry K, lead vocalist of Black Storm, a just-formed Bangalore band. Drug use is the dark side of too much creativity, especially in music, although many writers also face this problem. "All people need to know is that we are not noise-making demons and we don't advocate drugs either," Ashwini explains.
Deepa has a point on drinks and rock music, though. There aren't enough places for bands to play or enough sponsors for events. Add to this is the ridiculous rules that don't allow drinks to be served and live music to be played. Bands have been in big trouble for too long. These atrocities must end right now, she argues.
In the end
When urban youths in developing countries such as Brazil, India and Argentina scramble and some even quit jobs to attend a concert by Iron Maiden, one sees a pattern: these are growing countries where youths try to break out of political uncertainties. Rock music, not unending studio debates, gives them a chance to voice out, to yell, to say NO to something that goes against their worldview.
But the question remains: when we look back in 2035, whom will we remember of today's rock bands?