When Bandish rocked Delhi

We reached the venue even as the stage was being set for this headbanging and guitar-strumming night. The event was a gig by the band Bandish. The speakers, mikes, and all musical instruments were being kept in place, an acoustic check was on, and snacks, drinks, etc, were being arranged in another corner. Finally, all the seven members of the band arrived along their manager Subir Malik and his wife Anu.But before they could begin gigging, the evening got a subtle kickstart from Jasleen Royal, whose frequency was higher than her own self! Err... we mean the petite girl would have otherwise gotten lost in the crowd, had she not sang well and caught everyone’s attention.
Kinky kaiko nahin: Why do rockers always flaunt tattered jeans, ear studs, long hair, bandana, etc, we asked the band members when we caught up with them. At this, Deepak Nair joked, “Humare sath thode din reh kar dekho, apne aap pata chal jayega why we rockers are like this.” But what made him sport a nose ring? “I have been wearing it for the past eight years now. I had gone to Germany once and someone there suggested it would suit me, so I got it done,” he replied. Meawhile, other members were pulling Ulrich’s leg, as he was wearing a knee-length skirt. “Too much exposure, dude!” said Brennon. At this, Ulrich jumped up and began to walk rather close to Brennon and said lightheartedly, “Yeah! That’s how I like it. You want me to come and sit closer to you, haan?” Brennon was by now trying his best to move away from Ulrich, yelling, “Oh! No, go away!” And they all began to laugh. But restless as they were to perform, they stood up and ran to the stage the minute their band’s name was announced.
Moral support: The moment their performance began, the hitherto kabhi-subtle kabhi-noisy place transformed into one with a high voltage ambience, and we saw friends and guests liking it to no end. We were surprised to see Desmond, Chris and Deepak’s mothers in the crowd, cheering them and their performance. Deepak’s grandparents were there too. It seems music crosses all barriers, even those of the generation gap variety.