Covering the past

(From left) Vijay Murthy, Chris Fonseca, Vijay Joshi and Jeson Phillipe, who form Retro Legendary Act along with Nikhil Sugwekar

Hark back to the Indian independent music scene in the 1980s and early '90s. It was as deprived of original Western compositions as the Thar Desert is devoid of rain. Cover bands ruled the roost, and rock music was the predominant sound of the day, with acts across major Indian cities like Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi playing songs of legendary musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and The Beatles.

All that started changing from the late 1990s onwards, when the digital revolution gave birth to a new breed of Indian artistes who started writing their own material. Then, of course, the electronica boom and later hip-hop changed the complete soundscape of indie music in the country. Rock took a backseat. But there are still some acts that are keeping the flame of that genre alive and one of them, aptly named Retro Legendary Act (RLA), will roll back the years this weekend when they play a tribute gig for Pink Floyd, one of the greatest rock bands in history.

Pink Floyd is said to be one of the greatest ever rock bands. Pic/Facebook

RLA is a no-holds-barred cover act based out of Pune that also pays homage to outfits like Scorpions, Deep Purple and others who fall directly under the classic rock oeuvre. The band has a keyboardist, drummer, bassist, lead guitarist and singer, an ideal musical recipe for the type of tracks they play. Vocalist Vijay Joshi informs us that he started the group in 2005, back when the prevalence of rock music had slowly started waning. At this concert, they will turn back time with Pink Floyd's greatest hits including Time, High hopes and Money. "I wouldn't call their music classic rock, though. They had their own sound that's difficult to play. It requires a lot of rehearsing and understanding on stage," Joshi says.

He adds that his own musical journey started with a band called Strangers, who were contemporaries of legendary act Rock Machine in the 1980s. "Back then, the shows we did had nothing less than 5,000 to 10,000 people. But these days, there is an overdose of music on various platforms. Live performances [the way they used to be] have died," Joshi says, highlighting how times have changed so much that even ‘retro' as a word has an altered definition these days.

On: November 12, 8 pm
At: Hard Rock Cafe, Navi Mumbai.
Log on to in: bookmyshow.com
Cost: Rs 800