12 January,2023 11:03 AM IST | Mumbai | Shriram Iyengar
Nitin Malik, Saurabh Chaudhry and Abhishek Mittal of Parikrama
They might be greying but are in no mood to slow down. One of India's most iconic rock bands, Parikrama, will take over the city this Friday with Jio World Drive Live's Parikrama & Friends that seeks to highlight the genre of Indian rock on the live stage.
"We play rock and roll, and as we like to say, will die with our boots on," says the band's founding member and organist, Subir Malik. He admits that the band has been slowly recovering following the demise of their lead guitarist, Sonam Sherpa, in 2020. "It was a big challenge to rebuild after Sonam," he admits. Thankfully, the band found Saurabh Chaudhry and later, Abhishek Mittal who stepped up to the role.
The concert on Friday is all about having fun. "The point is to take it easy and jam with friends. No pressure," he remarks. Titled, Parikrama & Friends, the line-up brings together two generations of rock musicians on stage. This includes old-timers such as Rahul Ram of Indian Ocean, Luke Kenny, Suraj Jagan, Mohan Kannan of Agnee as well as the new stars in Sahil Samuel aka Nalaayak, Khalid Ahamed of Parvaaz and guitarist Imnainla Jamir. "We know Luke Kenny from the '90s, when he was a VJ. I recall seeing Jagan on stage with Kryses in 1989, and getting chills," he recalls. In addition to the original compositions, the performers will take on old classics with a twist at the event. "Imagine Ram playing Queen. It has shock value, but is also an attempt to find something interesting," Malik reveals.
That is not the only experiment underway. The front-man reveals that the band will eschew its rebellion to step into the studios soon to record songs for the first time in three decades. "We used to do 100 concerts a year, where youngsters would listen to our songs. That's how we became famous," he reminisces. But colleges are no longer holding rock concerts and spaces for them are far and few in between. "We have to adapt with time. Although I have never followed up on these trends online of numbers and popularity," he admits. So, is age catching up, we ask? "We are as enthusiastic as we were. We will keep playing rock till the end. In fact, we might be bad at anything else," Malik signs off with a laugh.
On: January 13, 7 pm
At: Jio World Drive, BKC, Bandra East
Log on to: in.bookmyshow.com
Cost: Rs 799
