Come home, says Chennai rock band

Rock trio Null Friction are back from the us to promote Madras, their latest album that talks of nostalgia for their native city

Chennai-based rock band Null Friction was formed in 2005 by three high school students. The band members include Abhishek Singhal, Ansh Sanyal and Shreyas Jha who are all undergraduate students in the US. They have performed at various competitions, gigs and festivals as well as won awards for their music. Their music is mostly inspired by classical and alternative rock. The Guide chatted up with Ansh to discuss their latest album titled Madras.

What have you planned for tonight's performance?
We will play an interesting mix of covers alongwith classic rock and popular songs. We are here to promote our album Madras, which was released two months ago. We have already been to Bangalore, Chennai, Shillong, Pondicherry and Hyderabad. During the gig, we will be selling our CDs and making the audience aware that our songs can be downloaded for free from our website.

Tell us about your new album.
Madras is about nostalgia and the thought of homecoming. The three of us have been studying in North America for the last two years. The band formed in 2005 but split in 2007 as we got busy with our studies. This January, we made a decision to meet up in North America and composed this album. We came down to India in June and recorded it. Each song has a unique message but the main theme is of homecoming.

Which were the national and international bands that influenced you?
We were greatly inspired by Indian rock bands such as Parikrama and Zero. Among the international musicians, we look up to Pink Floyd and Guns 'n' Roses.

How important is winning awards for a band?
It has helped us greatly. After all, our first album was made in the sports room and our first performance was while we were still in school. We won all the awards that year, including the "The Last Standing Band". It egged us on and today, it feels good to see that we already have 400 downloads of our latest album within such a short span.

Tell us more about the band members.
We are all studying different subjects at the undergraduate level. While I am studying Mass Communication, Abhishek is into Mechanical Engineering and Shreyas is into Business Administration. But we are linked by our passion for music. It would be great to see ourselves as rockers in the future as well.

At:u00a0Hard Rock Cafe, Plot No. 81/82, East Main Road, Koregaon Park Extension, Landmark - Pyramids, Solaris Complex.
On: Tonight, 9 pm onwards
Call:u00a040158888/01
Cost: Free