Bengaluru’s Coma Rossi Set for Debut U.K. Tour This Month

Artists are now using music streaming data and coupling it with social media analytics to plot tours, but Bengaluru progressive rock band Coma Rossi had a more old-school way to gauge interest for a U.K. tour. Guitarist and founder Gaurav Govilkar says, “Even before we checked on the data, we found that our album gathered quite a lot of momentum in the U.K., in terms of reviews and radio airplay. Hence it made sense to tour there.”

Their self-titled debut album from 2018 had made enough waves for Coma Rossi to put together a six-city U.K. debut, one that starts on March 16th in Manchester, followed by shows in Leicester (March 17th), Kidderminster (near Birmingham) at the SubFusion Festival on March 18th, Nottingham (March 20th), Hull (March 21st) and London (March 22nd). In the works since last June, Govilkar says it’s taken a lot of time, patience and persistence to make a DIY tour click. “It all started with the first invitation that we received to play at SubFusion Festival. Once one gig got finalized we had to discuss with other venues and promoters to check if a gig around the same date can be set up,” the guitarist adds.

Performing alongside prog, alt and psychedelic acts such as The Blackheart Orchestra, Red Bazar, The Amber Herd, Kyros, Deadwing and The John Hackett Band, Coma Rossi are aiming to draw in a crowd as the support act on the bill. With a set time of about an hour, the band will perform off their album and will look to premiere “part of a new composition.” Govilkar adds, “But most importantly, the idea is to give a flawless performance on stage as far as possible and we have also invested in some equipment which would give us some flexibility and time saving on stage.”

Prep has been on for a while, but playing consecutive shows was something Coma Rossi last did only in May 2019, when they performed in Kolkata, Guwahati and Shillong. Govilkar says jokingly about post-tour plans in the U.K., “Some of us have plans to visit friends and family in the U.K. after the tour. The other unfortunate beings will get no luxury of relaxation.”

Once they’re back, a second album remains priority. Govilkar mentions that it’s slated to release at the end of this year or early next year. “We might do a bit of gigging here and there but the efforts will be primarily focused on the next content,” the guitarist says.

Get more details on Coma Rossi’s U.K. tour here.