Catch All Your Favorite Acts One Last Time at Blue Frog This Week

Suman Sridhar and Jeet Thayil of Sridhar/Thayil perform at Blue Frog, Mumbai

Under normal circumstances, it would seem like a far stretch for veteran pianist/keyboardist Louiz Banks to describe Blue Frog as a “musical oasis of the jet set at Lower Parel”; but as the iconic Mumbai venue’s shutdown approaches nearer, Banks’ metaphor doesn’t seem as much of an exaggeration anymore. “I feel sad because I have had some great moments of exciting performances with extraordinary and legendary musicians on that stage, right from its inception around nine years back,” he recalls.

Blue Frog — or Frog, as it’s known among its many faithfuls – opened its doors and laid claim as the city’s first live performance venue on December 12th, 2007 and has since then played an increasingly important role in the growth of the independent music scene. Apart from programming a steady flow of local bands from across the country, Blue Frog has also hosted international acts of varying fame over the years– from guitar legend John McLaughlin‘s Floating Point album launch to alternative/electro rock band Mutemath.

Says vocalist Ankur Tewari, whose band Ankur and the Ghalat Family was one of the first few Hindi rock acts to perform at the venue, “Personally for me, it was more than just a club or venue to play [at]. It was sort of a hub for like-minded people like musicians who listen to music.”

Soon after Blue Frog confirmed its relocation last month, it kicked off its “The Last Set” series, which saw performances from the likes of guitarist-composer Sanjay Divecha, UK electronic music producer Matt Nash, Kolkata rap rockers Underground Authority and more. The venue also resurrected its Metal Nights property for one last time with metallers Bhayanak Maut, doom act Dirge and modern metal band Last Ride Home.

In its final attempt to bid farewell, Frog will host a three-day long FrogFest over the weekend with acts ranging from veteran rockers Indus Creed to newer, up-and-coming acts like experimental/electronica duo Komorebi.

Frogfest takes on place between August 26th to August 28th. Check out the complete line-up here