Kerala Thrash Metallers Chaos Headline Arunachal’s Overdrive In May

Returning for the first time since 2015, gig series Overdrive in Itanagar is set to host a battle of the bands competition next month. The rock and metal concert in Arunachal Pradesh will also mark thrash metal band Chaos‘ debut gig in the state, who will headline the third edition of Overdrive sometime in May.

Tana Doni, the guitarist-vocalist of metal band Sacred Secrecy and also guitarist of erstwhile metallers Alien Gods, is putting together Overdrive 3.0 with his team at event management company MiO. The competition is open to all bands across genres and languages. Doni adds jokingly, “Well, we do have one exception to the ‘no genre bar’ rule. If a band shows up playing bagpipes and dressed like they’re ready to march in a parade, we may have to reconsider. But otherwise, genre is definitely not a barrier as long as the bands are playing original music.”

All artists taking part in Overdrive will have to play original music as part of a 30-minute slot, which is the driving force for the event according to Doni. The winner takes home ₹1 lakh as a cash prize, with ₹50,000 for the first runner-up and ₹30,000 for the second runner-up.

Doni accepts that the battle of the bands format is “slowly fading away” and calls it unfortunate, because it was always a good avenue for emerging artists to get a stage. While the previous two editions of Overdrive have never had a band competition, he points to other events like The Beat Contest, The Gig and Siang Rock Fest that had regularly hosted up-and-coming talent. “But they all have been discontinued. The concept of hosting battle of bands on our Overdrive third edition stems from this, which will be a yearly event,” he adds.

With a registration fee of ₹3,000 for each entrant, the last date for entries is April 30th. Doni is looking forward to what bands will ring to the table, even as he admits Overdrive’s cash prizes and organizational funds are coming from personal savings of the team. “Sponsorship is a relatively new concept in the state. It is quite difficult to get hold of financial assistance. However, we have been fortunate to receive help from individuals who share our passion for music as well as sponsorships from well-known brands,” the organizer says. They’ve also reached out to the Arunachal Pradesh government for support, counting Overdrive 3.0 as “a youth-oriented event which aligns with their goals of promoting arts and culture.”

Apply for Overdrive 3.0 Battle of the Bands here. Stay tuned for more updates on the event here.