Polish Instrumental Rock Band Tides From Nebula to Tour India

Tides From Nebula. Photo: Pior Olkowski

With the rise in popularity of post-rock bands such as Bengaluru’s Until We Last and Space Behind the Yellow Room and Thrissur band Mushroom Lake in the last two years, it wouldn’t have been long before an international instrumental rock band would make it to the country. Poland band Tides from Nebula [TFN], who perform a mix of instrumental rock, post-rock and post-metal, are all set to make their India debut later this month in Manali, Himachal Pradesh, at the third edition of Shiva Squad Festival on September 27th, followed by club shows in Pune, New Delhi and Bengaluru in October.

Tides From Nebula, who gained popularity after they released their debut album Aura in 2009 and their 2011 album Earthshine, are among few instrumental rock bands who fit in with both prog metal bands such as German metallers The Ocean and avant garde bands such as Norwegian metallers Shining. Says the band’s bassist Przemek Weglowski over email, “Our band has strong metal roots. Back in 2008, when we started TFN, bands like Tool and Deftones were huge inspirations, so we are finding ourselves very comfortable in that company. I think that we’ve never been typical post-rock band, metal is very deep in our hearts.”

Weglowski also deflects the notion that they, along with several other Indian rock and metal bands ranging from prog metalcore act Colossal Figures to progressive death metal band Fragarak, will have a hard time fitting in at Shiva Squad in Manali, which predominantly features psytrance artists alongside an alternative stage. Says the bassist, “We’ve been always quite near electronic sounds. We love electronic music, and I also hope that ”˜electronic geeks’ will enjoy our set. There should be many open-minded listeners, so we’re not worried about fitting in.”

TFN released their new EP, Live Sessions, last month, to showcase how different their live sound is from their studio tracks. The idea for the release, according to Weglowski, came from their online video series called Video Live Sessions. Says the bassist, “Now everyone can compare these two sounds.” Although their India tour is a festival show, Weglowski says the band doesn’t have a preference for open air or club shows, “We like to play when it’s dark, it doesn’t matter if it’s indoor or outside a club.” TFN heads to India right after their shows in Germany, and play in UK and Europe for shows with prog metallers Monuments and After The Burial after their India tour. But for the band, being in a new country will make the India experience a highlight. Says Weglowski, “We want to see, and experience as much as we can. We love sightseeing, and India is such an extraordinary place. We want to feel your country and get some inspiration as well.”

Tides From Nebula India Tour:

September 27th ”“ Shiva Squad Festival, Morpheus Valley Resort, Manali

October 1st ”“ Indigo Live, Bengaluru

October 3rd ”“ High Spirits, Pune

October 9th ”“ TBC, New Delhi

More dates to be added

Watch the video for “Only With Presence”