Scribe Vocalist Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy Leaves The Band

Scribe vocalist Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy (right) with guitarist Akshay Rajpurohit. Photo: Kunal Kakodkar

Mumbai hardcore band Scribe announced yesterday that vocalist and founding member Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy had left the band to pursue other creative projects. The band, who released their third full-length album Hail Mogambo in September, have recruited vocalist Siddharth Basrur [from alt metal band Goddess Gagged] and vocalist Viraaj Saxena [formerly a vocalist with hardcore/prog band Reverrse Polarity and currently a live drummer for prog rock/metal band Midhaven]. The band’s new lineup played their first show together on November 8th, at the Bengaluru edition of the Bacardi NH7 Weekender.

Krishnamoorthy, who started Scribe along with bassist Srinivas Sunderrajan aka Vaas, guitarist Prashant Shah, drummer Niraj Trivedi and guitarist Akshay Rajpurohit in 2005, says his decision to leave the band comes sooner than expected. The vocalist, who fell ill just ahead of Scribe’s Bengaluru show, says “After I got malaria, I wasn’t allowed to exert myself. I even did both Hail Mogambo launch shows [in Pune and Mumbai] on a high temperature. But this [him leaving the band] was supposed to happen much later.” The vocalist adds that his job as a filmmaker and director demands much more time from him, and often doesn’t allow him to commit to tour dates with Scribe. “A couple of times, we’ve let it go, but it comes to a point when you think of what is good for the band,” says Krishnamoorthy.

The band’s bassist Vaas says they began talking about Vishwesh’s departure and replacements since the album launch in September. Says Vaas, “We were looking for someone who can add to the songwriting side of things in the future, just like Vishwesh does.” Krishnamoorthy contacted Basrur first and asked him to join, while Basrur spoke to Viraaj Saxena to fill in on growls. Vaas says the band also considered vocalist Gagan Gill, who had joined the band briefly last year. Says Vaas, “Gagan had personal and family issues, which is why he left the band in the first place.” The bassist adds that the entire band, including both guitarists Akshay and Prashant were instrumental in figuring out Krishnamoorthy’s replacement. Krishnamoorthy adds about Basrur and Saxena, “I think it’s in better hands right now, with better musicians.”

Scribe’s new vocalists – Siddharth Basrur and Viraaj Saxena (from left). Photo: Monisha Ajgaonkar; Margub Ali

When the new lineup took to stage in Bengaluru, no prior announcement was made of Vishwesh leaving Scribe, which left fans confused. Says Vaas, “We were nervous before the gig, but one song down, we thought, ”˜Let’s just have fun’. We didn’t play any bum notes, so we’re happy.” Basrur, who was a guest vocalist on Scribe’s 2008 debut album, Confect, performed songs such as “Magpie,” which has been added to the setlist now. Hail Mogambo’s latest songs like “Cops Cops (Cops Cops)” and “Calendar Khana Lao” still remain, with the new vocalists giving Scribe their best. The band plans to play a similar set at the fifth edition of Harley Rock Riders in Mumbai this week. Says Vaas, “It was kind of a conscious decision to play the older songs, but Basrur and Viraaj were confident about new material too.” The bassist adds that he’s excited and interested in seeing how audiences in Mumbai react to the new lineup. Says Vaas, “For us, it’s back to square one. But we’re with people we are comfortable with.”

Scribe performs at Harley Rock Riders Season V at Richardson & Cruddas, Mumbai on November 16th, 2014. Event details here.