So Long, Omicron: Gigs Are Back on Calendars
Bands remain largely overlooked by venues, who are choosing the logistically and financially friendly alternative of DJs and electronic music producers
Photo: Melinda Nagy/stock.adobe.com
Living between waves of the Covid-19 pandemic never has been fun. People — gig attendees, organizers/promoters, venues and artists themselves — have been walking on eggshells when it comes to taking up gigs or booking tours for the last two years.
This time around, with the Omicron variant slowly receding throughout India, we’ve seen signs of life across industries. The live music space is no exception. They were battered and shut out even when movie cinemas were allowed to operate at partial capacity in the aftermath of previous waves. This time around, however, things have opened up very quickly.
Music management company KRUNK’s founder Sohail Arora is happy that Mumbai is back to its original 1:30 AM deadline for gigs after two years. Arora — who also DJs and releases music under the monikers Rafiki and EZ Riser — says, “Electronic music is dominating the club circuits – there are a lot of DJs, producers and clubs make a lot of revenue on electronic nights”
The larger issue, as he points out, is about a more holistic return to form. “I think there’s a huge lack of live venues at a club level. From the point of view of an ecosystem, it’s not very great,” Arora says.
Additionally, gigs still aren’t seeing the same footfall as they used to pre-pandemic, despite what social media footage might suggest. Arora adds, “The numbers are still not the same, it’s still 50-60 percent of the crowd [compared to earlier].” If another variant isn’t one to wreak havoc on the world, estimates point to at least another three months for things to get back in the groove. “You’ll see a lot of international bookings starting next month. That’s going to come back and make it more interesting,” he adds.
Elsewhere, the Natonal Centre for Performing Arts is making a return to international music programming. On February 19th, London/Mumbai artist Komal Kuwadekar will perform for the Hollywood Jazz Night at the Experimental Theatre. NCPA head of international music Farrahnaz Irani says, “Since the lockdown started in 2020, live events have suffered huge losses. We are currently operating with 50 percent occupancy and are working hard to bring the audience back to our theatres.”
With safety protocols in place, NCPA plan to introduce more events in the coming months and hopefully open at 100 percent occupancy soon. Kuwadekar for her part will be performing on-ground for the first time since 2020. “I’m very excited to be back on stage and I’m glad that my first one will be at the beautiful NCPA. It has been a fantastic experience jamming with the band after such a long time. I’ve done some online gigs and really missed performing live with the full band and an audience,” she adds.
February 2022 Gigs to Catch:
MUSIK-A Festival ft Since 90’s, DJ Ankita Arya, Nentong Konyak and more
Nagaland Bamboo Resource Center, Dimapur
Export Quality Records Presents RANJ x Clifr and Micah
February 19th at Veranda, Mumbai
Milkman x Doja Presents – Loopkin, Nate08 & Shivani
February 19th at AntiSOCIAL, Mumbai
Lock & Load Ft. Parimal Shais + Raka Ashok
February 19th at Bira Taproom, Bengaluru
Hollywood Jazz Night ft Komal Kuwadekar and KK Collective
February 19th at NCPA, Mumbai
Paranox, The Spinning Machine
February 19th at Molecule, Bhopal
The Poona Brunch ft Stalvart John, Juke, Indra
February 20th at One Restaurant and Bar, Pune
Avora Records
February 20th at Wired, Itanagar
February 23rd at Room 03, Dimapur
February 25th at The Evening Club, Shillong
Pulse Conversation (Gino Banks, Vinayak Pol, Shravan Shamsi and Ranjit Barot)
February 24th at AntiSOCIAL, Mumbai
Madboy/Mink
February 25th at One8 Commune, The Mills, Pune
Neckwreck presents Bass Vs Barricades ft Karan Kanchan B2B Goax, Bharg, Chaitxnya, Veer, MUKT
February 25th at antiSOCIAL, Mumbai
Jatayu, Many Roots Ensemble
February 25th at Black Orchid, Chennai
February 27th at Fandom, Bengaluru
Profanayty, Ana Lilia
February 25th at antiSOCIAL, Pune
Livebox ft Kayan, Bass Cult, Kallol, Short Human
February 26th at Greenwood Resort, Guwahati
LOJAL: An Experience. w/ Ranj x Clifr x tintin
February 26th at Fandom, Bengaluru
Aditi Ramesh and Mary Ann
February 27th at Bira Taproom, Bengaluru
