The Bandstand Revival Returns

Attend gigs across three public spaces in Mumbai every Saturday for the next eight weeks starting April 6th

Published by

April 5, 2013

Rachel Varghese. Photo: Siddharth Dugha

Listening to Blackstratblues play “An Ode To A Sunny Day” under the big, blue sky on a breezy evening at Mumbai’s Hanging Gardens beats the experience of any club gig hands down, especially since there’s no clanging cutlery for accompaniment. Since 2007, music enthusiasts in Mumbai have had a chance to catch open air gigs for free by some of the city’s best bands, thanks to The Bandstand Revival series. Organized by Something Relevant vocalist Stuart DaCosta andÂ the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the series has been held at the Dadar Bandstand, Hanging Gardens and the Carter Road Amphitheater until 2011.

This year, DaCosta and team have added Horniman Circle to the gigging roster, bypassing Bandra amphitheater due to excessive costs and the Carter Road one due complaints from residents. “Since we plan to keep it free, it is next to impossible to put a show there considering the high costs,” he says. Also on his radar for the 2014 Bandstand Revival are open spaces in Andheri and Powai. “We plan to go north next year, exploring newer spaces for the public,”Â he adds. Like last year, listeners can vote for their favorite artist at the People’s Choice gig on May 11th [log on to nh7.in for details]. The artist lineup this year includes a mix of Hindustani classical artists [violinist Sunita Bhuyan and sitar player Chandrashekhar Phanse], a 12-member jazz ensemble [The Live Cycle], singer-songwriters [Alisha Pais, Winit Tikoo and Imli Imchen] and Hindi rock and fusion acts [Lambada,Â Sparsh, Agnee,Â Sur,Â Empty Cafe, VRavi Guitar Fusion,Â Far Out Funk], as well as a performance by Rachel Varghese with her band,Â Rachel and the Plutonians. There’s also Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai [MGCM] band and the Mumbai Police Band that are known to play popular numbers.Â The grand finale, though as yet unannounced, promises to feature some of the biggest acts from Mumbai.

The Bandstand Revival 2013 lineup:Â

April 6th, 2013:

Winit Tikoo and Lambada

Dadar Bandstand

April 13th, 2013:

Rachel and the Plutonians and Sunita Bhuyan

Hanging Gardens

April 20th, 2013:

Empty Cafe, Imli Imchen and VRavi Guitar Fusion

Dadar Bandstand

April 20th, 2013:

MCGM Band