The Circus Plot Album Launch Tour

 

We had reported about Delhi prog/psychedelic rock quartet The Circus’s second album release, Bats, not once, but twice last year. The band admits there were several obstacles even after the record was written. Guitarist Arsh Sharma says there were too many effects, for guitars, bass and vocals, on this album, that the band were still finding their way around it. “We had some 60 to 80 patches and effects on this album, and even Abhishek [Bhatia, vocalist] used vocal effects. We were just really picky with effects.” says Sharma. Some parts were recorded later, but with the cramped schedules of the band members and their producer Anupam Roy, things took much longer before any mixing and mastering could begin.

However, this doesn’t stop Sharma from saying that the band has already written songs for their third album. “We try not to follow any formula, not conform to any rules. We go back to square one every time,” says Sharma. After completing their upcoming album launch tour in February and March, the band hopes to start production on their third album.

The sound of Bats is not too different from their first release, 2010’s From Space, except that it’s “slightly moodier” according to Sharma. “It’s still eclectic, because we ended up writing parts which have no correlation, going through crazy mood shifts and multiple tempo changes,” the guitarist adds, citing tracks such as “Poxilation Chickachaemia” and “It Feels Good When The Medications Kick In.” Then there’s the bizarre-sounding “Andromeda,” where “it’s all guitars and bass, but it’s being played to sound electronic,” says Sharma.

To add to that, the songs on Bats average only three minutes in length, but Sharma defends the prog rock sound, saying, “There’s nearly no song with a verse-chorus structure. We’ve put listeners through 10 different experiences in one song.”

For their upcoming tour dates, including their first show in Delhi on February 2nd, The Circus will perform songs from their new album as well as crowd pleasers such as “Japanese Rebellion” and “F.O.P.S.”. The band will also perform their renditions of songs such as “Wish” by industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails and “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi, off their covers EP, Sheep.

The Circus pre-launch tour

February 2nd ”“ The Verve,Delhi

February 9th ”“ DSKSIC Institute, Pune

February 10th ”“ Blue Frog, Mumbai ft Workshop, Arquebus, What Google Can’t Find