A hundred and fifty years ago, the Britishers built ‘bandstands’ all over the city. As the term suggests, they were stands for bands; sheds in parks within which artists would perform. As time has passed places for open air performances in the city have dwindled in number.

Revival of the Bandstand Culture

The Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry has started an initiative ‘Revival of the Bandstand Culture’ in order to change the scene of open air performances in the city. Unfortunately, from among the 11 remaining original bandstands only two are accessible; one in Dadar and the other at Hanging Gardens, Malabar Hills which is the venue of this 3 month long event. Every Saturday up to end of May, two artists will perform and promote music; not for money, not for fame but just for the sake of music.

Band Stand Performances

Saturday, 27^th of February saw the performance of none other than our very own Mumbai Police Band. A group of 30 odd policemen playing a varied range of instruments including the clarinets, horns, drums, etc. The joy was evident in their faces while playing in front of such a crowd. The humility was something to admire. The other performance for the day was that of Mumbai’s famed ‘jam band’ Something Relevant. The crowd was treated to a never before seen fusion of STR and the Police Band for a brief period before STR took over. In the words of the drummer of the Police Band, Mr. Deepak Kasare, “In my 19 years of service, this has been one of the best shows ever.”

Something Relevant then took over with their trademark stage presence and energy. The beauty of seeing them perform lies in the fact that they truly enjoy playing music. It is evident in all their shows. Their playlist included their originals like ‘Ahaa’ (with the Police Band accompanying them), ‘Harry Mole’, ‘Mosquitoes’ and also covers like the Pakistani band – The Call’s ‘Pukar’ and ‘Smooth Criminal’. All performed with the same enthusiasm and energy.

The Bombay Chamber, which had also initiated The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival hopes that this event too will gain momentum soon and will become as big as Kala Ghoda. One thing is for certain, if you are looking for pure unadulterated music in the purest environment, this is the place to be every Saturday all the way up to May.

Article by Nikunj Bhaiya
Images Courtesy: Shashank Kapur