The Street Busters

The duo Mr Woodnote and Lil Rhys might not strike a chord with music aficionados in India,but back in their hometown in Bristol the two are familiar faces,often spotted performing on corners around the streets,literally. They propagate busking,the not-so-widespread practice of performing on the streets.

While regulars on YouTube will be familiar with their street tricks,for the audience in Delhi,their performance at Zook in Saket,tonight,is an opportunity to watch them up-close. The cacophony of the streets will be absent,but the music will be in their trademark style —- unconventional,a blend of hip hop,funk and beat-boxing,with traces of jazz. “There is a lot of independence when we perform on the streets. We decide the place and the time and it’s intimate,as we meet people from all walks of life. But we have performed in clubs earlier and that too has its advantages —- we play for a particular period of time and the audience is usually aware of our music,” says 29-year-old Michael Melican aka Mr Woodnote,who is the beat-boxer and producer,while Rhys is the MC. He recalls the number of times they have been in trouble because of their performance. “We get shut down a lot,our equipment gets confiscated and we are officially banned from a few cities. But we still go back,” he adds with a snigger.

Members of the popular artistes collective,Convoy Unlimited —- that includes popular dubstep artistes,DubFX,Flower Fairy and Cade —- the two promise to perform on the streets of India next year,but for now the venue is restricted to the club. Expect them to play their popular tracks,Space Dust and Soul Glow. Also in the pipeline are collaborations with a classical musicians in India. “Hip hop beats mixed with the sound of the tabla and the sitar is the fusion we want to create,” says Melican.

The duo will perform at Zook today. Time: 9 pm