Andheri Goes Indie

With the launch of Hard Rock Cafe,the suburb is likely to turn into a new hub for independent music in the city

During the day,its business as usual in Andheri West; the stereotype does not seem to have changed for the suburb. Portfolios in tow,strugglers still look for a break,while casting agents,real and fake,talk to overdressed men and women at coffee shops. But as night falls,a different species roosts at the numerous bars that dot the neighbourhood a change that has become apparent over the last few months. The bars in question dont just offer cheaper drinks than their counterparts in Bandra and Lower Parel,but have also begun to organise music gigs. The opening of Hard Rock Cafe (HRC) last week has added to the possibility of Andheri West soon turning into a new indie music hub for the city.

The 7000 sq ft,198-seater cafe has been three years in the making, says Anisha Banerji,VPMarketing,JSM Corporation,which owns the HRC franchise in the country. In Mumbai,the hangouts are decided by how much people need to travel. So those from south Mumbai would not want to grab a drink in Andheri,while those beyond Andheri would not want to travel all the way to Lower Parel. For us,the new location works because it is well-placed on the western line and there is a huge crowd,from Juhu and beyond who would want to visit HRC, she says.

The change in the music scene in this suburb has been brewing for a few years now. Bollywood music is rarely ever played,and while commercial house and Top 40 hits continue to dominate the nightlife scene,there are some venues,such as Chez Moi,Kino 108 and The Little Door,that are now opting for independent music with regular gigs.

For Tanu Narang,co-owner of The Little Door in Andheri,the music nights are a way of standing out from the crowd. Her Mediterranean-styled bar hosts Pubcast,as part of which they play podcasts by famous DJs such as Steve Aoki and Armin van Burren. They also host Acoustic Tuesdays,a weekly property that promotes indie bands. Tanus brother,Bhuvan,is a global music festival hopper and brings his love for music to the venue. Tanu says,The nights dont bring in much money,but attract the kind of crowd we would like at the venue.

This phenomenon rings true for venues across the city that pay attention to their programming. For Amman Dua and Kanish Behl,who own Chez Moi in Bandra and Oshiwara,the need to stand out from the crowd is a good sign for the scene to develop. The crowd in Andheri is price sensitive,which is why Happy Hours has become the key word for bars across the suburb. We dont have happy hours because we want people to come to Chez Moi for our food and not just drinks. But we price our drinks competitively,have other offers and use our programming to our advantage, says Dua.

This trend is good for 20-somethings who find venues in Bandra and Lower Parel too steep. While HRC has taken a tougher stance on it,saying that people will come for the experience anyway,they are still testing waters. There are a lot of production houses in Andheri West now. We have realised that there is a market of youngsters with disposable incomes,and they would want to have the HRC experience, says Banerji.

Ever since HRCs launch on September 1,Andheri has become home to atleast three gigs every week. Says Dua,While I love that people travel from Bandra for gigs,thats not the audience I am targeting. A lot of people who stay in Goregaon and Malad come for gigs to Chez Moi. I am hoping to bring them in.

kevin.lobo@expressindia.com

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