World’s a stage

received. “People were intrigued to hear that a band from India was going to perform. But once we started playing,the audience was very appreciative. I don’t think our nationality really mattered at that point since we were playing a

universal language,” says Vishwesh Krishnamurthy,vocalist of the band.

It’s not just Scribe that has found itself an appreciative

audience abroad. In recent times,artistes like Menwhopause,Midival Punditz,Raghu Dixit Project,Soulmate and Shaa’ir + Func have performed to teeming crowds of music lovers in other countries. Sohail Arora,of the Bay Beat Collective (BBC),says,“It goes without saying that there is a growing audience for music everywhere no matter where it comes from. At the same time,there are some great bands in India that need international exposure. And as we move along,more opportunities are opening up for Indian bands to go abroad and play.” The BBC itself is set to play at the EU Summer tour,covering countries like UK,Germany,France,Norway and Austria.

While Indian classical and fusion musicians have long been appreciated outside the country,alternative musical acts have had a tough time. Even Indian film music is comparatively better known. But as the industry gets more organised,the opportunity to perform to audience around the world have increased manifold. One of the biggest factors is that more bands are making original music. Gaurav Vaz,bassist of the Raghu Dixit Project,which has a UK and Europe tour coming up,explains,“A big handicap of independent bands in India used to be that they mostly played covers. That cannot get you far. Audiences want to hear something original and unique; that has started happening only very recently,so now people take Indian bands more seriously.”

Another helpful factor is technology—social networking sites have made life a lot easier for bands wishing to perform abroad. Satish Warier,manager of

Menwhopause,says,“If you need to find tour organisers or booking agencies,the best place to start is Facebook or

MySpace. And once you’re there at a festival abroad,you can always network and get into the circuit for the future. The opportunities will then keep coming in.”

The tag of being an ‘Indian’ band is no longer a handicap. Audiences don’t automatically assume that Indian music equals Bollywood or classical music,as Scribe found out in Norway. Percussionist Karsh Kale,who is based out of the US,but frequently collaborates with Indian artistes,points out,“People have been experiencing Indian music and fusion in the West for over 50 years. They have seen its evolution in certain ways that even India has not. Sometimes the audiences abroad are underestimated in India as there still remains the assumption that people in the West don’t have a proper context for what they are hearing.”

But Krishnamurthy asserts that it is wise to retain an

Indian touch,rather than aping international bands. “I think what people like is that even though we’re a metal band,we do have a certain Indian touch,a quirkiness that sets us apart whether it is in the track names or the

Bollywood imitations we put into our performances.”

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome,however,

remains funding. Most bands still find it tough to find sponsors and have to raise most of the money themselves. Menwhopause—which was the first Indian band to perform at the South by South West Festival in the US—was lucky enough to be sponsored by the Indian government,but they still had to fund their American tour themselves. However,Vaz points out that with the number of live gigs increasing in the country,that too can be managed. “If a band can command upto Rs 50,000-60,000 per gig,they can easily set aside some money in three or four performances to finance an international tour.”