No Metal In This Battle is a band that blends afrobeats with post punk sensibilities, but they didn’t really plan to mix such diverse genres when they began. “We just happen to listen to a lot of different music: post rock, math rock, afro, funk, jazz, hip-hop and electronic music,” says Pierre Bianchi, the keyboardist/guitarist, adding, “When we wrote one of our songs, Ours, the mix of afrobeat and post rock somehow happened and we decided to explore that direction.” They are currently touring India and will play a gig at The Humming Tree in Bengaluru.
The band got together in early 2011 and were inspired by names such as Fela Kuti, The Budos Band, John Coltrane, The Redneck Manifesto, Fugazi, The Mercury Program and Tortoise. Their most popular song, Paprika, really defines the afrobeat and math rock mix. “It’s a fun song to play live, too. I consider this to be one of the best songs we have written,” says Pierre.
Another song that captures the genre is Melody Nelson Mandela. “This might be the direction we will follow for our next songs, a little less hectic and with more ‘kraut-y’ influences,” he explains. No Metal In This Battle’s music is quite danceable and the band hopes that the people will shake a leg at the gig. The evening also features the city-based band Gauley Bhai whose music is influenced by contemporary Nepali culture. “After the tour, we will concentrate on writing and recording new material. We really want to experiment with new approaches to writing music and go to new directions,” he signs off.
Entry free. December 19, 8 pm. At The Humming Tree,
Indira Nagar
anagha@newindian express.com
@anaghzzz