Wanderers Pub in east Bengaluru plays host to a new music festival — The Bangalore Beat Fest. For its first edition, the three-day event has roped in some of the city’s much-loved bands. “The fest showcases the best of jazz, blues, rock and independent music, and plans to be a regular annual affair, moving forward,” says musician Jagadeesh MR, who is the curator of the show. Rex Rozario Quintet, Suvankar Ghosh Plus Other Stories, Sweet Tambourine, Friends Band, IAMR Project and The Sylvester Trio are the names on the bill. The aim of the fest is to celebrate the spirit of live music in the city.
“The live music circuit in Bengaluru is on a path of revival. And in terms of emerging talent, there is a palpable change in the last 10 years,” says sax player Rex Rozario, adding, “It’s encouraging to see the wave of younger people actively choosing to learn and play jazz, both standard and contemporary, despite its technical complexity.” Rex will be playing a jazz set of his original music.
Nazmus Ahmed from IAMR Project agrees that the fest comes at a time when live music needs a much-needed push. “To be very honest, the live music scene has dipped in comparison to the past decades in our city. And we all need to work together to get it back to its glory,” he tells us. His band plays
a mix of progressive and experimental jazz. With a career spanning several years, musician Sylvester Pradeep has seen the ups and downs of the live music circuit in the city. “We’ve seen a lot of changes in the scene over the years. Nowadays, musicians are taking more risks and have exposure to the latest tech. Even our listeners have changed and that always keeps our music relevant and fresh. So we’re extremely happy to have gigs happening again,” he tells us. At the fest, his band is looking forward to giving a stellar performance with their new bassist Prashanth Gnanamuthu.
Rs 250. August 19- 20, 8.30 pm. At Wanderers Pub, Kalyan Nagar