It has been 40 years since fans felt a “shiver in the dark” as the iconic song, Sultans of Swing was released by Dire Straits. While Mark Knopfler may have left the band over 20 years ago, the Dire Straits Experience brings alive the magic of their music. This weekend, they head to Bengaluru for the 100 Pipers Play for a Cause event. The current line-up of the band is an interesting mix of musicians. Chris White took up saxophone at the age of 13, and has been playing with some of the giants of rock since then. He has toured with Robbie Williams, Paul McCartney, Chris De Burgh and Mick Jagger and almost did so with Pink Floyd as well.
Chris says that India has always been on their list. “The power of music is incredible and it brings together people across nations and cultures. We are happy to become a part of this great event which is bringing music and artistes together to make a difference to society.”
Terence Reis is a South African musician who fills in the massive shoes of Mark Knopfler as the guitarist. Chris was quoted saying, “In Terence Reis, I think we may have found the only
person on the planet who is able to play and sing like Mark, but maintain his own integrity and identity.” Guitarist Timothy Walters is a versatile artiste and has played with musicians such as Guthrie Govan, Irwin Sparkes and Matt Holland. He also teaches his craft at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) in Guildford, England. The drummer Chris Whitten worked on ’80s tracks like What I Am and The Whole Of The Moon and also McCartney’s critically acclaimed Flowers In The Dirt album. Pianist Danny Schogger back in the day, played with Wham! and George Michael amongst others, while keyboardist Simon Carter has toured with Nik Kershaw, Elkie Brooks, Leo Sayer and The Divine Comedy. Bassist Paul Geary was voted Best New Musician by the British Music Association in 1993 and has since more than lived up to the honour.
The proceeds of the event will go towards providing sustainable drinking water to villages in Rajasthan.
Sunday. At BIEC, Tumkur Road, 7.30 pm. Tickets (Rs 2,000 upwards) on bookmyshow.com