When New Delhi-based band, The Local Train, debuted in the music circuit around 2008, their motto was to be an independent band that writes and produces soulful and ‘organic’ music. It was a time when the country’s indie music scene was still in its nascent stage with only a few bands that took the risk of making music full time. The Local Train was one of them that chose to make Hindi rock music, only because they believed in their passion. “When we decided to release our original work, we knew we were writing good songs, but we didn’t expect that kind of response,” recollects lead vocalist Raman Negi, adding, “It’s rewarding to see the journey unfold this way — people recognising the music we released on the internet.”
A decade since then, the four-member outfit has solidified their status as the flag-bearers of indie music, while garnering a loyal fan base — with high-powered performances, edgy music videos and meaningful lyrics in Urdu and Hindi. “Having fans across the country come to your gig and sing along seemed unbelievable when we started. But today, we do have a set of followers among the music lovers. With the seven-city summer tour, we want to perform for them in more intimate spaces, which is why most of our venues are clubs that can accommodate a maximum of 600 people,” says Raman, who is set to perform in Hyderabad with his band members — bassist Ramit Mehra, guitarist Paras Thakur and drummer Sahil Sarin. Coming back to the city after a year, the band will play songs from their two albums — Aalas Ka Pedh (2015) and Vaaqif (2018).
Apart from performing for a smaller audience, this is also the last multi-city tour before the band takes a brief break to work on their third album. “Post this tour, we’re going to start writing and composing our next album. The grind is yet to begin though. The four of us live together, so our house is our jam pad, studio, office and also, our home. While making Vaaqif, we would lock ourselves up for about five days, just trying to work on the sound,” Raman shares, while assuring that the band will retain its signature sound — inspired from everything around them in the society. He points out that regardless of their numerous success tours, they’re still in the process of growing as artistes and individuals. “You make music, one song after the other, and in the process, you’re growing too. With each album, there is something new and fresh that comes from our experience and growth, which is reflected in our music. So we have a long way to go,” he signs off.
June 1, 8 pm.
At Hard Rock Cafe Hyderabad.