Indie on the rise: Performing artistes at the Circle of Love festival 2023 tell us what to expect

Chennai is all geared up to celebrate indie music in its finest forms. The Circle of Love (CoL) festival is finally upon us and the excitement for the same has gone through the roof, as reflected in the pace of ticket sales. While music lovers express their keenness for the event, Indulge talks to the headlining artistes who are set to rock the stage! The F16s’ Abhinav Krishnaswamy, Easy Wanderlings’ Sanyanth Naroth and Delhi-based musician Dohnraj share their take on various aspects of the festival, what they have up their sleeve for the same, and more.

Also Read: ‘Upping the ante’: Circle of Love curator on this year's edition of Chennai's indie music fest 

Ready or not?
We first learn from these musicians what this festival means to them and how does it feel to be part of the same. Abhinav notes that this event has been in the making for a long time. “We (The F16s), being a Chennai band, haven’t played a show in Chennai in nearly five years! It feels special and special it will be,” he promises. Sanyanth expresses his excitement on making a return to the city. “Chennai is pretty much a home ground for many of us and we’ve got a lot of family, friends and fans here and its been quite some time since we played here,” he notes. Performing in Chennai for the first time, Dohnraj presents his elation around the festival as well.

What’s lined up?
The musicians also give us an exclusive peek into the list of songs they will be performing. While Abhinav reveals, “We will play a good mix of our material, including some new ones that a lot of people haven’t heard yet,” Sanyanth tells us, “This time we will be playing an acoustic strip-down set, which we don’t usually get to do.” Easy Wanderlings will also be presenting songs from the latest EP, including Enemy and Mayflower, in addition to songs from their first album, As Written in the Stars. Further, Dohnraj clues us in, “We (Dohnraj & the Peculiars) are going to do some songs that people have loved, like Gimme some money! & don’t ask for anything in return and Overthinker among others,” adding, “We’re also doing some new material and have added extra elements to make the live show much more immersive and cohesive.

Also Read: Rollinbeat to roll out original compositions on stage

Exciting times
By the admission of many independent musicians in the city, festivals uplifting indie artistes are rare to see in Chennai. These artistes also share there perspectives on how CoL has contributed to changing this. Abhinav’s take on the subject is directed towards the audience. “More than anything, we hope this leads to a change in mindset for the audience — that they feel like they are a part of something significant,” he says, adding, “It still doesn’t occur to a lot of folks that a day out like this is well worth the time and effort, and all the talent is homegrown.” Dohnraj opines that an event like CoL has taken a “much-needed decision” of ‘shining more light’ on talent. Additionally, putting forth his observations Sanyanth shares, “Chennai is filled with so much talent,” continuing, “In the past two to three years, we know that there have been many who have done their best to bring up the indie music scene and a festival like this one is definitely going to add to this culture of people being introduced to new talent. These are exciting times