As a rock star, I have two instincts,
I want to have fun, and I want to change the world.
I have a chance to do both.
-Bono
India is generally seen as the birthplace of revered classical music traditions such as Hindustani and Carnatic music. What a lot of people don’t know about India is that there are plenty of rock and metal bands that play original music in English, especially WOMEN BANDS!
If you’ve lamented the dearth of women-fronted rock bands in the city music circuit, here’s your chance to rejoice by listening to these four “women” rock bands. These four bands, which cut across genres, all fronted by women vocalists, promise to woo the audience. The metro city-bands like Shaa’ir + Func (Monica Dogra), 3 Guys And a Girl (Shazneen Arethna) and Love Kamikaze (Sudeepta Sanyal) have definitely turned heads in the rock music scenario. Joining the army of women is Swedish rock artiste Sophia Jannock. Personally, I think it’s a brilliant concept to promote women-fronted bands and have them perform at one gig. I believe that it’s fascinating to bring women artistes together on a common platform. The response has been great across cities and I feel it’s an amazing experience even for the audience to get to see not just one, but many bands led by women.
We can even take the case of Zeb and Haniya, Pakistan’s first all-women rock band, are as far removed from the rock musician stereotype as sunlight from strobes. The Lahore-based duo, originally from the Taliban-infested North West Frontier Province, missed the opportunity to perform at an event in Chennai just after the 26/11 terror attacks.
Talking about few women in the rock scene in particular, Natasha Chowdhry, she emerged as the Growling girl, an awesome Vocalist just like her inspiration ‘ANGELA GOSSOW’. She joined the metal circuit when she was about 15 yrs old. Trained Operatic Singer, Trained Dancer, Song writer, Trained Guitar player, she also enjoys playing the Keys .Her Benchmark includes The Last Dimension which is her own project. Currently she is a vocalist with “Hypnotic Sunday”.
A singer and composer by profession, Monica is yet another feather in the cap for the rock scene. In 2005, she formed the electro-rock group “Shaa’ir+Func”,(as mentioned above) along with guitarist Randolph Correia. In 2007, they released their first album New Day: The Love Album, followed by Light Tribe in 2008 and Mantis in 2010. She also sang a song “Dooriyan Bhi Hai Zaroori” with Vishal Dadlani in the film Break Ke Baad.
The Indian rock scene with women being a part of it is on the rise. The enthusiasm that surrounds rock gigs in the Indian cities and the new magazines and the pubs (including the Hard Rock Café) coming up have more and more sponsors sitting up and taking notice.
What may surprise you even more is the sheer variety of cultures that just come together and explode, opening myriad avenues for experimentation and hybridization in the rock music scene. This is bound to happen, after all, with the country’s tradition of classical and folk music and their great exposure to the rock music legends of the West, Indian musicians have a diverse heritage to call their own. We all are aware of the rock scene in India. But do we really know women’s presence in this field? With the support of magazines such as the Rock Street Journal and more recently, Rolling Stone India, more and more of these bands are coming into the limelight.
Although underground is nowhere near being Mainstream, it is heartening to see the kind of support the Indian audience is capable of providing. This support is more than evident at rock fests happening in the major cities. Great Indian Rock , Independence Rock, Campus Rock Idols and the June Rock Out are a few of the best known. These festivals see a lot of talented bands doing their stuff live forever increasing crowds of enthusiastic young Indian rockers and metal-heads. The possibilities are endless because there is still a possibility. But the thing is, there’s always a possibility. Moreover, Rock music has got so industry-heavy. I think now that the industry is changing so dramatically, it now opens the door for more people. There is much to be said about the contemporary Indian rock and metal scene; providing a comprehensive overview in one place is difficult, and I can only call this an introduction. We are yet to wait and watch the “Women who ROCK”.
