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Gig review/ Advaita

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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Advaita/ Unison Genre: Indie fusion-rock Details: NMACC Studio, April 25 Rating: **** 1/2 Seeking, searching, tryin' to find, waiting, watching, I don't know why... It's been a while since I'd seen Delhi band Advaita, who I tripped on when they performed at Blue Frog around 15 years ago. The albums Grounded In Space and The Silent Sea still keep returning, bringing back warm memories. After missing their gig at NMACC last year, their April 25 Unison gig was something that had to be experienced. And what a show it was. Over 100 minutes, they charmed their fans with their trademark mix of rock, classical bandishes and Hindi lyrics. Vocalists Ujwal Nagar, who sang the Indian parts, and Chayan Adhikari, who sang the English lines, coordinated wonderfully as usual, and the other band members chipped in with supple inputs. With flautist Rohit Prasanna coming in place of sarangi player Suhail Yusuf Khan, there was a basic change in sound in comparison t...
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Naren's indie round-up/ April 2026, Ep 2

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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR   Uday Benegal/ Fireflies  Language & genre: English, acoustic Label; Self-released  Rating: **** Indus Creed frontman Uday Benegal is due to release his five-song EP Human Be next month. For the first single, he has put out a stripped down version of Indus Creed's number 'Fireflies', originally heard on their 2012 album Evolve . This version is backed by some wonderful acoustic guitars, played by Sharad Rao, Zion Mathew and Aria Nanji, who's also produced and arranged the song.  Uday's singing is expressive on lines like, "Oh the sun went down today, for reasons you won't say, and I just can't look away from those fireflies". Listeners may obviously draw comparisons with the earlier version, with its lush keyboards and electric guitar, but this one has an acoustic charm of its own.  Aria Sengupta, Rajkumar Sengupta & The British Raj/ Who's That Knockin' On My Door? Language & genre: English, blues-rock  La...
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Midival Punditz/ Love And Machines

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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Midival Punditz/ Love And Machines Genre : Indi-electronica/ electro-fusion Label : Gravity Sounds Rating : **** The brainchild of Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj, Delhi duo Midival Punditz has been at the helm of India's electronic music scene for almost 25 years. What's impressive is the way they blend western arrangements with rootsy Indian sounds, often through collaborations with contemporary vocalists. The new Punditz album Love And Machines uses love as a theme, fusing synths and soundscapes with ghazal, Sufi, folk or plain balladry. There's a certain chill-out vibe throughout the 13-song, 56-minute record, where known names like Shubha Mudgal, Malini Awasthi and Papon appear along with some upcoming talent. The album opens with a beauty on 'Dafatan' as Shruti Pathak sings Indira Verma's lines, "Dafatan aaj mere naam ucchaale kisne, kar diya dil ko mohabbat ke hawaale kisne". It's got a kind-of-Nitin Sawhney feel and and Shru...
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Gig review/ Yadnesh Raikar's Strings In Motion

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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Yadnesh Raikar/ Strings In Motion Genre : Fusion Presented by : Reliance Foundation  Details ; NMACC Studio, April 10 Rating : **** Interestingly, violinist Yadnesh Raikar began his show at the NMACC Studio with a strong dose of techno. He sat solo on a track called 'Sweet Chili', improvising on an EDM layer. Just when you expected him to continue in a similar soundscape, the band joined him, and out came a jazz-influeced number 'Decaf', with a brilliant drum intro.  Over the nearly 110 minutes, the Strings In Motion show sprung up a string of surprises. From tunes focused on Hindustani classical to world music and lo-fi, the palette was diverse and eclectic. Tempos changed frequently, and different instruments contributed in varying proportions. The main band consisted of Rahul Wadhwani on keyboards, Utkarsh Shrivastava on guitar, Avishek Dey on bass, Shravan Samsi on drums and Ganesh Murali Iyer on triple-ghatam and  assorted percussion. There ...
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Bait (music from the original series)

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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Various artistes/ Bait (Music From The Original Series) Genre : OTT series soundtrack Label : FAMM Rating : *** 1/2 The Prime Video series Bait , directed by and starring Pakistani origin Britisher Riz Ahmed, is a breezy six-short-episode entertainer about a young actor who auditions for the role of James Bond. Double-o-seven, nothing less. It's got a pretty interesting music score too, blending retro elements with contemporary flavours to provide a very Brit South Asian sound. The music is in two parts, beginning with an EP which is already available, and followed by an 'inspired by' set of songs, to be released on April 16, with one single out on streaming platforms. Interestingly, the first track on the EP is a Hindi/ Urdu reimagination of the Eurythmics' 1983 chartbuster 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)'. Popular singer Arooj Aftab and producer Anish Kumar take the place of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, with the former singing 'Suneh...
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Naren's indie round-up/ Aprll 2026, Ep 1

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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood & The Rajasthan Express/ Ranjha Language & genre; Punjabi, Sufi Label: Junun/ World Circuit  Rating: ***** In 2015, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, Israeli singer Shye Ben Tzur and folk musicians The Rajasthan Express collaborated on the album Junun . They now get together on Ranjha , due for release next month. The title track is out and it's a brilliant burst of Sufi energy using the verse of Baba Bulleh Shah. The words "Ranjha Ranjha kardi huva main aape Ranjha hovi, Saho menu dheedo Ranjha, Heer na aankhon koi" are sung with intense fervour. The basic song is available on the streaming platforms. The YouTube music video, directed by Ian Patrick, begins with an extra intro, with the main song beginning after two minutes and 20 seconds, after which there is an extended credit portion. The video shows the musicians performing live, and the great nagara player Nathulal Solanki and the trumpet player Aamir Bhiy...
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Gig review/ NCPA Soulful Blues festival

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8 BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Shakura S'Aida and Sugaray Rayford/ NCPA Soulful Blues festival  Genre : Blues, soul, rhythm n' blues Presented by : National Centre for the Performing Arts  Details ; Tata Theatre, March 29 and 30 Rating ; **** 1/2 One was yet to recover from the March 27 Def Leppard concert at the Jio World Garden, when one experienced two nights of incredible magic at the Tata Theatre. The NCPA Soulful Blues festival may have had far fewer attendees, but what a weekend it was. Both artistes - Canadian singer Shakura S'Aida on the opening night and American artiste Sugaray Rayford on Sunday - displayed loads of energy and plenty of interaction with the audience. Shakura's performance boasted of some unbelievable vocals, with 'Modern Love' containing the kind of phrasing and control one hasn't too often. Sugaray's performance was dominated by originals, but his band suddenly surprised everyone with a stupendous version of Pink Floyd's 'Com...
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