Music comes a 'live'

If you are tired of Hyderabad’s music scene, which translates into the same ol’ Guetta and GaGa tracks playing on loop everywhere you go, it’s time to get ready for some refreshing live action.
An increasing number of bands — both Indian and international — are now playing to an audience that is craving for more, and getting what it asks for.
The live music fad has really caught on in Hyderabad, with many people now preferring to go out and listen to a live band rather than frequenting a pub which offers a staple diet of regular mixes belted out by a DJ.
Rachna Mehta, an avid fan of live music and director of a playschool in the city, reasons, “I prefer listening to live music because it is a totally different sonic experience. You get to see the music being created right in front of you. You can feel the vibe of the artiste and that can be amazing.”
Hyderabad, with its vibrant culture, encourages budding musicians irrespective of the genre of their music. The city can boast of quite a few places like Hard Rock Cafe, Coco’s and good ol’ Mehfil that’s getting popular with the young lot again, where live acts are enjoyed by many. Farhad, a city model who walked the ramp at the Lakme India Fashion Week, is a regular at these places and feels that these joints not only encourage new talent, but also gives the audience a break from the run-of-the-mill music.
The changing scenario has been welcomed by the musicians of the city as well, as they feel that artistes are finally getting their space to grow.
“The crowd in the city has come of age and is willing to experiment with different genres of music apart from the regular popular music,” says a visibly happier Krishna, one of the much-loved live singers of the city. Krishna’s sentiment is echoed by Argentinean musicians Daniel and Gabriel who play at the The Bar at Novotel. “The audience has its own requests which make the entire interaction for an artiste a memorable one,” shares Gabriel.
It comes as no surprise that in the recent past, Hyderabad has been host to Bryan Adams, Pakistani rock band Strings and Sufi singers Sanam Marwi and Rekha Bharadwaj.
Though live music in any genre has a very niche audience, the connoisseurs of this form of music are on the rise. The city, which mostly prefers popular chartbusters, is warming up to experimental live music. “If you play or sing with your heart, it goes beyond the usual and transcends mindsets,” sums up Gabriel, explaining the budding love affair of the Hyderabadis with live music.