I am a two-faced man: Alobo Naga

A lot of music bands from the Northeast have made their mark on the national music scene and Alobo Naga & The Band (ANB) is one of them. This band has wowed audiences not only in India, but abroad too. Winner of 2012 Best Indian Act at a European music awards ceremony, ANB is an Indian rock outfit from Dimapur, Nagaland, formed in 2010. We caught up with Alobo -- the lead vocalist of the band who is from the Sumi tribe of Nagaland.Excerpts...
Performing in Bangalore This was the first time that we performed as a band in Bangalore. But I performed in Bangalore last year at St Josephs College as a solo artist. New places are always a new challenge and we like it. We play originals, so when we perform for a new audience who isn't aware of us and our music, it needs some work. Our first performance here was at a mall and we were successful at having an audience of 600 people. They started singing along, and it was pretty cool. We could reach out to people who did not know our music and appreciated it. The North East Carnival was good too as there people knew us from before.
Why the name Alobo Naga & The Band My name is Alobo Naga and I have been performing as solo artist for some time now. When I decided to form the band, people already knew me and it was easy to identify if I had my name along with the band’s. When I decided to form the band, 70 people auditioned for it and I picked four from them. Then we started jamming and playing at different places and a magazine referred to us as 'Alobo Naga and the band', and we decided to go with that name. I am a two-faced man -- when I go solo, I grow as a songwriter and it brings out the romantic side of me. I sing pop and can even do renditions of Bollywood songs. But, with the band, I can tap into the rock 'n' roll side of me.
The Northeast has a lot of talent There's a lot of talent in India, but in the Northeast, the story is a little different. There, entire families like music and are into it heavily. Each member knows to play at least one or two instruments; it is a way of life for them. Also, we go to church every Sunday and there we play instruments and sing too, which gets us accustomed to music. But, people there are quite laidback and did not make use of any opportunities earlier. We are a few steps behind the rest of the country, though things are changing now.
Playing music at different destinations It is always a challenge playing at new places. We don’t want to play just to audiences who know us. Our melody is simple and catchy, so people can sing along. Though we are quite advanced technically and play different instruments, when it comes to vocals, we keep it simple. We are grateful to God for the appreciation and when we play at different places, we make friends too. Though we have not travelled much yet -- just to a few South Asian countries and different big cities in India -- we are looking forward to more gigs.