Wish for No War: Metal musicians to perform for peace

Even as the US-Israel coalition and Iran are continuing strikes amidst an announced ceasefire, musicians in Thiruvananthapuram are coming together to organise an anti-war music festival featuring metal bands from across the country. Titled ‘Kala/pam – Music Concert for Peace’, the event is being organised by the collective Humans of World (HOW).The festival, scheduled to be held at Ayyankali Hall (VJT Hall) in Palayam on Sunday, will feature bands including Vidyut from Chennai, Septic Isle from Hyderabad, Agharath from Kochi, and Mooted, a Malayalam heavy metal band from Thiruvananthapuram. Speaking about the event, Devan, one of the musicians from Mooted, tells us, "The initiative aims to familiarise more people with metal music while using it to address larger social concerns. Since metal is a global soundscape, we don't want to use it just for entertainment alone. At a time when wars are happening, we understand the intensity and issues behind them, and thought it should be addressed. We have designed the entire fest based on the theme, ‘Wish For No War'."Devan shares that the festival also seeks to revisit human values that are often overlooked today. “These days, human values like love, respect, unity and coexistence are being overlooked and dismissed as clichéd concepts. So, our aim is to discuss them too,” he adds.