As you land in Guwahati you are welcomed by small one-lane roads with shops on either sides, some under construction. You can make out that the place is still developing. But in their way, people of Guwahati have found a way to keep their music flowing over the weekends. One would think that for a music lover to be spending one night in the city, might be a bit of a challenge to look for a good scene. But it was quite the contrary.
Landing in Guwahati on a Friday afternoon called for a midday nap followed by some street food. Sorry Guwahati, but Calcutta won that round! As the evening approached, we had first made our way for some live music at Freemason’s Brewworks, located in City Center Mall. Located on the top floor of the mall, the place had an indoor and outdoor seating area. Since there was no live band indoors, we opted to go out on the balcony. Fairy lights went across the roof, with greenery on either side, black and white chairs and square-shaped tables. The end of the rooftop was occupied by a long horizontal platform, where the live band usually performs. The set-up was quite a romantic one and being open air made for pleasant weather.
Band Lady Midday, an alternative rock band from Guwahati
Sourced by Urvashi BhattacharyaFreemason’s Brewworks, as the name suggests, is known for their beers mentioned on a white board (probably due to the change in flavours). But if one’s not in the mood for a heavy beer, they can choose from the menu containing premium drinks. Given the ambience, a small peg or two made for the perfect drink. The unfortunate part of this evening was that the waiters took more than half an hour to serve us the drinks, which was just a peg and a half. But luckily we could turn to the live performers while we waited.
A local band called Himon Collective was the performer for the night. The three-men band performed English hits. The name Himon Collective originates from an alternative rock band, Lady Midday, led by Himon Choudhary (vocals, guitar), Hirak Jyoti Kalita (guitar, backing vocals), Riaz Ahmed (guitar, backing vocals), Adnan Ahmed (bass guitar) and Boris Pegu (drums, percussions). Started about nine years ago, the band has released five originals and two music videos and are influenced by a modern rock sound with bands like U2, Radiohead, Switchfoot and more. This band, comprising five men, has performed on the main stage of Bacardi NH7 Weekender. They also performed at Dream Valley Festival and has been awarded for their song, Hey You, at Sanskriti, AIMT in 2015.
Although two members of the band were missing, the Himon Collective sure made up for it. They performed songs by Coldplay, John Mayer plus others... and can we please add how Himon almost did sound like John Mayer as well? They weren’t background music performers as the audience moved away from their conversations to pay attention to them. Two guitars, a set of electric drums and a soulful voice made up for a perfect sound for a pleasant evening.
The Alley Pub, Guwahati
Sourced by Urvashi BhattacharyaAfter such a great live music session it was time to turn the BMP up a little. Something underground maybe! So, we made our way to The Alley Pub near ABC Point and were pretty amazed with a crowd on a Friday night. Although the place hosts an array of genres, that night was an underground night for them. And although their food and drinks menu might not be their strongest suits, the place is all about making “unlimited memories”. The venue is a rather small but cosy place, which makes for intimate music performances most times. Such a venue is great for supporting newbies in the industry and a major act would pack the place in seconds.
On the line-up that night were two local acts named Torrid aka Raktim Nahata and Bad Pistol along with an act from Calcutta. The place was already booming with people who had their dance moves ready. Bad Pistol had warmed up the audience just right but did not hold back on the energy with his vocal driven techno playing style. As the night progressed the vibe and the energy kept rising.
Performance by Torrid aka Raktim Mahanta
Sourced by Urvashi BhattacharyaA night that started with techno had stepped into psychedelic trance as Torrid took charge of the console. Mainly, he is a techno performer but on reading the audience he felt it was safe to play these rapid beats with fluttering melodies. And he wasn’t wrong, the audience couldn’t help but jump around and cheer for Torrid’s set. Raktim had later explained that Fridays are tough in Guwahati as there is no IT culture there. This keeps some offices open on Saturdays making Saturday nights something to look forward to.
As the scene in Guwahati grows slowly but surely, the Saturday nights are something to look forward to. Given the posts on social media, Guwahati like other cities have been taking it up a few notches with their gigs with both national and international acts, looking to improve their music experience day by day.
