They rep the city!

After we recently wrote about the upcoming NH7 Weekender festival in the city not having enough local talent, the organisers have announced that four new artistes would be joining the line-up — including two local acts.

The Tapes and solo singer-songwriter Arpit Chourey, both of whom are based in Hyderabad, will join the likes of Farhan Akhtar, Vir Das, Indian Ocean and more — as well as international artistes — for the two-day music fest in November.

Arpit, who has been playing for around a decade, says, “Hyderabad has immense talent — we have so many good bands and musicians. We get to perform through the many live music events here. So hopefully the listeners, too, will evolve. Maybe, in a year or two, we’ll be up there in the national circuit as well.”

A former MNC worker, Arpit has lived in various parts of the country, something he says helps influence his indie-folk rock style of music. The 27-year-old moved to Hyderabad for work about two-and-a-half years ago, before finally taking up music full-time. And the decision seems to have paid off.

Arpit says, “The best thing about it is that I’ll be playing my own songs in front of such a huge audience at a great festival. It’s a big thing for the city, and for me as well!”

Meanwhile, The Tapes’ vocalist Pranav Kumar, believes that getting to play alongside some of the biggest names in indie music in the country will help the relatively younger band.

Formed in 2013, the post-grunge indie band has seen little change in its lineup — currently Sri Hari, Saurav Tyagi, Chaitanya, Abhay Krishna and Pranav Kumar.

“We’re getting to play in one of the biggest independent music festivals in India, and it feels amazing to play with bands that have been in the national scene,” says Pranav, adding, “It’s happening for the first time in Hyderabad and we’re a part of it, so it’s like the icing on the cake.”