Delhi-based alt-rock boys at The Circus are best friends before all else. They have been together through thick and thin and are even a part of different music acts when they aren’t being Circus freaks, together. After working on their album for three years, they’ve reevaluated their style and grown into their own sound, quite spectacularly.
Since Bengaluru has always been receptive to their music, just as they are to the city’s food, you can expect to hear their whole album live as they stop by the city on March 5.
“To begin with, our sound was frantic alternative rock, perhaps influenced by the raging hormones of being a 19-year-old,” says guitarist and vocalist, Arsh Sharma. But their latest seven-track album, With Love is anything but. The sonic palate sees varied soundscapes and influences ranging from industrial and grunge to ambient. Though the guitar still finds its pride of place, the influences of their journeys as solo artistes across genres, shines through.
“We were very patient about what we wanted and how we wanted it to be. We didn’t want to rush into making something we weren’t satisfied with. The basic idea is to put out a quality product and not be bound by deadlines and pressures to finish something,” explains Anshul Lall, the drummer who took to his instrument of choice at age 13, after catching the musical bug from his mother who used to sing.
Arsh believes he’d have ended up a Godman if he wasn’t into music. “My parents were always on board with my career choice as they knew this was the only way for me to stay out of trouble,” he quips.
Founded in 2007, the four-piece band also includes Abhinav Chaudhary on the bass and Abhishek Bhatia on vocals. “I think that the essence of sticking together as a band is being great friends, being responsive to each other’s ideas and accepting personal idiosyncrasies. It also helps if you really enjoy the music you make together with your band,” says Arsh, who doubles as one half of the live electronic act, FuzzCulture.
Are there clashes owing to the fact that these friends are also an integral part of other bands? Isn’t it like sharing your best friend, perhaps? “We are pretty clear with each other about our dates and always work around them. Playing in different acts always helps one to explore different headspaces and find a musical part of yourself you didn’t know previously existed,” explains Arsh about his band mates – Abhishek who has an electronic producer avatar called Curtain Blue and Anshul and Abhinav who are a part of the post-rock outfit, Ioish.
As The Circus, the band have opened for Karnivool in Delhi, performed at the Music Room in Dubai and at the One Movement Festival in Perth, enthralled music-seekers at the NH7 Weekender thrice and have had the privilege of opening for Megadeth. Right now, all that they want is to attract a whole new crowd to their sound. And, they are well on their way.
– Catch The Circus at The Humming Tree on March 5.
