A Metal Chapter in Mumbai’s history books

May 19 • News • 3386 Views • No Comments on A Metal Chapter in Mumbai’s history books

Free CDs/stickers/posters, cheap alcohol, a daan peti, a magazine (titled ‘Bhenchod Madarchod’), bling uncle, a seriously dingy place for a venue, a line up with a good mix of seasoned and new artists representing varied genres, and a gig put up and paid for by people who seriously care for and are a part of the scene. These were the hallmarks of Control ALT Delete v4.0, held in September last year. There was an announcement made at the event about the first ever Metal edition of the crowdfunded gig and the line-up, date and venue are finally out.

Featuring one of the biggest line-ups EVER for a metal event in Mumbai, Control ALT Delete – the Metal Chapter has been greeted with much excitement from metal fans. The likes of Undying Inc, Zygnema, Devoid, Gutslit, Noiseware, Reptilian Death , Providence and Grammy Winning Effort that represent the best of the Indian metal scene make up the insane line up. The collective quality and brutality of the bands on the bill combined with the ‘Pay what you fucking want’ formula have been instrumental in bringing the event the attention it deserves.

Control Alt Delete – The Metal Chapter

We talk to the organisers of Control ALT Delete (CAD) and some of the bands on the bill to find out more about the initiative and what metalheads can look forward to on 1^st June.

“Control ALT Delete is an event that aims to bring back the live movement to where it belongs -to the artist and the fan.” Says Nikhil Udupa, one of the main organisers behind the gig.

According to the organisers, having at least this one massive gig that does not have any sponsor names attached to it is of prime importance. “An increasing dependence on promoters and sponsors has left everyone involved in the independent artist scenario either complacent or cynical. The whole DIY ethos has gone for a toss and has been replaced by armchair activism and a misplaced sense of entitlement.” Says Udupa, who along with Rishu Singh and Himanshu Vaswani makes up the core team of the event.

Control ALT Delete then, is not merely a gig, it is a movement. One that swears by the involvement and dedication of fans. Udupa explains the idea behind CAD, “It is essentially a crowdfunded movement which involves the whole ecosystem of the independent music scenario in the country to deliver a gig utilizing everyone’s strengths and contributions. It aims to make everyone, right from the fan, to the artist, to the merch retailer a stake holder in the gig.”

The CAD business model is one that hinges on transparency. Post the gig, all the accounts are made public on their social media pages. The organisers are also clear about their stance on profit. “Any money made from the gig post recovering costs is split between all bands equally irrespective of the seniority of the band.” they say.

CAD had its origins in the alt rock scene. Himanshu was the originator of the idea of the ‘pay what you want’ at door scene and had been doing the gig for a couple of years before Nikhil and Rishu came on board, ‘to make it bigger, expand the scope and involve a wider audience.’

Having found its feet in alt rock, the organisers now want to move CAD into the metal sphere. “We are metal fans and it’s been a while since Bombay has seen a big ass metal gig with bands not dictated by ‘the scene’ or subgenre they belong to.”

These guys seem to be true believers in the power of metal music. “Metal to us is one genre that comes closest to the sense of brotherhood and DIY ethos we hope to encourage in this ecosystem. It has a set of devoted fans who truly are about the music they believe in. We get that and would love to be a small cog in the wheel that drives this thought and passion to action.”

The passion and excitement of metal fans in Mumbai has been pouring out in voices of support across social media. But the excitement isn’t limited to fans.

Adhiraj Singh, lead guitarist of Noiseware (who will be debuting two new songs from their upcoming album at the gig) is excited too. “All the bands performing are top notch, the best metal bands in the country. Honestly, I feel a little sorry for the crowd because they’ll have absolutely no breaks. It’s going to be a relentless assault!”

The lads from Zygnema praise the organisers. “No organizer will want to shell out money from their own pocket and then ask the audience to pay whatever they want. But these guys have been doing that. Mumbai needed a dose of a great line up and they made it happen.”

As for what we can expect from Zygnema at CAD, well, they seem a bit unsure, “We are playing after 7 months. So we ourselves don’t know what to expect. We are planning on playing newer songs and probably release some new merchandise. PROBABLY.”

Control ALT Delete merch

Sahil Makhija a.k.a Demonstealer, who will be playing the gig with Reptilian Death says “I think the line-up is absolutely ‘TOD PHOD’ as we say in Mumbai and I for one am excited to be part of such a massive event.” He adds, “RD will bring pure unadulterated death metal to the party.”

As important as fans are to it, Control ALT Delete-The Metal Chapter means much more to the die-hard metalheads of the city.As Adhiraj explains, “In metal we haven’t had many gigs like this and I hope people turn up so that more such events can happen.”

The major deciding factors to attend a gig for most fans have always been line-up and ticket cost. THAT scintillating line-up doesn’t leave you with much choice. The cherry on top is the choice to pay whatever you feel these artists deserve. Turning up for a gig has never been easier.

CONTRIBUTE FOR CONTROL ALT DELETE – THE METAL CHAPTER HERE

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