There are quite a few things being celebrated on August 12 at pub venue Straight Up in Bengaluru, among them, to put it broadly, is the sustenance of a metal scene in the country and city. While Australian metal band Psycroptic will make their first appearance in the city, as part of their debut India tour, city-based thrash/death metallers Inner Sanctum will raise their horns to mark 10 years in brutal action.
Supported by death metal bands such as Godless from Hyderabad and Fragarak from New Delhi, the show – titled Hardwire – is organised entirely by band members of Inner Sanctum. Guitarist Chintan Chinnappa says, “We didn’t intend on hosting a gig (for our 10th anniversary) at all. But when we found out that Psycroptic were looking to play a show in Bengaluru, we thought, ‘Why don’t we invest and try?’ We’re taking a risk but if it works out, then that’s great.”
Chintan says he’s quite excited to be part of the line-up and is a huge fan of Psycroptic, back when he came across the band while exploring the technical-death metal movement. “I really like (guitarist) Joe Haley’s style of playing. It’s a signature.” While the Supreme Court order on banning alcohol sales on national highways put a few venues off their radar, the band turned to Straight Up, which was run by a friend of Inner Sanctum’s bassist Narayan Shrouthy. “It reminds of Kyra,” Chintan says, recalling the once-famous gig venue in Indiranagar.
Psycroptic drummer Dave Haley, prior to embarking on their India tour earlier this week, spoke about their anticipations with playing in a new country. “It’s always exciting playing a new country, or even just visiting it... but also can be a little stressful as well – as it’s all unknown. Questions like ‘How will we be received?’, ‘What are the conditions going to be like?’, ‘Have we forgotten anything on the logistical or paperwork side?’ are just the tip of the iceberg. We are excited to see a new country and culture and tour somewhere completely new. So the excitement outweighs the nerves of course.” The band, who have been in the game since 1999, will perform songs from across six albums, joined by vocalist Lochlan Watt, who is filling in for frontman Jason Peppiatt. The band’s drummer Haley expresses, “Since we haven’t been to India before, we are planning to do a set that spans all our albums – a bit of everything. It will be a fun set to play, and I’m sure the fans will dig it as well. For those who are unfamiliar with us, it will be a good introduction to our music.”
Hardwire ft Psycroptic, Inner Sanctum, Godless, Fragarak takes place at Straight Up, Hennur on August 12. Entry: ₹1,000.