There are not a lot of Indian bands out there that can claim to be pivotal in shaping the way people listen to Hindi and rock put together. But that is what Aswekeepsearching set out to do when they formed in 2013. The Modern post-rock band that came together in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, has taken their rooted music even to Russia, apart from making their sound heard right here at home.
Having tasted success after their full-length debut album Khwaab, the band went on to be part of ushering in a change in the independent rock music scene in India, touring the country and abroad with their intriguing lyrics, eclectic sounds and well-packaged compositions. Comprising Uddipan Sarmah on vocals and guitar, Shubham Gurung on guitar and keyboards, Bob Alex on bass and Gautam Deb on drums, the four-piece act has made a deep impact on the country’s independent soundscape playing across festivals and along with a range of notable bands.
Recalling their earlier times in the city, Uddipan says the first city to support them back then was Bengaluru. “It has always been the same. Every band has its favourite city and for us it’s been Bengaluru all the while. This city has never disappointed us.” The band plays at bFlat this weekend.
After the launch of their ambient rock-based, second album Zia at The Humming Tree a few months back, the band has taken a break. “Since then we haven’t played. We’ve released two full-length albums in the span of two years and that is an achievement. We haven’t played most of our old songs in a while. So this set will be a mix and match of our old and new songs.”
The takeaway for this gig, Uddipan says, is that it will be a whole new experience for the audience since no one has heard Zia and Khwaab together. “There are crowd expectations and fitting all our songs will be difficult in a two-hour set. But this will be a first-time ever performance. We are also getting in a percussionist and violinist for the next concert. We’re constantly experimenting and every show will be different from now.”
On how their sound is evolving, the frontman says when they started out and wrote Khwaab, it was more like the band coming together. “We formed the band through Khwaab. We wrote songs to project ourselves. We experienced everything together and then wrote Zia. Both have different emotions to it. In Zia, every song has a story to tell. At the same time, the first album will always be a first album – it will never feel old.”
At the heart of the band, Uddipan says, is their aggressive emotion. “Two-three years back, we had no following with just four-five people in the audience. We’ve come a long way from there. We are going places we haven’t gone before. We have always maintained being live performers in all our shows – we don’t just stand and play our music. Performance is most important for us. The energy and experience that people take back home is what keeps us beating.”
On how they found the band’s name, Uddipan laughs and says they were actually searching for a bassist to complete a song at that time. “We were in the process of finding a name as well. We wanted to keep one that doesn’t end and can have anything added to it. At that time, we were also heavily influenced by the post rock scene and all the post rock bands had names like this.”
Their journey, he says, has been one of constant evolution. “We’re already writing songs for our next album. Every song we are making with time has its own maturity and shows how we have changed as an individual and a band. Khwaab was written in the heat of Ahmedabad, while Zia was penned down in the heart of Pune. The difference in locations comes together with everything else to reflect in our music. I manage the band and I’m happy we’re all hard working. Another one-and-a-half years and our third album should be out.”
Uddipan also reveals that they’ve been trying to reach out to a wider audience. “We don’t want to stick to one genre-based niche crowd. Although we are a Hindi rock band, nobody identifies us as one. We already have that to our advantage. Everyone knows us as AsWeKeepSearching – the branding has gone really well. It has helped us tap into everyone’s listening space.”
Catch Aswekeepsearching live at bFlat, Indiranagar, from 9 pm onwards. D’s Kitchen plays an early set. Tickets on www.insider.in and venue. Call 25278361