January is one month that the city’s classic rock aficionados have been looking forward for the past seven years.
It is that month in which vocalist and guitarist Nandakumar, known popularly as Nandu Leo, one of the city’s pioneers in the genre, brings back the spirit of the 1970s and 80s with the music from the area.
Nandu, who has been performing in venues across the city since the 1970s, began the annual classic rock concerts in 2013, when he felt that the younger generation is slowly losing touch with the genre.
This year, the seventh edition of the concert titled ‘Follow your heart’, is scheduled to be held at the Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan at 6 p.m. on January 26.
45th year
“This is my 45th year as a performer in the city’s rock scene. Someone recently asked me whether I have any regrets for staying back in my home town, when I could have gone outside and made it big. I have no such regrets, since all through my life I have played music for the people I grew up with,” he says.
The annual concerts are as much a tribute to the rock music circle of the city, as it is an attempt to keep alive interest in the classic rock genre.
For youngsters
“Every year I do this to relive those days and help others do the same. For instance, when I listen to songs from ‘One of these nights’ by ‘Eagles’, I travel back to that day when I stood waiting outside a shop in Chennai’s Mount Road at 6 a.m. to get my hand on the album LP. I play lesser known songs from that era. Young people often contact me after the show asking for the name of these songs. So, if I can generate interest in a few youngsters, it is worth it. For me, it is very important that I don’t repeat the songs from previous years in the concerts,” he says.