We’re one step closer to picking India’s entries to the Global Ambassadors of Rock Battle of the Bands competition. The lineups for the elimination gigs to be held simultaneously at Hard Rock Cafes around the country have been announced. Bands were selected by Indus Creed frontman and Indian indie veteran Uday Benegal, with one spot in each city reserved for the winner of the online voting (as reported previously).
At the eliminations on February 24, the shortlisted bands will play two original songs each. The winning band from each city will then go on to play a full set at their respective Hard Rock Cafe on March 3. From this performance, two songs per band will be filmed and submitted as India’s entries to the regional finals. The winners will open for Bon Jovi on June 25 at this year’s edition of Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park, London.
The city-wise brackets are listed below. It would appear that Benegal’s selections betray a predilection towards a classic/alt rock sound, to the detriment of deserving acts like Medusa or Bombay Bassment. That being said, the online voting spot allowed bands to proactively reach out to their fanbases to secure a berth in the contest. Sadly, few did. Of the shortlisted bands, BLR and HYD have clear favorites in Swarathma and Junkyard Groove respectively. Unsurprisingly, the BOM and DEL contests look pretty tight. The runt of the group is definitely the PNX lineup. Maybe Farhad Wadia was right after all?
Bangalore
Allegro Fudge
Agam
Swarathma
Off The Record
Solder
Hyderabad
Junkyard Groove
Blacklisted
Sulk Station
Bull Engine
Native Tongue
Mumbai
Tough On Tobacco
Alex Rintu
Supervibe
Ankur And The Ghalat Family
Summerpint Junkie
New Delhi
Them Clones
Projekt Square
Barefaced Liar
Half Step Down
The Circus
Pune
Soul Strings
Silver
Infidels Of Sanity
Swastika
Highway 61
Photos by Mark Hillary
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