India’s North East: The Epicentre of Indian Rock Music
“ I’ve known hunger since I was ten
Loneliness is my good friend
I’ve learnt to laugh when I feel sad
When I see good times turnin’ bad”
A song composed by the great Lou Majaw, speaks volumes of his perseverance as a child. Hailed as India’s Bob Dylan, now 68, Lou was the founder, and part of many prominent bands, most notably ‘The Great Society’. Lou’s struggle from being the guy who worked as a labourer to survive, to being hailed as the legend of music in north-east India has inspired and transformed the Indian rock music scene ever since.
Lou Majaw – Shillong’s Bob Dylan | Photo Courtesy: soundeplunge.com
“I was asked how I felt about my work as a laborer, but I always said I felt no shame or embarrassment. ‘I’m doing my job, yeah? I respect it’, is what I said,” says Lou. And probably it is this passion that distinguishes the north-eastern rock music from that churned out from the rest of India.
It’s no surprise that Lou was born in Shillong – the hub of rock in north-east India. The rock capital of India is home to some of the finest bands of the country. The north-east reflects a cultural tradition of dance and music. In the post-British era, most of the population converted to Christianity, embracing western music in the process. The music scene in north-east has ever since been way ahead of its time. While the rest of India was yet to accept rock till the 60s, the north-east led from the front, going on to produce some of the best bands India had seen.
Manipur first embraced rock music in the 1980s owing to the influence from parts of south-east Asia. It was commonplace to come across second hand copies of the Rolling Stones’ pirated audio cassettes, and tapes of boot-legged concert videos, which were often smuggled through Myanmar. This led to a revolution of sorts and strongly influenced the culture.
The Great Society was formed in the mid 70s and is considered one the greatest rock bands of India. The initial line-up included Lou Majaw (vocals and rhythm guitars), Arjun Sen (vocals and guitars), and Bert Cooper on Drums. Rudy Wallang joined the band as a bass player in 1980. The band played on for 22 years and was disbanded in 1992, although they continue to perform at reunions.
Manipur first embraced rock music in the 1980s owing to the influence from parts of south-east Asia. It was commonplace to come across second hand copies of the Rolling Stones’ pirated audio cassettes, and tapes of boot-legged concert videos, which were often smuggled through Myanmar. This led to a revolution of sorts and strongly influenced the culture.
The impact can be seen till today, when fans groove to covers of Welcome to the Jungle by White Fire, a rock band based in Manipur. Music fans in the north-east can any day be found head-banging to live music and swaying to old rock classics from The Beatles to The Doors.
Within two years, Alobo Naga, the band, got international recognition as it was the first band from the North East to be listed in the top 10 countdown list of international music. Further, the band also won the award for the Best Indian Act at the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards.Some of the bands from the north-east have not only made their name in the country but have also left a mark in the world of international music. Alobo Naga, a Nagaland based band formed in the summer of 2010 has tasted success in India and across the world. The bands line-up consists of Alobo Naga (vocal, guitar, piano, ukulele), David Sunar (drums, percussion, vocals), Fung Walling (bass, vocals), and DJ Sumoka Yepthomi (turntable, guitar, vocals). Within two years, the band got international recognition as it was the first band from the North East to be listed in the top 10 countdown list of international music. Further, the band also won the award for the Best Indian Act at the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards.
Boomerang’s music appeals to the teens, for they believe in free play. They call their genre of music as ‘junk rock’ – meaning “play whatever the hell you want”!Aizwal brings together Boomerang – another band dappling in nu-metal, raps, and blues. They opened for Lamb of God in 2010, and for KoRn in 2012. Their music appeals to the teens, for they believe in free play. They call their genre of music as ‘junk rock’ – meaning “play whatever the hell you want”!
Plague Throat, another death metal band from Shillong caught everyone’s attention when they represented India at the Wacken Metal Battle in Germany in 2014.
Soulmate, formed by Rudy Wallang (ex The Great Society member) was the first Blues band to represent India in the world. They opened for Carlos Santana during his India tour in the year 2012.
These were just to name a few amongst many other prominent bands of the north east. If you want the real taste of rock music you should definitely check out The Vinyl Records (all girl band), Lucid Recess, Girish and The Chronicles, Magdalene, and Cleave, to name a few.
Having said this, the music scene in the north east is only set to get bigger with the frenetic awakening of the youth to the rock genre as India’s happiest music festival the NH7 Weekender gets rolling this October 2015 in Shillong!
Rohan Ahershinge
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