Making noise again

When we ask Adhiraj Singh to reminisce about the time he founded the metal band Noiseware in 2009, he tells us that he's tempted to say, "Those were the days." Singh then explains why that is. Back then, the landscape of the independent music industry in India was vastly different from what it is today. College festivals with shows like "Battle of the bands" were more in vogue than events like NH7 Weekender. Venues didn't view lone-wolf DJs as cash cows who would hike up sales. Listening patterns weren't skewed towards electronic music either. And consequently, the avenues that metal musicians had to showcase their craft were manifold as compared to roughly 10 years later.

Adhiraj Singh

"It's kind of unfortunate, but we are one of the best examples of a band that went into a limbo for years on end," Singh says, referring to how Noiseware released its first EP in 2011 and then waited till this year to flesh it out into their debut album, Clouds at Last, for which they will play a launch gig this weekend.

All in a day's work
He adds, "I think that it's one big circle when it comes to most older bands not putting out enough music in recent years. If you don't have too many opportunities to take your music live, things phase out and motivation levels drop. But that being said, there are a handful of veterans who are putting in absolutely top-tier quality in terms of production, online creatives, music videos and things like that. So I guess people from the bands that have been around longer, who are settled in their careers, are also the ones on whose shoulders the metal scene rests, because for them it can be a passion project, where the financial returns aren't as necessary [as it is for youngsters]."

Noiseware after a gig

Singh uses his own example to illustrate this point. He is a filmmaker and sound engineer apart from being a musician. Three of the five members in Noiseware, in fact, have alternative day jobs, while the other two are session musicians who play a bunch of varied gigs. "The limbo I was referring to earlier involved not writing enough music or discarding what you have. It was hard to break out of, because of procrastination, apathy or whatever you want to call it. Plus, we were focused on other things. But at some point we found our motivation again and when that happens, you just start writing again. And now, we are approaching our music with a new perspective and embarking on a six-city tour of the country, starting with Bombay."

Work is worship
In other words, Noiseware has rejuvenated the way it functions. This is evident in the fact that when we first called up Singh, he was busy shooting a video to introduce the outfit's new drummer, Sambit Chatterjee. The band members are also going full throttle in promoting Clouds at Last online, and are working on a bunch of new material that they will release in the foreseeable future. So in effect, Singh is practising what he preaches. For, when we ask him how the metal scene's hey days can be revived in this country, he says, "See, in the end, your music is your product, and you are trying to sell it whether you like it or not. So, if bands package their music better - in terms of putting out an interesting Instagram video for example, instead of simply putting up a streaming link on Soundcloud [as was the case earlier] - then interest in metal music will start picking up again. What I am saying is that the work ethic of an average metal band in India needs to change."

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