It was 6^th February a Thursday night. The music scene in Mumbai witnessed an electrifying surge of indie rock as the inaugural Big City Spiral event unfolded at antiSOCIAL, Lower Parel in Mumbai. The indie rock community showed up with over 150 fans / friends who gathered on a week night sandwiched between Sulafest, Mahindra Blues Fest, Goa IIM-W, and Bangalore Open. 

The evening kicked off with Contra & Friends, featuring Manas Jha and Dean at the helm, along with friends Sid Coutto (from ZERO) and Tanmay Bahulekar (aka Microphon3 from CHABUK). Contra, known for their deeply emotive sound, performed songs off their debut EP including Rain and You Were There, alongside fiery collaborations that left the audience clamoring for more.

Soon the Corner Café Chronicles took stage, performing songs off Renaissance, Homebound, and DIY Generation. Their genre-bending sound, psychedelic visuals and electric stage act had the crowd swaying and cheering, uniting the community.

The night concluded with a massive set from Nemophilis, the Pune-based trio captivated the audience with their originals One Last Time, Paralyzed, and Stay With Me, and even delivered a surprise rendition of the Queen classic Bohemian Rhapsody. Their hard rock sound perfectly blended with cinematic visuals, leaving the audience awe-struck and immensely satisfied.

But it was not just about the bands on-stage. The gig was attended by indie rock legends like Claver (from the F Band) and Bharath Swamy (from Agnee), indie darling Saurabh Roy (from The Lightyears Explode), as well as new kids on the block The Venom Berries. Also, in attendance were friends from the music industry - Apple Music, Believe, Ticket Fairy, G5A, MSL, and more.

Volume 1 of the Big City Spiral brought together the indie rock community in the ‘bay. Fans and friends travelled from far across Navi Mumbai and Pune to support the initiative.

Looking forward, Big City Spiral aims to foster this community spirit by hosting regular listening sessions and band meetups, as well as amplify the voice of musicians who make the indie scene. The success of this inaugural event celebrated the indie spirit, touching hearts and inspiring a new generation of bands.

For those who don’t know, Big City Spiral is a collective of friends who met at The Stables - another live music venue in Mumbai.

Sanish, the lead guitarist for the band Hysteria, has been a driving force behind organizing live gigs at The Stables. In just over a year, Sanish has organized two dozen indie rock / metal gigs there, often with a turnout of 200 plus attendees.

Manas Jha is the singer / songwriter for Contra, and met Sanish at a Stables gig. Later in October last year, they both put together Contra’s EP Launch gig, aka the Half Life / Double Mayhem, at Stables. The gig saw guest performances by indie stalwarts Siddharth Basrur (from RUNT), Sid Coutto (from ZERO), Shawn Pereira (from BLAKC), as well as Teemeer and Aniket (from SCEPTRE).

“As we reflect on a night filled with exceptional music, Big City Spiral extends heartfelt thanks to all the artists, attendees, and supporters who made this event a resounding success. Stay tuned for more events where music and community intertwine to create magic” says ManasJha,while adding, “We live in interesting times - it’s easier than ever to make music, but harder than ever to get people to listen to it. Who knows this better than our dear indie bands. You've made music in your bedroom that's deeply personal, hired a studio, recorded your songs, shot a music video, but then crickets… Social media won't help you because they want what's viral, streaming platforms won't playlist you because they want what's charting, and live music venues won't program you because they want bar sales.”

He states that indie bands, especially rock / metal, are the hardest hit. “You see them spiraling out of control - losing life savings, mental health, or worse. Disillusioned, most indie bands have left the scene. And the precious few that remain, stay local to their own city, playing to their local fans and friends. There’s no longer an indie / rock community across India. Enter Big City Spiral - while we can’t prevent our dear indie bands from spiralling out, we will help them endure and keep going. We will amplify their voices - where bands can speak openly about the truth behind the indie scene. We will rebuild the community, rally fans to meet the bands, listen to the music that inspires them. We will arrange gigs at major live music venues across India where the bands can freely play their original music without commercial pressures”.

Spiral Out, Keep Going.

Photo Credits: Abhishek Gupta (Instagram - @mikig2)