Banding together again

(From left) Vaibhav Pani, Stuart DaCosta, Rajan Batra, Sahil Shah and Himonshu Parikh of The Yellow Diary

It was on November 20 last year that AntiSocial - a live music venue at Lower Parel - opened its doors to the public again for the first time after the lockdown. We had been there to witness Chennai alt-rockers The F16s bring the house down. But a curious thing happened after that. The venue shifted its focus almost entirely to DJs and electronic music producers. You can literally use one hand to count the number of live bands that have played there since. Why is that? Is it simply because calling a DJ to play a set is less of a hassle than inviting a full band? Or is it also because an early deadline means that investing in a gig by a five-piece act doesn't make economic sense for the establishment, because ticket prices would be higher and the audience might be put off paying, say, '500 for less than an hour of music?

It's both of those reasons, and more. The Yellow Diary is a five-piece rock act that will take the stage at AntiSocial this evening as part of the Madness Jam gig series. Stuart DaCosta, its bassist, explains that bands need to be in a room together to rehearse for a gig, and that can still be difficult since the pandemic isn't yet over. "Also [if it's an outstation act] more people need to be flown down in a plane, which is less logical than bringing a DJ down given the situation we are in right now," he adds.

The audience at the first gig held at AntiSocial after the lockdown

Still, the band members are ecstatic that they will finally perform in front of a live audience again. "I'm a bass player, and there is a humongous difference when I play my instrument at a live venue. It can rearrange your molecules, while all it will do at an online concert is rattle your screen. You are inside the band when you are watching it live; you really feel the music," DaCosta tells us, letting out a sigh of satisfaction on finishing that sentence.

That sigh really encapsulates what it means for a true-blue live act to burn the floor with their music. Mumbai-based The Yellow Diary will get a shot at it this evening. But when will we see more bands of their ilk fill up the city's gig roster? The simple answer is after the pandemic, which, as we said, is still raging.

On Today, 8 pm onwards
At AntiSocial, near Viva Centre, Mathuradas Mill Compound, Lower Parel.
Log on to insider.in
Cost Rs 499