Every year, October Octaves bring a varied musical act to the city. This year, their eighth edition, will see performances by Indo-Western fusion band Swaraag from Rajasthan and singer Hargun Kaur from Punjab.
Established in 2015, October Octaves has consistently made it a point to host different artistes and genres to broaden the cultural and melodic spectrum of the city; last year they had Iranian musicians who played the daf and kamancheh, instruments common in Persian countries.
“Our idea has been to deliver music from all genres, especially that which is unlike what usually comes to town. Since we had already brought in fusion, Bollywood and performances in other languages, this year we decided on the Sufi experience and traditional Punjabi music,” says M Ramesh, founder and organiser of October Octaves.
As a result, this edition of the music festival will see Rajasthani folk band Swaraag and Punjabi artiste Hargun Kaur in the spotlight. Bengaluru-based keyboardist Venugopal Venky will also be performing this year.
Swaraag is an eight-member band known for their renditions of Sufi, Rajasthani folk and Bollywood medleys, as well as the use of the sitar, drums, saxophone, khartal, tabla and guitar, in their repertoire.
Singer-songwriter Hargun Kaur sings specialises in ghazals and other genres of music; she also plays the harmonium and keytar and was a finalist for India’s Got Talent in 2017.
“Apart from their usual set lists, these artistes will also present popular Bollywood numbers and a couple of songs in other languages as an bonus surprise,” says Ramesh, who adds that the aim of October Octaves is to showcase the universal and unifying nature of music.
Another goal of October Octaves’ is the promotion of South Bengaluru as a cultural hub — most concerts tend to be held in the CBD, making the commute a nightmare for those living in other parts of the city. “That is the reason we don’t hold our shows anywhere else,” he adds.
As always, the sale of tickets by October Octaves goes towards benefitting a charity – this year, proceeds will go to Ananya — A Foundation For Happiness.
On October 28 at the Prestige Srihari Khoday Centre for Performing Arts from 5pm. Tickets available on bookmyshow
