The evening is masked by the threat of a looming downpour. Yet the courtyard of Palladium, Phoenix Marketcity is bustling with cheerful activity. From technicians setting the stage to sound engineers gauging acoustics, the anticipation of a live concert is unmissable, as the jaunty members of the popular Kerala-based band Thaikkudam Bridge fine-tune their instruments, vocal and otherwise.
The set list for the evening is an interesting mix of originals, crowd favourites and popular covers: from the iconic ‘Fish Rock’ to ‘Life of Ram’ from 96 (composed by Govind Vasantha), familiar tunes fill the air. The Chennai audience is familiar to the band, which has performed in the city around 30 times so far. But this is their first live show in the city since the pandemic.
“The crowd in Chennai is musically critical. They know their music and hence it is not easy to fool them. We always strive to give our 120% and this challenge keeps us on our toes and helps us perform better,” says guitarist, Ashok Betty Nelson.
The band, which has two albums and multiple crowd-favourite singles, is clearly elated to be back on stage. Reflecting on a tougher time, Govind Vasantha, founder of Thaikkudam Bridge says, “We didn’t have any performances [during the pandemic], so we were literally struggling as an independent band. But we did prepare a lot of upcoming songs.” Nelson adds that they were active, doing jingles and online shows regularly. “In a way, it was good for us to have some time off, in the creative sense,” he says.
From where do they derive inspiration for inventive lyrics and discography? Nelson explains, “I don’t think you can say that music belongs to a single creator,” he continues by paraphrasing music composer Ilaiyaraaja, “I think Raja sir said this once that he is just a medium for the universe’s music. It is not just about art, it is about anything. Philosophically speaking, nothing is original. There’s always something that inspires you consciously or subconsciously. It’s just the universe channeling through you.”
The ensemble’s second, and latest album, Namah (2019) has seen collaborations with legendary artists like Jordan Rudess, Marco Minneman, Chris Adler, Guthrie Govan and Rakesh Chaurasya to name a few. It all started with the song ‘Thekkini’, says Govind. “I suggested, what if Zakir Hussain played the tabla in ‘Thekkini’? It was funny at the time. Then we thought, why can’t we collaborate with international and regional artists who inspire people?,” he continues, “We randomly messaged a lot of people. Pink Floyd, Metallica, Coldplay... we sent messages to everyone. Some doors opened.”
2023 promises to be an eventful year for the ensemble. They have plans to tour Europe, Ireland and the UK, early next year followed by a Southeast Asian tour via Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. As for upcoming projects, their lips are sealed; at least for the moment. But they assure us that the lockdown years will bear fruit soon.
