Pick from guitar heroes to rising rap stars in Bengaluru this week

Chandresh Kudwa
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Chandresh Kudwa with Mohini Dey and Gino Banks

July 14, 8:30 pm onwards

Fandom at Gilly’s Redefined, Koramangala

Tickets: ₹300 via Insider.in + ₹500 cover charge at the door

Chandresh Kudwa with Mohini Dey and Gino Banks
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Nearly four years since he last performed in the city, guitar ace Chandresh Kudwa is back in Bengaluru with seasoned artistes Mohini Dey and drummer Gino Banks backing him up. Taking place as part of Fandom’s Love of Live weekly show series, Kudwa returns to perform songs from his solo album Free Spirit. Kudwa, who has worked on music and on stage with the likes of AR Rahman, Amit Trivedi and others, says, “I think the pandemic ruined everything for everybody and the entire flow got messed up.” Being a guitar instructor as well as a prolific session musician — as is the case with Dey and Banks — Bengaluru kicks off the first of a few more shows for the trio. Apart from songs from Free Spirit with a few “organic tweaks”, there will be their takes on covers. “I end up singing one or two songs which are famous, so I’m trying to introduce a few vocal-led tracks. It’s just fun to let the audience enjoy and join in with the songs.”

Quality Control 3.0

July 16, 8 pm onwards

Indiranagar Social

Tickets: ₹199 via Skillbox

The third edition of hip-hop gig series, Quality Control declares right off that this is not a normal show. Created in April between Bengaluru crew Cypher Cypher and the Social chain, co-founder Carter aka Jalebi the Kidd says he and co-founder rapper Dopeboyghost, just wanted to put together a show to draw a hundred or so people towards hip-hop. “We want to create a place for hip-hop, where fans come to see quality artists often without knowing of them before hand.”

MC Bijju
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The lineup includes Kannada rap favorite MC Bijju, alongside a host of fresh-faced, resolute rappers such as Lalit Jolly, Deadsouth, EMCTruth, Arfazhainaam, Poet Impossible, Rag, Real Ranna and Yung WagWan. Carter says the line-up is centred around Bijju, members of the Kannada collective Seedh Seedha and the picks that their crew, Cypher Cypher, want to back. “Curating lineups is one of my favourite things to do; it’s like constructing a puzzle of music, clout, and skill for the world to see.”

Yung WagWan
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Bharat Chauhan

July 16, 8 pm onwards

Fandom at Gilly’s Redefined, Koramangala

Tickets: ₹799 via Insider.in + ₹500 cover charge at the door

Bharat Chauhan
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

In October last year, New Delhi-based singer-songwriter Bharat Chauhan released his debut album Qurbat, marking a new step in his career that had previously thrived on singles such as ‘Ghar’ and ‘Tu Hoti Toh’. While those early hits have accrued millions of streams on digital platforms, Qurbat dives deeper into Chauhan’s Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi songwriting that is marked by an alluring intimacy. The artiste visits Bengaluru as part of a short run of shows across the country to promote Qurbat, which is also described by the artist as having a “melancholic psychedelic” quality. The album’s songs — ‘Ik Dafa’, ‘Meri Rahegi Tu’ and ‘Aasaan Nahin Hota’ — all convey different moods and journey from quiet acoustic treatments to all-out dramatic rock.

Bella

July 16, 8 pm onwards

WL Superclub, HSR Layout

Tickets: ₹499, ₹1499 (VIP) via Skillbox, plus cover charge

Bella
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Among India’s most prolific rap artists right now, Bella (previously known as M-Zee Bella) hits Bengaluru as part of his Bellopia series of shows this week. In a span of three years, Bella has not only released a slew of singles and EPs, but also two albums in 2022. That includes self-aware and hard-hitting tunes such as ‘Mein Haar Gya’ and ‘Mein Bas Kehna Chahta Hoon’. There are debauched hits such as ‘Sweet Poison’ in his discography as well and the latest from the winner of reality show MTV Hustle is the EP Chemical Reaction. Released via Universal Music, the EP allows Bella to double down on his distinctive Hindi rap, traversing drill and trap music across five songs.