While you occur to’re somebody who keeps tabs on Dhaka’s reside song scene, chances are high you’re steering sure of Manik Mia Avenue this day and the next day. Likely you maintain already opened Google Maps, attempting to sidestep the inevitable gridlock.
That is unless you prefer to must be present on the “venue” for taking part in ‘Shobar Agey Bangladesh’ —a free, initiating-for-all rock concert being organized as a ingredient of our Victory Day celebrations.
All over Bangladesh’s five decades-long existence, rock song has been an inseparable commodity in extra strategies than one. Aside from being one design to maintain a honest time historical dates and events, it had the affect of increasing into the center beat of the urban youth.
Whether igniting requires change, honouring the spirit of freedom, or voicing unspoken aspirations, Bangla rock resonated deeply with the nation.
From Azam Khan channelling the angst of a post-Liberation Struggle affected youth to BAMBA’s perfect concert in 1990, held ideal days after Hussain Muhammad Ershad’s regime fell, as a triumphant birthday celebration of Victory Day, rock bands and artistes stood dauntless and courageous. They energised audiences, introduced communities together, and impressed revolutions.
But this day we want to pose just a few questions.
Does Bangla rock calm wield the identical energy? Does it resonate as deeply because it once did, or has time dulled its edge and maintain rock bands failed the revolutionaries of 2024 by taking a backseat?
We query this thanks to the evident absence of rock song within the past few months.
Since the autumn of the past regime on 5 August, there had been infrequently any immense-scale rock concert events that consists of native bands taking design. Over the past 15 years, many rock bands maintained affiliations with the authorities in assorted strategies. Whereas some musicians had been at once desirous about promotional events for the regime, most participated in concert events organised by them like the ‘Joy Bangla’ concert events, presumably denting the credibility of the bands to the urban youth of the nation.
Whereas rock shows in Dhaka had been inconsistent, struggling for assorted reasons, surprisingly, hip-hop emerged because the surprising inform of the movement, with tracks like Shezan’s ‘Kotha Ko’ and Hannan’s ‘Awaaz Utha’ energising and fueling the protests. Rappers and hip-hop artistes also took the stage, performing reside extra than one events correct through the nation, something that rock bands feeble to maintain a monopoly over support within the day.
We’ll repeat you that posing these questions to the plethora of musicians we spoke to triggered a myriad of responses, so let’s dive deeper.
Foad Nasser Babu, the true keyboardist of one amongst Bangladesh’s first rock bands, Suggestions, shared perception into how early rock bands contributed to social causes.
“Rock song in actuality took off in Bangladesh within the ’90s and the BAMBA concert after Ershad stepped down modified into one of the best of its time. It showed how extremely effective rock song would be for the folks,” he acknowledged.
But now, events seem to maintain modified and rock song is no longer what it feeble to be. Talking to Raef Al Hasan Rafa, one amongst the handfuls of rock musicians who launched new song within the past few months, he is of the conclusion that slowly over time, rock song has been dethroned within the nation, with Bangladeshi audiences having the publicity to diverse forms of song.
“Rock had its peak 20-odd years ago in Bangladesh. Reduction then it feeble to be the inform of anti-authority nonetheless the trend has slowly turn into normalised in our nation,” acknowledged Rafa. “Coming up with new rock song at some level of July or August keep no longer need struck the identical chord because it would within the nineties or seventies. The influencers and hip-hop trend are extra attuned to the heaps this day,” he added.
Whereas everyone we spoke to welcomes the advent of more moderen genres making it nice in our nation, to boot they’d love to present the truth that making new rock song is time-sharp and is terribly most no longer going to form out of a bed room with ideal your PC on.
Added to the truth that there had been web outages and curfews happening, it modified into merely an impossibility for bands to birthday celebration and form new song.
“With reviews of civilian deaths and the ongoing crisis, I wasn’t within the honest mindset to fabricate new song or form reside,” acknowledged Shakib Chowdhury of Cryptic Fate. “It be commendable that rappers and hip-hop artistes stepped up, nonetheless the intricacies of composing a rock song fluctuate enormously from producing a rap note, that will basically be sampled within hours.”
Rafa, on the diverse hand, believes that many rock bands maintain already explored whisper, anti-authority, and revolutionary topics widely, making it redundant to revisit them musically.
He himself had a song written and ready which entirely went with the theme of July and August nonetheless couldn’t liberate it due to unavoidable circumstances. Talking to Kazi Asheqeen Shaju, founding member of Artcell, he also revealed that they’ve three new songs lined up which would resonate with topics of revolution nonetheless due to the time-sharp verbalize of constructing a upright song, they couldn’t liberate any of them earlier.
“I would no longer express rock bands took a support seat. But I would no longer also express that we had been on the forefront of all the pieces happening,” acknowledged the drummer.
But what concerning the silence? Became once it out of danger of security due to reveal and indirect affiliations with the past regime?
“Rock artistes have not stayed restful; some joined the streets, whereas others supported the reason of their very possess strategies,” acknowledged Hamin Ahmed, the president of BAMBA and founding member of the legendary band Miles.
“Nonetheless, in a nation present process unsettling adjustments, musicians ought to calm be cautious about their actions and words. Their security matters too. Moreover, organising immense-scale concert events has turn into increasingly sophisticated due to shifting energy and social dynamics, which makes the rock scene seem quieter than customary. But announcing that rock song took a support foot in a time of crisis would be very immoral” Hamin added.
Partha Barua of Souls shared identical sentiments, emphasising that rock musicians reside deeply dedicated to the nation, its folks, and concert organisers. He accepted that no topic present adjustments, some fundraisers for flood victims had calm been organised, despite the indisputable truth that web webhosting immense-scale concert events had turn into increasingly sophisticated.
“In the past, when rock song impressed the heaps, events and views had been diverse. Now, society, its pondering, and sentiment maintain shifted. Security and security are most considerable, nonetheless that would not mean the rock change has stopped caring,” acknowledged Partha.
“In events of battle, some will combat and a few will flit. That would not mean they keep no longer care for their nation. Many stayed tranquil for evident reasons nonetheless it’s doubtless you’ll presumably perhaps no longer neglect the musicians who for my piece stood up and posted in opposition to all the pieces that modified into happening,” concluded Rafa.
