Music lovers in town, brace yourselves for one of the biggest musical gigs that’s coming to town! The G-shock Bangalore Open Air festival is back, and this time, it's going to be a MAD rager! For the uninitiated, G-Shock Bangalore Open Air is the foremost rock music festival in India, showcasing the best of the best when it comes to local and foreign music talent. Powered by the largest metal festival in the world, Wacken Open Air from Germany, the festival ensures that rock music lovers are treated to a musical experience of truly international standards.

Popularly pegged as a melting pot for music aficionados, there’s something for music buffs of every kind. We get insider details from popular bands and youngsters who are stoked about the fest...





“We are extremely excited to be playing in India for the first time in Immolation’s 30 year history! Just from checking out videos from past years editions, we expect a great turnout and many crazy fans that have never seen Immolation perform before,” begins Immolation from USA, an international band that’s flying down to be a part of the fest. This is the band’s first time in India. Speaking about what’s on the cards, They add, “It should be an amazing time for everyone, and we plan to play a 75 minute set filled with songs from most of our albums, so needless to say, we are really looking forward to sharing that with all our fans at the fest.” While audiences can treat themselves to pulsating performances by thrash legends like Overkill headlining the event along with New York death metal stalwarts Immolation and French post-rock luminaries Alcest; India’s very own old-school metal veterans Kryptos and Middle Eastern heavyweights Nervecell will be rounding up the line-up. Nolan Lewis of Kryptos says, “We’r
e looking forward to a great show, just like last year’s edition. While it’s great to be playing at BOA once again, we are definitely expecting a killer festival vibe, which frankly only happens once or twice a year for metalheads in India. Basically, it’s just going to be an entire day of great music and hanging out with tons of cool people.”

City folk are excited, but looks like, bands are equally stoked too. Overkill, a thrash legend metal band says, “It is always great for us to go to a new territory, the excitement level of the band and audience is always at the highest level. India has been on Derek and my bucket list for 20 years. I can still remember the first time we talked about it, when he said; “Blitz, I am all about Indian food and culture. If we ever get one chance to go, I might stay!” It’s also great that after all these years... finally, India!” Elucidating what exactly is it that they are looking forward to, they say, “First time equals best time... new friends, new experiences for the fans, new experiences for the band. It’s always my favourite gig... and I have had many, #1 is #1. See you on the the 7th...”

Metal buff Vishnu Ramakrishnan is looking forward to the line-up of bands, but hopes there is proper management though, “It’s always great to have such massive music fests in town. Metal is a universal language for metal heads, it’s about ‘our’ culture together, not the geography that separates us. But, I hope adequate measures are taken to ensure there’s enough safety for those at the venue.”