The Bombay Royale - Australia

Funky, bizarre and mysterious music from vintage Indian cinema productions is being affectionately revived by Melbourne band The Bombay Royale. Dedicated to dusting off relics from 1960s and 1970s Bollywood soundtracks by such iconic Indian musicians as RD Burman, Anandji-Kalyanji, Asha Bhosle and Mohammed Rafi, the ensemble recreates an unusually broad and eclectic spread of musical styles, from slammin' surf sounds to extravagant disco and funk tunes.

The cinematic nature of this music and the many genres it borrows from produces a heady cocktail of eastern and western influences. Coming together in early 2010, the band is fronted by Parvyn Singh and Shourov Bhattacharya, who sing largely in Hindi. The rest of the band is drawn from the cream of Melbourne’s live music scene, featuring key members from such notable bands as LABJACD, The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra, San Lazaro, Mr Savona, Vulgargrad and Illzilla, together with guest tabla player Sam Evans, and Josh Bennett on sitar, dilruba and tabla.

Their excitement in discovering a sweep of music that is relatively unknown or performed outside of India has inspired them to both respectfully reinterpret this material and to compose new works drawing on this sparkling era of Bollywood for inspiration.

www.thebombayroyale.com