August 15
Nishant B.K.
A solo acoustic artist from Chennai, he is a self-taught guitarist and singer and has been playing for six years. His music goes beyond genres. Using a loop station, he layers many tracks for a unique performance. He also plays acoustic covers of popular songs.
August 17
Duo Tone System
Shilpa Natarajan is a city-based independent musician who is into experimental acoustic music. She has collaborated with other independent musicians and has released a few singles in Tamil and English such as ‘Yenakku Nee Sondhama’, ‘Shadow On Your Wall’ and more recently, ‘Thedal’. She has performed with Strayfactory, a theatre group from Chennai and had been a part of the previous edition of the MetroPlus Theatre Fest. She has also performed at festivals such as ‘Fete de la Musique’ and ‘The Short + Sweet’. She is also a playback singer and has sung for Tamil films.
Joslin Julius, a musician from Chennai now based in Bangalore, has performed at music concerts and musicals. He has participated in the previous edition of MetroPlus Theatre Fest and the Short+Sweet Fest. He likes working on acoustic and free-improvisational music.
August 18
Duality
The band comprises two members who hail from completely different musical backgrounds.
A resident of Chennai with roots in Kerala, Manoj Sreekumar is a self-taught guitarist who has played with several rock bands including Metal Trust Inc. and Episode 3. An MBA, he worked in the automobile and the banking and financial service industry before taking up music full-time. His musical preferences include classic rock and pop, jazz, instrumental music and old Bollywood melodies.
Mihir has Tamil, Konkani and Maharashtrian roots, and is trained in Carnatic violin and guitar. An advertising professional with an interest in music, art and food, Mihir enjoys the classics and the popular hits from the 80s and 90s.
Duality presents its music in an acoustic setting through guitars and vocals. Their ‘live’ performances consist of a mix of their originals as well as covers interpreted in their style. Formed in February 2011, they have already performed 34 gigs at prestigious venues.