There are few places in the city which cater to the less explored music sensibilities, but now Fubar Live in Banjara Hills has changed things up.
Opened in May of this year, the space has already garnered plenty of attention with its interiors of organised chaos. It was a project that was always in owner Harin Abhinav’s mind. He runs the establishment with two childhood friends, making this a true passion project.
“When it came to opening the place, we were meant to open May 10 but wound up opening May 12,” chuckles Harin, adding that this was probably a sign of the further welcomed chaos to come. In fact when the place opened, one wall was still being painted. And it is these walls that continue to fascinate every newcomer; seven different artists each painted a different wall, showcasing the inclusive attitude at Fubar towards the mosaic of personalities which pass through.
The eclectic design of the space is evocative of Fubar’s identity, featuring a standout stage, an old-school gaming section and an expansive sitout that overlooks the city. It’s a setup that encourages people to enjoy everything around them. Harin shares that everything was oriented around the stage and much has been done to bring focus to whatever happens on that platform, be it music or otherwise.
Artsy endeavours
One thing that you’ll rarely find in Fubar — and happily so — is covers. While many love the music of Led Zeppelin and The Who, there’s a large untapped reserve of original music in the city and Fubar is happy to cater to that. Bands like ZoravaR and local groups like RAID, Hostilian and Pandora’s Box love the space for its indie-gig vibe, according to Mayur Jalan who worked in Fubar’s events team.
Now founder of Infinite Cartwheels which is a series of shows which involves bands from various walks of life, Mayur maintains a strong connection with the goings-on of all things Fubar, explaining, “Since starting Infinite Cartwheels, I’ve seen a lot of positive feedback from both bands and patrons. A lot of bars cater to the kind of customers that walk in and Fubar has cracked open the independent music scene here. Anything that is stereotypical doesn’t make a lot noise but anything opposed to that does — so that’s what we are challenging. If you look at Bangalore or Mumbai, they are about 10 years ahead of what’s happening here. In the months of Fubar’s functioning, we’ve done really well, solely by word of mouth and we’ve reached a lot of people that way.”
Fubar also celebrates other forms of the arts, according to Harin, “We have had a poetry slam night and a few art workshops. In that way we don’t place emphasis on our indoor furnishings because this is the kind of place people stand up and enjoy.”
With more events popping up at Fubar Live, the city is waking up to a more community-driven artistic scene, linking up with Bangalore as well.
The next event at Fubar, courtesy Infinite Cartwheels, will be featuring Bengaluru-based All The Fat Children, local-based The Arpit Chourey Project and The Researchers on Saturday September 9 at 6pm onwards.
