Goa is known for it’s music and great performers. The pandemic brought in a lull for live performances but nothing can stop the music. From online concerts to practice sessions, the bands are back on road with grander performances.
Seby Pinto, manager and musician in Forefront, a Goan band that has been performing for over 30 years, says, “We have been booked for May Queen Ball in Doha, Qatar in 2023. We have been performing every year at this Ball but due to the pandemic, we had a two-year break. After the Ball, the band will be attending the Global Convention. We are booked for the ball almost a year in advance.”
“The wedding season in Goa is back with a bang. It was better than it was before and we are already booked for December and coming January. We also had a lot of corporate events, which shows that there is a great improvement in the music scene in Goa,” adds Seby.
Black In White band recently returned from Dubai, where they performed at a Sao Joao bash. Over this year, they have performed in cities like Delhi, Ranchi, Pune and Coimbatore for destination weddings and corporate conferences. “I feel more than the break during the pandemic, it was the progress of the band that has been noticed by the audience. Since the wedding season began in October, we had been completely booked. In December 2021, we might have had just few days off,” says Royston Noel, the manager and keyboardist of the band.
The seven-member band has been receiving queries for international shows and they are still finalizing the details. “We will most probably be performing in Dubai in February 2023. There is no special paperwork required post Covid,” adds Royston. The band practices whenever the members are free and are currently brushing up on their retro numbers.
Orlando de Noronha is the man behind setting up CIPA, which houses MadraGoa, the world’s first house of Fado and Mando. He plays violin and the Portuguese guitar and has won accolades for his performances in India and abroad especially in Portugal. “I last performed at a concert in Coimbra, Portugal, in October 2021, along with my guitarist Oscar do Rosário and musicians from Portugal. We provided the backup to the internationally renowned fadista Cuca Roseta. This time, we went under the name of ‘Fandoziando’, a word coined to include Fado and Mandó. The show was organised by Serenata Patrimónios ‘Mondego-Mandovi’, that is the rivers of Coimbra and Panjim. The show was organised and held at Convento de São Francisco, Coimbra,” informs Orlando, who has stopped doing regular weekly shows but only perform for private functions.
He further adds, “Covid has definitely created a huge impact as many shows got canceled but on the other hand, it was a good time for us to practice and update ourselves. So far, nothing has been finalized for our performances abroad in the coming months,” says Orlando.
Lester Rodrigues, the manager and lead vocalist of A26 informs about a huge demand for the band in the past couple of months. During the lockdown, the band had to get innovative and performed online for live performances for corporate events. They had a wedding in Maldives, an in Dubai, they had Goa Day and a wedding in November 2021. “We are having a break of one week after nearly eight months. We have been constantly performing or travelling. The market has changed drastically for the good,” says Lester. The band recently completed a six cities tour, ‘The A26 – Cohiba and Kingfisher Tour’.
The band practices for 4-5 hours, thrice a week. During the lockdown, the band was releasing a song every Wednesday on their YouTube channel. “We used to have corporate shows online. We had to set up the studio with cameras, high-end equipment and the fastest internet connection. The pandemic taught us to adapt to changing situations and we have to be ready for any unpredictability,” says Lester, whose band will be performing for a wedding in Thailand in November.
Updesh Swar has been emceeing and hosting a variety of events over the past 20 years. “For two years, the response was not great for international shows. There were different restrictions placed by the government and the crowd also had to be limited. The sponsors were not ready to spend money because many people were facing salary deductions and even loss of jobs. Everyone was playing it safe as they didn’t want to cancel shows at the last moment. Now, there is a shift and events are picking up. People are waiting to listen to good music from Goa and are slowly moving out for performances,” says Updesh.
Denzil Pereira of the band D&T, with Trisca Fernandes, has received queries for a show in Turkey. Being busy with shows across India, Denzil works with a band of four musicians with back up musicians in case anyone falls sick. “Goa is having more shows than before the pandemic. There are casino shows, corporate events and destination weddings on a bigger scale with Indians having more spending power. Last December was more busier than before the pandemic. For inter shows, their queries are usually about band members being fully vaccinated. We don’t negotiate on reduction of the budget. The pandemic taught us to stay humble and thank God,” says Denzil.
With the situation improving, we only hope we get to hear more fantastic music in the coming days from our Goan performers.
