When it comes to music, Bipolar Shadows has never failed to surprise the spectators with the teammates having each other’s back. The young band members, Sanjog Gurung (vocals), Arun Pariyar (guitar) Anthony Gurung (bass) and Avishkar Bhattarai (drums) are all set to perform at the Thunderstrock Festival happening in Ranchi on September 15. This band from Sikkim grabbed the opportunity to perform at the said event after gaining an ultimate victory at the Avalanche, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Dhanbad.
The Thunderstrock Festival is a huge charity festival held in the region, where one needs to win the competition to play in the fest. The festival is basically a rock/metal music festival which takes place in Ranchi, Jharkhand. It is not just a concert but an idea to support and encourage the rock bands and music lovers of Ranchi. The idea that emerged back in the year 2008, to generate funds for the Jharkhand Rock Music Association (JRMA) so that it could plan concerts for rock bands of Ranchi. The initiative was further taken up by band members from Kaalmantra, Genesis and Sonu Chhetry (from the band Sparsh), which were the prominent bands of that time.
The first season of Thunderstrock was held during August 2008 at Ranchi. As the initiators for the concept of Thunderstrock, Kaalmantra and Genesis took up the stage that year. These bands were already famous with the rock music lovers of Ranchi, hence the footfall for the concert was immense and the show managed to fetch around Rs. 25,000 which was later donated to JRMA by K.C. Shashidhar, the Chief General Manager of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The second season happened in July 2009, Kaalmantra, Genesis and JRMA being the organizers this time. The event was brought forward with an agenda of spreading awareness among youth on the evils of alcoholism and child labour. The third season in 2010 intended to support Yuwa, an NGO that empowers girls by combating child marriage, illiteracy and human trafficking in Jharkhand through football and education. The festival experienced a strong footfall of 1,500 people; a huge number in a city like Ranchi and especially at a time when the metal music scene is completely down in India and people usually don’t turn up to attend such concerts.
This year, on September 15, Bipolar Shadows will be performing followed by other amazing bands from different states.
The Festival today stands as the only Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Metal Music festival in Eastern India, which is completely funded by the organizers. The festival is dedicated to bringing independent and newly emerging live acts based in metal music and its sub-genres.
Bipolar Shadows are all set to range from melodic vocals to growl and high pitch lines that perfectly match up with the underlying musical arrangement. Winning could be their motto, but participation is what matters, especially when you get to be part of such an amazing festival.