India's iconic music festival ‘Independence Rock’ returns to Mumbai: Here's all we know

It all started in 1986 when Mumbai's two most famous bands, Rock Machine and Mirage performed for the first time at Rang Bhavan along with some other rock bands from India. The brain child of rock-and-roll fan Farhad Wadia, the event turned out to be a massive hit and continued to take place in the maximum city until the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. Now, after three years, the festival marks its formidable return as Mahindra Independence Rock Festival on November 5-6 at Bayview Lawns in Mazgaon.

With some of the most celebrated artists from the rock industry, the resurgence of I-Rock celebration this year aims to be a renewed representation of India's thriving rock scene, with a promise to regain its cult status as a music festival unlike any other. This new chapter will see the iconic festival continue to democratise music while providing the youth a creative platform to express non-conformist ideas, freedom of speech, inclusivity, and equality through music.

"Intimate storytelling, realistic humane emotion, accomplished musicianship — so much is encapsulated in rock music. With Independence Rock, we celebrated this spectacular genre of music. It's my great fortune and privilege to revive Independence rock in partnership with my dear friends Jairam, Neale and Jaishankar at Hyperlink and give a new generation of Rock Fans the opportunity to experience the oldest running rock festival in India, also known as the Woodstock of India," said the founder of I-Rock music festival Farhad Wadia in a statement.

Music bands who will be performing at the Mahindra i-Rock festival 2022

The line-up for the spectacular Mahindra Independence Rock festival includes a remarkable mix of seasoned and new-age artists from the Indian rock circuit. Making their comeback to this iconic stage are Zero - one of the most popular rock bands of the 90s known for their easy and unpretentious sound, alongside Pentagram (whose frontman is Vishal Dadlani), and India’s front-running band for a quarter of a century, Indus Creed - pioneers of rock music in the country - who put India on the international rock map from the late 80s to the late 90s.

Also returning to the stage with their high-energy performance are Parikrama, whose debut song ‘Xerox’ was named 'the face of Indian rock.' Kashmiri-origin band Parvaaz, that will join the fray with its unique sound influenced by psychedelic rock, alongside The F16s of 'Triggerpunkte' fame. There will also be a line-up for a cathartic yet immersive audio-visual experience, while Folk metal band Bloodywood will perform some of the most popular Hindi-Punjabi chorus and rap verses.

Music band Avial, which includes Rex Vijayan, and are well-known for pioneering ‘alternative Malayali rock’ and Thaikkudam Bridge will also be performing in the fest. Popular bands like Demonic Resurrection, Bhayanak Maut, Motherjane, Agnee, and many more will also be returning to the Mahindra I-Rock stage.

In addition, the rock music festival has also announced a country-wide band hunt; the winning band will get the chance to be the opening act for this year’s edition.

Registrations for the festival are open now - log on to Paytm Insiders and Instagram for more updates and early bird tickets!