Samir Shukla
The Bombay Royale evokes vintage musical mashups of Bollywood soundtracks from the 60’s and 70’s within the first few seconds of a song. This outfit is not based in the film capital of India, but rather birthed their sound in their home turf of Melbourne, Australia. They spin surf music, funky disco, Spanish horns, spy movie themes, and Spaghetti westerns with unmistakable Indian vibes where the songs are sung mostly in Hindi and Bengali. The band’s music is an acquired taste to be sure. There’s a listening curve here, but their recent recording released this past summer, The Island of Dr Electrico, is anything but dull. It’s their second full-length release and the operative clicks here are corky and hip. The band is fronted by two singers known as The Tiger and The Lady, both of Indian origin, while the musicians weave various genres into their unique sound. Listening to some of the songs one envisions a big-mustached villain taunting the heroine while she bursts into song, beckoning her lover to come to her rescue. Picture Asha Bhosle as the background singer. On the song “Wild Stallion Mountain,” The Lady sings about a girl hoping her boyfriend will be accepted by her father. Other tracks like “Khubsoorat Bewafa,” “Henna Henna,” and “Tere Bina” are deliciously vintage, but intricately fused with the 21st Century. There are spacey beats throughout that tie it up all together. For more details visit www.thebombayroyale.com.
