Did Bangla Rock fail the July revolutionaries?

If you're someone who keeps tabs on Dhaka's live music scene, chances are you're steering clear of Manik Mia Avenue today and tomorrow. Maybe you've already opened Google Maps, trying to sidestep the inevitable gridlock. 

That is unless you want to be present at the "venue" for enjoying 'Shobar Agey Bangladesh' —a free, open-for-all rock concert being arranged as a part of our Victory Day celebrations.

Across Bangladesh's five decades-long existence, rock music has been an inseparable commodity in more ways than one. Apart from being a means to celebrate historic dates and events, it had the impact of growing into the pulse of the urban youth.

Whether igniting calls for change, honouring the spirit of freedom, or voicing unspoken aspirations,  Bangla rock resonated deeply with the nation. 

From Azam Khan channelling the angst of a post-Liberation War affected youth to BAMBA's biggest concert in 1990, held just days after Hussain Muhammad Ershad's regime fell, as a triumphant celebration of Victory Day, rock bands and artistes stood fearless and bold. They energised audiences, brought communities together, and inspired revolutions.

But today we want to pose a few questions.

Does Bangla rock still wield the same power? Does it resonate as deeply as it once did, or has time dulled its edge and have rock bands failed the revolutionaries of 2024 by taking a backseat? 

We ask this because of the glaring absence of rock music in the past few months.

Since the fall of the past regime on 5 August, there were hardly any large-scale rock concerts featuring local bands taking place. Over the past 15 years, many rock bands maintained affiliations with the government in various ways. While some musicians were directly involved in promotional events for the regime, most participated in concerts organised by them like the 'Joy Bangla' concerts, possibly denting the credibility of the bands to the urban youth of the country.

While rock shows in Dhaka have been inconsistent, struggling for various reasons, surprisingly, hip-hop emerged as the unexpected voice of the movement, with tracks like Shezan's 'Kotha Ko' and Hannan's 'Awaaz Utha' energising and fueling the protests. Rappers and hip-hop artistes also took the stage, performing live multiple times throughout the country, something that rock bands used to have a monopoly over back in the day.

We can tell you that posing these questions to the plethora of musicians we spoke to prompted a myriad of responses, so let's dive deeper.

Foad Nasser Babu, the original keyboardist of one of Bangladesh's first rock bands, Feedback, shared insight into how early rock bands contributed to social causes.

"Rock music really took off in Bangladesh in the '90s and the BAMBA concert after Ershad stepped down was the biggest of its time. It showed how powerful rock music could be for the people," he said.

But now, times seem to have changed and rock music is not what it used to be. Speaking to Raef Al Hasan Rafa, one of the handfuls of rock musicians who released new music in the past few months, he is of the belief that slowly over time, rock music has been dethroned in the country, with Bangladeshi audiences having the exposure to different forms of music.

"Rock had its peak 20-odd years ago in Bangladesh. Back then it used to be the voice of anti-authority but the genre has slowly become normalised in our country," said Rafa. "Coming up with new rock music during July or August wouldn't have struck the same chord as it would in the nineties or seventies. The influencers and hip-hop genre are more attuned to the masses these days," he added.

While everyone we spoke to welcomes the advent of newer genres making it big in our country, they also want to point out the fact that making new rock music is time-consuming and is quite impossible to make out of a bedroom with just your PC on. 

Added to the fact that there were internet outages and curfews going on, it was merely an impossibility for bands to get together and make new music.

"With reports of civilian deaths and the ongoing crisis, I wasn't in the right mindset to create new music or perform live," said Shakib Chowdhury of Cryptic Fate. "It's commendable that rappers and hip-hop artistes stepped up, but the intricacies of composing a rock song differ greatly from producing a rap track, which can often be sampled within hours." 

Rafa, on the other hand, believes that many rock bands have already explored protest, anti-authority, and revolutionary themes extensively, making it redundant to revisit them musically. 

He himself had a song written and ready which totally went with the theme of July and August but couldn't release it due to unavoidable circumstances. Speaking to Kazi Asheqeen Shaju, founding member of Artcell, he also revealed that they have three new songs lined up which would resonate with themes of revolution but due to the time-consuming aspect of making a proper song, they couldn't release any of them earlier.

"I wouldn't say rock bands took a back seat. But I wouldn't also say that we were at the forefront of everything going on," said the drummer. 

But what about the silence? Was it out of fear of safety due to direct and indirect affiliations with the past regime?

"Rock artistes haven't stayed silent; some joined the streets, while others supported the cause in their own ways," said Hamin Ahmed, the president of BAMBA and founding member of the legendary band Miles.

"However, in a country undergoing unsettling changes, musicians must be cautious about their actions and words. Their safety matters too. Additionally, organising large-scale concerts has become increasingly difficult due to shifting power and social dynamics, which makes the rock scene seem quieter than usual. But saying that rock music took a back foot in a time of crisis would be very wrong" Hamin added.

Partha Barua of Souls shared similar sentiments, emphasising that rock musicians remain deeply committed to the country, its people, and concert organisers. He noted that despite recent changes, some fundraisers for flood victims had still been organised, although hosting large-scale concerts had become increasingly difficult.

"In the past, when rock music inspired the masses, times and perspectives were different. Now, society, its thinking, and sentiment have shifted. Safety and security are crucial, but that doesn't mean the rock industry has stopped caring," said Partha.

"In times of war, some will fight and some will flee. That doesn't mean they don't love their country. Many stayed quiet for obvious reasons but you can't overlook the musicians who personally stood up and posted against everything that was going on," concluded Rafa.