Punk you very much

After sifting through dozens of tracks submitted by 45 city bands, the three-piece hardcore punk act The Riot Peddlers has been chosed as the winner of the Mumbai Mirror Independence Rock compepetition. The band's fast, meatier, thrashier version of punk will lend the icing to a stellar combo of old school metal, metalcore, classic rock-blues and electro rock genres (Read Zygnema, Bhayanak Maut, Brahma, Warren Mendonsa, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa and Pentagram), all geared to set Andheri's Chitrakoot grounds ablaze this Sunday night for the 27th edition of India's longest-running rock music festival.

    Punk has constantly evolved to incorporate all sorts and styles of rebellion. Ask the two-year-old The Riot Peddlers- comprising vocalist-guitarist Arun S Ravi, drummer Ashwin Dutt and bassist Animesh Dass - and they let their angst-ridden songs tell you why they are a pissed off lot. Ravi says, "Far far too long, people have been used to the play-it-safe, conversative views. The absurdity of arresting a girl over a Facebook post and her friend for 'liking it, or a woman being harassed for using alcohol in chocolates; only spur our music on."
    Their recently released debut EP, the six-track album called Sarkarsm parodies the omnipresent film industry's formula numbers in Bollywood Songs, and expresses a burning Rage Against The Machine-like desire to dismantle the 'system' in Where's The System. Ravi says, "We know we aren't going to change the world. But we certainly can make our audience aware of the things that are wrong with the society. Many complain that we use too many profanities, but we don't want to become commercial sell-outs by having to tone down our aggression. That's why we don't play around words. We get straight to the point."