(From left to right) M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold, Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme and Jonathan Higgs of Everything Everything. Photos: Daniel Knighton/Getty Images (Avenged Sevenfold), David Wolff – Patrick/Redferns (Extreme), Gus Stewart/Redferns (Everything Everything)
American hard rock/metal band Avenged Sevenfold aka A7X, rock veterans Extreme, U.K. art-rockers Everything Everything will make their way to India for Bandland festival, held on Nov. 23 and 24 in Bengaluru.
The second edition of Bandland also adds New Delhi folk-metallers Bloodywood, Kerala fusion band Thaikkudam Bridge, Mumbai-origin Indian rock favorites Zero, metal band Bhayanak Maut, folk-rockers Swarathma, Grammy-winning percussionist Selvaganesh (from fusion group Shakti) and singer-songwriter Dot.
The Bandland lineup is rounded out by Lebanese blues rockers The Wanton Bishops, U.K. duo Big Special, New Delhi rocker Raman Negi and Himachal Pradesh’s guitar ace Sutej Singh.
Featuring a total of 14 acts across two stages, Bandland 2024 takes place at NICE Grounds this November and in a rare instance, a music festival has announced the lineup at the same time as tickets going live.
The two-day festival marks the India debut for Avenged Sevenfold, the Californian band known for bringing ballads as well as pounding metal in their performances. Influenced by everyone from Guns N’ Roses to Iron Maiden and Metallica, A7X had their breakthrough in the U.S. and around the world in 2005 with the album City of Evil comprising songs like “Bat Country” and “Burn It Down,” plus ballads like “Seize The Day.” They followed up with their 2007 self-titled album, which went platinum thanks to songs like “Almost Easy.” The band has built on their success despite the untimely passing of their drummer The Rev in 2009, going on to deliver albums like Nightmare, Hail To The King, The Stage and Life Is But a Dream…
Bandland will be co-headlined by Extreme, the Boston-origin rock band comprising guitar virtuoso Nuno Bettencourt, vocalist Gary Cherone, bassist Pat Badger and drummer Kevin Figueiredo. They made their India debut in 2019, headlining ShiRock Festival in Ukhrul, Manipur.
Formed in the Eighties, Extreme shot to fame in the early Nineties with “More Than Words,” their acoustic ballad from the album Extreme II: Pornograffitti. Known for hard rock, funk and glam in turns, Extreme had broken up in 1996 and returned in earnest from 2007 onwards, releasing Suadades de Rock in 2008 and more recently, Six in 2023.
Also making their India debut at Bandland at acclaimed U.K. band Everything Everything, who weave between the experimental and the danceable in their discography spanning seven albums, including 2024’s Mountainhead.
Bloodywood take over the Bandland stage as part of their India festival shows, in advance of their upcoming second album, while the likes of Raman Negi recently put out his single “Badshah Zero.” Zero make their annual reunion, while festival mainstays like Thaikkudam Bridge and Bhayanak Maut are also big draws.
The Wanton Bishops keep their date with India, even if a decade later. The Lebanese band made their debut in the country in 2013 and followed it up with a collaborative song “Lay It On Me” with Swarathma, who are also on the Bandland lineup.
Bandland 2024 is produced and promoted by BookMyShow Live, the live entertainment experiential division of BookMyShow and is powered by Tuborg Zero Soda.
