The Bombay Royale

The Bombay Royale is an 11-piece Australian band fronted by singers Parvyn Kaur Singh and Shourov Bhattacharya and led by Andy Williamson. The band performs original music that blends funk, disco and pop music with the classical and folk music of India, much like the soundtracks of 1960s and 1970s Bollywood movies.[1] The band was conceived by musical director Andy Williamson who also plays saxophone and flute.[2]

The Bombay Royale
The Bombay Royale on stage, July 2015
Background information
GenresBollywood, filmi music
Years active2010–present
LabelsHopeStreet Recordings
Websitethebombayroyale.com
MembersParvyn Kaur Singh
Shourov Bhattacharya
Andy Williamson
Tom Martin
Matt Vehl
Julian Goyma
Josh Bennett
Ed Fairlie
Declan Jones
Ros Jones
Andre Lobanov
Past membersBob Knob
Tristan Ludowyk

Musical style

The Bombay Royale was originally inspired by the soundtracks of 1960s and 1970s Bollywood movies. Early in its career, the band performed covers of popular Hindi songs from that era such as "Jaan Pehechan Ho" and "Dum Maro Dum". However, it now composes and performs its own original music, synthesizing Indian classical and folk music with Western styles such as funk, rock and disco.

The vocal lines and lyrics to The Bombay Royale's songs are written mostly in Hindi, Bengali and English. The band composes its music collaboratively with major contributions from saxophonist and band leader Andy Williamson, vocalist Shourov Bhattacharya, keyboard player Matty Vehl, bassist Andre Lobanov, guitarist Tom Martin and others.

Shourov Bhattacharya, Parvyn Kaur Singh and Andy Williamson

Biography

The Bombay Royale was formed in Melbourne, Australia in 2010 by Andy Williamson. Parvyn Kaur Singh, the band's female lead singer, is the daughter of Dya Singh, a traditional shabad singer. She is a Bollywood dance teacher and is married to the band's multi-instrumentalist Josh Bennett.[3] The band's male lead, Shourov Bhattacharya, is a second generation Indian-Australian musician and entrepreneur of Bengali descent.

The Bombay Royale released its first album You Me Bullets Love in April 2012 and was chosen as iTunes Breakthrough World Music Album for 2012.[4] In 2013, the band was booked to play at Glastonbury Festival[5] in the U.K. and toured Belgium, France, Germany, Denmark and Sweden.

In January 2014, The Bombay Royale made its U.S. debut, playing at GlobalFEST at Webster Hall in New York City[6] and at The Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C.[7]

It has also played at many other major festivals including WOMAD (in Australia, New Zealand and the U.K.),[8] and Sakifo Music Festival in Reunion.[9]

The band released its second music video Henna Henna[10] in May 2014 and its second album The Island of Dr Electrico in July 2014 under the HopeStreet Recordings label.

In August 2014, Rolling Stone magazine featured The Bombay Royale in its list of '10 New Artists You Need To Know'.[11] A number of the band's tracks were licensed to video game company Ubisoft which featured them in the popular video game Far Cry 4, released in November 2014.[12]

In March 2016, the song Henna Henna was featured in the closing scene of episode 6, season 2 of the popular American TV show "Better Call Saul"[13]

In July 2017, the band released its music video for its single I Love You Love You from its new album Run Kitty Run, which was released in August 2017.[14] The band then toured Europe, playing in the Festival du Chant de Marin in France and Sziget festival in Hungary.

Discography

Albums

Singles
  • 2011 Sote Sote Adhi Raat
  • 2013 Phone Baje Na (12" Remix)

Members
  • Parvyn Kaur Singh (vocals-"The Mysterious Lady")
  • Shourov Bhattacharya (vocals-"The Tiger")
  • Andy Williamson (saxophone-"The Skipper")
  • Andre Lobanov (bassist-"The Happy Tripper")
  • Tom Martin (guitar-"The Railways Mogul")
  • Matt Vehl (synths-"The Bandit Priest")
  • Julian Goyma (drums-"The Leaping Shaman")
  • Josh Bennett (sitar, tabla, dilruba and guitar-"The Jewel Thief")
  • Ed Fairlie (trumpet-"Chip Chase")
  • Declan Jones (trumpet-"Dr. Electrico")
  • Ros Jones (trombone-"The Kungfu Dentist")

[15]

References
  1. April Peavey; Lisa Mullins (17 May 2012). "The Bombay Royale: Retro-Bollywood Music from Australia". PRI. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  2. Andrew Drever (18 May 2012). "Musical Masala - The Bombay Royale". The Age. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  3. Ziegeler, Bonnie (3 July 2012). "Bollywood stars strike a pose". The Warrnambool Standard. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  4. "LOCAL BAND WIN ITUNES BREAKTHROUGH ALBUM AWARD". The Music. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  5. "Glastonbury 2013: festival lineup". The Guardian. 30 March 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  6. "globalFEST". Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  7. "The Bombay Royale at The Kennedy Centre". Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  8. "WOMAD". WOMAD. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  9. "Sakifo Bio Expresso n°25 : The Bombay Royale". Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  10. "PREMIERE: The Bombay Royale Get Mischievous In 'Henna Henna' Video". themusic.com.au. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  11. "10 New Artists You Need To Know". Rolling Stone (August 2014). Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  12. "The Bombay Royale's music featured in new Far Cry 4 game". Hope Street Recordings. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  13. "Two islands whisper to Kim - Come away, come away". Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  14. "WATCH THE PSYCHEDELIC VISUALS FOR THE BOMBAY ROYALE'S 'I LOVE YOU LOVE YOU'". the mixdown. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  15. The Bombay Royale official website
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