Hip Pocket

Bio:

One Fine day...

Hip Pocket happened in a very casual manner. Nondon picked up the phone one fine day and called the rest up and asked, “Hey how about it?” The rest ofcourse, is history! “We didn’t start as a rock band. We played pop music. We started with the idea of doing club nights with a groovy, dancing audience,” Nondon says. “The band took off famously with the audience when Hip Pocket started performing at Some Place Else on a regular basis, atleast a decade ago,” say the members in unison.

The Binding Factor...

“Our connection,” that’s what they exclaim in unison. This they think holds the band together. The fact that each member reiterates the others’ thoughts (as people) and tracks (as performers) forms the crux of the cementing factor. “It’s pure magic. We really have no clue how the years went by. All our decisions go haywire on stage, but we still manage to pull it off on stage, because of the fact that we’ve developed instincts that help us read each other’s mind,” adds Sumith. “We’ve been playing for thirteen years now. We know we’re here to entertain people and when we’re at it we strive to do it well,” agree Rishi, Sumith and Nondon adds, “We never read our songs. We’ve developed certain signs and symbols to convey the tracks amongst ourselves, and all of us understand instantly. This factor has really bound us together.”

The band has been performing in various hotels, pubs and watering holes in the city for years but they have a special relation with Someplace Else where they are all set to perform on Wednesdays and fridays of every week.

The TIMES OF INDIA on June 13th 2009 said ...On Friday evening at Someplace Else, The Park, Hip Pocket stole the show. As the crowd kept requesting for Pink Floyd numbers, the band belted out the hits one after another.

Flashback on Someplace Else...

Someplace Else, the pub at The Park, Calcutta, wasn’t designed to be a discotheque, but that was evidently its early destiny. When it opened in 1994, it was designed as “a British pub” with its typical pub lunch. The handkerchief-sized dance floor was thrown in for extra measure. “It was always a pub. Except, it had recorded music and a dance floor, and stayed open late. So people assumed it was a discotheque,” says Abhijit Bose, general manager, The Park, Delhi, who was with The Park Calcutta till 2002.

SPE changed course when drummer Nondon Bagchi dropped in for a food review of the pub lunch in March, 1997. “Nondon was my childhood hero. There he was with his long hair, his talent and his rock star aura and I just had to drop in and speak to him during my rounds. We got talking and the idea of starting a live show emerged. And just like that, they (Hip Pocket) started playing by end of April, 1997,” recounts Bose. Then, one by one, more bands were added to the SPE chalk board. After Hip Pocket, Orient Express and then Saturday Night Blues Band joined in January 1999.

Member Since:

August 22, 2010

Members:

Nondon Bagchi- Drums, Vocals

Sumith Ramachandran-Guitars

Mainak "bumpy" Nag Chowdhury- Contra Bass Guitar, Vocals

Dominic Saldanha-Keyboards

Ben Westley-Vocals

Rila Banerjee- Vocals

Influences:

Rolling Stones, Beatles, Pink Floyd and the Doors have influenced Hip Pocket as a band. Though they began playing Pink Floyd much later, they realized it works best for them. All the members have had varied influences over a period of time.

Sounds Like:

Classic Rock, Rock, Pop, RnB, Reggae