BENGALURU: Established in 2013, The Humming Tree's description has since then grown beyond its Zomato bio, having featured international artists like Steven Wilson, The Aristocrats and Daniel Waples.
The restro-bar claimed the top spot in City Express’ ‘Top Cultural Spaces 2016’ list that featured spaces that moved past conventional styles and introduced Bengalureans to art and cultural events and set a new bar in entertaining live audiences in the city.
City Express catches up with Nikhil Barua, founder and director of The Humming Tree, as he tells us about the year that was and what 2017 looks like.
How did you come up with the name 'The Humming Tree?
Seven years ago, I was listening to a Rajasthani folk band. That was when I decided to open a venue that will set a platform art and cultural performances. I initially came up with the name 'Taken by Three', but there was a Swedish band by that name already. We got into a legal wranging to use the name, but gave up later. Then one fine morning the name 'The Humming Tree' occured to me.
What was the 2016 like?
There have been many shows that were brilliant. We've been fortunate to be able to tick off a lot of things from our bucket list. But, we had the most fun putting together Backdoors - our first outdoor concert experience.
Which artist was your highlight in 2016?
Lucy Rose (singer/songwriter from UK) was the highlight, as it was the first of our THT Tours. We travelled with the band across India and all the shows were packed and sold out, and had the audience signing along! This was special as we began doing more tours in various cities after the success of this one.
What does 2017 look like?
We will have Grammy-nominated Mike Posner performing in the city, so I am excited about that. The Backdoors will be hosted simultaneously in Mumbai and Bengaluru this year.
Name the promising local talent you see making it big in 2017 ?
In the electronic scene in Bengaluru, definitely Oceantied and Disco Puppet.
The fastest-selling show of 2016?
Boyce Avenue and The Aristocrats! They both sold out within a few hours. We had to control the traffic on the internet by breaking it down into different rounds.
The most difficult artist to fetch for a performance in the city?
Steven Wilson. Not in terms of connecting with him, but just how intense the process, production, and backend was, including having a separate stage, so the sound could be absolutely perfect. We are honoured to have hosted the ultimate (last) show for his album tour “Hand. Cannot. Erase”.
With international acts, we've been able to break the myth about touring in India being negative and how uncertain things can be, by giving the artists and their team some of the best memories and shows by sheer professionalism and attention to the minutest detail, and of course our love for what we do comes through magnified via all of this.
The craziest or whackiest thing an artist has requested in the green room.
An ice bucket in the green room to take a quick leak was a funny one.
In general, all managements have left room for improvisations/substitues, being fully aware that sometimes, a certain brand of sparkling water, a flavour of gum, or a certain fruit may not be available. In general, everyone involved is there to make the show happen. So moments like these are rare, and when they do happen, they are often cherished.