At the last of their recent Hibernation tour shows in Bengaluru, Mumbai-based rock band Aswekeepsearching’s frontman Uddipan Sarmah announced to a proudly cheering audience that the band was heading out on a Europe tour in May. Off stage, he might talk in a very self-aware, foolhardy manner, but on stage, when addressing his fans, Sarmah is as modest as they come. He tells the crowd about going to Europe, “We’re playing shows in cities whose names I can’t even pronounce properly.” It’s been just over four years since the release of their debut EP Growing Suspicions, and for their second full-length album, Zia, which released last year, they received more international attention than ever before. This album was also the vehicle for the band’s plans to attain a wider reach. It wasn’t just about the sitar, tabla and string arrangements which complemented Hindi lyrics, but also their idea to target smaller numbers to build a hardcore following. Now, you will rarely see an Aswekeepsearching show attended by less than 100 people, which is a big win for an independent band.
Sarmah’s marketing contacts earned him associations with brands like OnePlus and Vans. When he approached the phone company, he wondered how a band with a few thousand followers on Instagram would excite a brand, but he put all his cards on the table in terms of what the band could offer. “They gave us a phone and expenses to document the tour,” he says. Vans is offering international promotion through their channels. He says, “It was a win-win situation for everyone. This is like a case study in management for me.” Other artists have asked him about how he creates budgets for tours—specifically a European one—during casual conversations, and he says it is time they ask him as a consultant rather than a friend. “It has to be professional. You can’t expect me to respond on Facebook.” The band has lost a considerable amount of money during earlier tours, and this time too, they’ve saved up a fair amount from merchandise sales, streaming and download revenue to spend on things like international PR (they signed up with the UK’s Hold Tight! PR, that Sarmah says has increased their Spotify and Soundcloud numbers, among other things). For every Euro they spend, they have figured out ways to cut costs, from renting a van, sharing stage equipment like backline with other touring bands and booking as many shows as possible to give them visibility. All the while, Sarmah says the band always has their fans in mind, although it wouldn’t be remiss to think of them as customers or even shareholders. After coming back from Europe, they will begin work on the next album. “We’ll take the backseat and see what more we can give to our fans. It’s scary, we have to deliver something new,” he says.


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