Anthracite India, a Nu-Metal band from Mumbai, dropped by Hard Rock Café Calcutta on May 13, as a part of their Linkin Park Summer Tour 2023 to pay tribute to the band Linkin Park (LP). The band’s sound is influenced by artistes like Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, System of a Down, Korn and Static X. Anthracite is one of the biggest Linkin Park tribute bands to hit the clubs of India.It was all headbanging in the audience as Anthracite took the stage at Hard Rock Café Calcutta. LP fans from all over the city dropped by to experience the electricity of the songs. The audience also became emotional and nostalgic as Anthracite paid tribute to the late Linkin Park lead vocalist, Chester Bennington. TTdropped by to experience the supercharged performance by Anthracite and have a chat with the band.
How did Anthracite come into existence?
Anthracite came into existence about 16 years back when our vocalist Abhishek and his best friends from school had dreams of playing on big stages. In fact, the only band all the founding members had in common that they loved was Linkin Park.
What’s the story behind your band name?
One of the earliest members of the band actually had a green thumb as a school kid and suggested naming the band Anthracite. Anthracite is actually the purest form of coal.
You’ve been performing Linkin Park all over the country. What makes you draw inspiration from the American rock band?
Linkin Park influenced us in every way possible. We were huge fans of rap, rock and metal music. And Linkin Park was the perfect combination of them all. They were super ahead of their times even when they launched Hybrid Theory and Meteora. Apart from that, just the fact that they made heavy music that was universally loved by all kinds of audiences is super commendable. They cracked it, and it intrigued us.
What was the most memorable show or tour you’ve ever played?
We think the most memorable show we ever played was in a small town in Meghalaya called Jowai. We had a sea of people come to watch us, about 5,000-6,000 people. Each one of them knew all Linkin Park songs. The energy, passion and love for rock music in the Northeast can’t be compared to any other part of the country.
What do you think about the current state of the music industry in India?
If you’re talking about independent music in India, then unfortunately it’s not at its best. Don’t get me wrong, the bands are amazing, the music is epic, everyone’s doing so well. But at the end of the day, less than a per cent of the artistes make the cut and get to play on bigger stages.
What are the future plans for Anthracite or your dream collaboration?
We’re gonna play Linkin Park tributes till we can. All of us have our personal goals, that we’re pursuing. We all have jobs, and we maintain a healthy relationship with the shows we play, we’re best friends, and we love Linkin Park, that’s all.
How do you feel about the Calcutta audience?
Calcutta’s audience is super passionate. We’ve always had a good time whenever we play here, and we’re planning on doing this every year in Calcutta.
Headbanging, adrenaline, moshing — it all happened at Hard Rock Café Calcutta as Anthracite made the Saturday night a memorable one for Linkin Park fans. They performed songs like Final Masquerade, Waiting for the End, Crawling, Leave out all the Rest, Numb, In the End and many more.
“Watching them play Linkin Park was extremely nostalgic. Growing up, I always tried playing these songs and since then they have always held a special room in my heart. Hearing them again live, brought back all those memories and the shared emotions of the crowd took that feeling to a whole different level,” said Subhojit Bhaumik.
Bushra Alam donned an all-black outfit, giving us the metal-head vibes, and stood in the front row enjoying the gig. She said: “I am forever grateful to Anthracite for paying tribute to my favourite band. They do absolute justice to Linkin Park. It was a mesmerising experience overall.
The crowd went gaga when Anthracite dropped the intro of Numb.
“An evening I won’t regret, had been waiting for Anthracite for months and saying that it was worth it would be an understatement, reliving Linkin Park songs live was an absolute thrill, haven’t jammed this hard in ages. Each one of the members of Anthracite effortlessly aced the night, looking forward to the next time,” said Nishant K. Nath (extreme left) with his friends Shinjini Ray and Anirban D Gupta
The audience chanted “In the End! In the End!” before band vocalist Abhishek Nair whispered: “In the End comes in the end.” This was the audience’s reaction.