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[title]Googly-eyed, with tongues occasionally flopped out. A swing of an engraved guitar into the air. At least four beer-stained chairs. Our throats are straining as something that sounds vaguely close to words hurls out. Oh well. It’s easy to let go. We’re all already slamming into each other, those of us in the ironic eye of the storm, the moshpit. But the second a glass breaks, or a kid wearing an Iron Maiden is trying to step on the stage, we break away, look out for them, and return.
What are we really doing at an ‘underground’ metal gig? Here’s a quick definition: distorted, screaming music, mostly heavy on every instrument used. Some call it evil. But those folks haven’t been part of a crowd of adults who’ve sat in a seconds-long formation to row a boat, made out of air, to the sound of Viking melodic metal on the floor. Nor have they been in happy tears, bonding with strangers over nothing but an album or a scream, or have enough breath for a Slipknot and Creed karaoke afterparty even when the clock’s struck 2am. Simply out of love.
It’d been a while since I hit a metal gig, and as a regular goer of many years across cities, I kid you not: I felt something like comfort. Metal can be… childish. It’s vulnerable. You get creative with the insults, and then you grin. This was Delhi Underground Fest 2, part of the roaming Sick Tour by Kolkata Metalheads at Siyah Arthouse in Saket. Even though Delhi’s the capital, and independent music here is thriving like an ant in a cupcake, it’s not exactly easy to organise a gig. Challenges abound: building a venue, cutting losses, stage and sound setup (especially for a genre like this), arranging stalls, food, and licenses.
Well, as Karan Mehta, who runs the city’s arguably largest metal concert Outrage Festival, puts it, ‘I love the community. Metal and rock fans are some of the greatest people I know. We want Outrage to always step out and do what we can.’ And it pays off, as Pranati Khanna aka Peekay, a frequent performing artist in the city, says. ‘One thing I absolutely love about Delhi is that the metalheads really show up. The audiences are passionate, loud, and deeply invested in the music,’ she says. There are some excellent reasons why.
Where it all began
The last time I attended Outrage, it was 2024 and Bloodywood was headlining. I was thirty minutes early. Even though every sort of gig ever begins at least two hours late, a sea of black graphic shirts, bandanas, tattoos, kohl, and five-year-old girls had already lined up. Ten mindnumbing bands and nearly eight hours of headbanging later, I found myself next to a psychologist, Parul, as we panted and rested on the pavilion in DLF Avenue. ‘Ten years ago, you would always have to have a male companion standing beside you, protecting you. Now, things have changed,’ she smiled.
Just around ten years ago at that point was when Outrage was founded. In 2014, their first gig sold some 600 tickets. It was almost entirely self-funded. ‘RSJ (Rock Street Journal) Great Indian Rock Festival used to happen in the capital when I was in a band back in 2010. They’d even bring international acts. When the founder, Amit, unfortunately passed away in an accident, it left a void in Delhi. In 2014, NH7 Weekender hadn’t yet come to Delhi. Outrage began because we couldn't let the community die. We couldn’t wait for someone big to come in,’ Karan tells me.
Where you can find metal gigs in the city
Over the years, Outrage has platformed some of the most intriguing metal bands this country’s ever produced, and brought on great choices of beer and grub. 2024, personally, was a rage and a blur. On your feet, all day, for an open-air festival that’s not an international artist or indie or Bollywood? NOT common in the city.
This year, they’re expanding to a club format that’s touring across India. In Delhi, they land on September 6 with bands Gutslit, Undying, Viya, Peekay, and Catatonic. The latter three are even releasing EPs at the show! Outrage, meanwhile, is also bringing the gig to Bengaluru and Mumbai with other artists. The concert I opened this piece with, incidentally, also is travelling on tour. According to people in the scene, travelling tours have been on the rise because with the frequent big-shot concert cancellations in Delhi recently, trust in organisers is at a low. It pays off to see people headbang before you do.
So it makes sense that one of the other best ways to experience metal in Delhi stems from prelims for the world’s largest metal festival of all time – Wacken Open Air, which takes place only 6,126 kilometres away in Germany. India sends out one band a year and prelims happen for North, East, West, and South parts of the country before they advance to a final, typically in Bengaluru. The North try-outs typically happen in Delhi, which gives rise to some truly fierce bar concerts around March. In the past, they’ve taken place at Saket SOCIAL.
Another IP that’s swelled up in the city is Assault Fest by Cacophony Networks. They travel between venues in Delhi, mostly based around Saket itself.
Metal’s also to be found in the several music-programming bars and clubs in the city. Siyah Arthouse and Depot48 in particular, have lately been platforming a lot of heavy music. You’ve got the Linkin Park tribute gigs and metal covers, of course, but it’s also a mix with some truly creative events – in the past, I’ve seen Gothic-themed ones, ones dedicated to women-led metal, a punk rock book meet complete with a performance at The Piano Man. The Red House, an independent arts centre, is planning to platform punk rock bands in its cathedrals. It’s really all about keeping an eye out, and any metalhead you meet here is only glad to help you do that.
What else makes Delhi’s metal scene special?
Most people will tell you that Bengaluru or Kolkata is the city to be at for metal in India, in terms of scale. Pranati’s got a soft spot for Bangalore Open Air – can’t blame her there – but hear out her case for Delhi: ‘Every city has its own identity. Delhi's identity, to me, is its sheer energy. The crowds bring an intensity that's hard to match.’
See – I’ve been around enough cities’ performing arts groups and have enough musicians in my life to know that it’s a ripe arena for drama. It’s a tough spot to make a name in. But the intensity Pranati talks about carries forward in a spirit of unity in Delhi… one that I have to say isn’t as strong in the other cities I’ve been to metal gigs in. People bond over a genuine love for music, and at least from the shows I’ve been to, they’re always happy to see someone new. There’s a strong anti-snob agenda here, yes, even in South Delhi. Take the Outrage WhatsApp group chat, where folks exchange gig info, send song links, stream live concerts, talk about the scene, even squabble with each other… Karan calls it not part of his commercial plan and just ‘something of its own’. There’s also an attempt by most organisers in Delhi to keep tickets as affordable as possible. Student tickets for Outrage are as low as ₹499. Gigs at Siyah go even lower.
‘I definitely think the Indian metal scene is evolving in a positive direction. There's still a long way to go, but every year it feels healthier and more connected,’ Pranati says. She points out that in India, the metal scene is still quite male-dominated, and many prefer older and established brands. Again, with Delhi being the capital and quite famous for its dudebros, you’d expect that to reflect in concert lineups. Nope. In fact, Mumbai and Bengaluru have considerably more funding, and bigger bands tend to play there. I’d say organisers in Delhi prioritise artists who aren’t getting a stage elsewhere, who’re releasing fresh material. Other artists in the city show up for acts who fly in from across the country for even a small bar stage.
So even though a Delhi-origin world-touring giant like Bloodywood might be seen as the blueprint of Indian metal, you’d find even them acknowledging that a crowdpuller can only ever be the start. And if you ever do realise that metal appeals to you, that start leads you into a beautiful rabbit hole… or pit.