Music

Rum & Monkeys: Shillong band wins college band competition

Band members of Rum & Monkeys
(l to r) Anon Cherian Momin, Meban Atom Marbaniang, Daniel Dian Kharumnuid, Vivian Kharumn
© Rum and Monkeys

For a college band, there is no better feeling than playing to a house full of fans singing along to their songs. Rum and Monkeys competed against four regional winners to take home the coveted prize of two lakh rupees and exclusive Parx merchandise at the grand finale of the nationwide Parx Hunt Grand Finale — India’s Best College Band hunt. In its fifth season, four finalists were selected from 120 colleges across 60 cities to battle for the title of national winner. Rum and Monkeys (East) went head-to-head with bands from other corners of the country like The Northern Wave (North), Manga (South) and Gin City (West). All four bands raised the temperature at antiSOCIAL, Mumbai, with pumping energy, enthralling a motley crowd of headbangers, cajoled all the way by host for the evening RJ Hrishi K.

Bestowed with a maturity beyond their age, Rum and Monkeys is the perfect band that packs a punch. Driven by the motto ‘Hard work beats talent’, the young Indie band from Shillong is paving their humble way in the music industry, performing at different events in expanding their horizon. Beautifully diversified, the band members belong to different states of the North East with different cultures and tradition — a perfect example of diversity.

VERUS FERREIRA met the band when they visited The Teenager Today office soon after they were announced winners. Meban Atom Marbaniang spoke to us about the band, their winning spree and much more.

Congratulations, Atom and the band, on winning the Parx Band Hunt – India’s Best College Bands 2022. How does it feel to be winners at the regional round, perform at the finale and emerge victorious?
It was extremely humbling to be a part of the competitive experience and winning both legs; especially the final was nothing short of surreal for everyone in the band.

What efforts did you put in to ensure that Rum and Monkeys won the title?
Rum and Monkeys has always been a collective of pure passion, and we think that our enthusiasm and the work we’ve been putting in definitely had a big impact on getting us the win!

What’s the story behind the name of the band?
The band was formed in 2018 and its name is a spirit to firstly the kind of music we play and secondly, the kind of individuals we are.

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Verus Ferreira is a music journalist for over three decades. He is the author of The Great Music Quiz Book and The Great Rock Music Quiz Book and the founder of Musicunplugged.in

Verus Ferreira

Verus Ferreira is a music journalist for over three decades. He is the author of The Great Music Quiz Book and The Great Rock Music Quiz Book and the founder of Musicunplugged.in