They call them India’s S&G

The two-piece band Colin and Charles was born 13 years ago, at the Taj Malabar Hotel in Cochin.

As Colin D’souza and Antony Charles played in the hotel lobby back then, specialising in peforming songs created by bands and musicians such as Simon & Garfunkel, the Beatles and Harry Belafonte, tourists from across the globe were drawn to their music.

As time passed and they moved on to other five-star hotels in God’s Own Country, they began to learn songs in international languages such as Spanish, French, German and Hebrew from tourists and regular visitors at the hotels.

“They would give us the lyrics and teach us the notes as we strummed our acoustic guitars,” says Charles. Today, this duo can sing in as many as 12 tongues from across the world, something that they call their USP.

For them, choosing to sing golden oldies such as the songs immortalised by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel was a conscious decision. “You’ll find plenty of Hip-Hop, rock, jazz and even desi bands in the country; however, not too many play golden classics. Which is why we chose to concentrate on old country and western music — that’s our differentiator,” elaborates Charles.
Tonight, Colin and Charles will perform at Olive Beach, promising a trip down memory lane for Bangalore’s audience, which, according to Charles, is the best you can find in India.

“Bangaloreans know their music,” he says, adding, “It’s one place I know where the listeners will know the lyrics and will sing along for sure, no matter what kind of music you’re performing and where you are performing.”

The two were one of the inaugural bands at last year’s The Great Indian October fest, and they’ve performed at other venues such as Leela Palace and Kyra Theatre.

Coming from the Mallu-heartland, the two have extensively toured the Middle East, performing in almost every country from Qatar to Dubai.

There and here, they are famously called the “Indian Simon & Garfunkel”. Ask Charles if, like the original duo, they too have had their share of break-ups and patch-ups and he laughs: “Not yet, we are 13 and still going strong. We’ve been given that name because we, like the American duo, are a two-piece band with both doing vocals; in addition we play a lot of Simon & Gurfunkel tributes at our gigs.”

Considering they play old classics, do they have young listeners? “From what I have seen it’s the 30-plus crowd that mostly enjoys our shows. Youngsters come in too and many of them know their classics. But the older ones enjoy it the most.”

So if Kathy’s Song leaves you misty-eyed or Belafonte’s Banana Boat makes you want to take off on a trip to the countryside, here’s just the thing for you.

Where: Olive Beach, 16, Wood Street, Ashoknagar.
Time: Tonight, 8pm onwards
Call: 080-41128400