Swarobanjo defies expectations at DIFF 2018

In the thick of bigger names on yesterday's line-up, Bangladeshi folk-fusion band Swarobanjo marked their presence with their earthy musical performance on the second day of the Dhaka International Folk Festival (DIFF).

Introduced as a band who shuns all the commercial aspects of music, they gave the crowd a taste of their infectious enthusiasm. Having started their journey in 2014, they distributed two of their albums non-commercially in 2015-2016. Their music is essentially a response against all kinds of oppression.

“We are still learning. We have never performed on a stage so big. We hope you all like our music,” Swarobanjo stated, before beginning their performance. The young men from Rajshahi commenced their performance with the immensely popular Satyajit Ray song, Maharaja Tomare Selam. The spell-bound crowd swayed with the rhythm of their dhol. Their power-packed recital continued with a number originally by kobial Bijoy Sarkar, Mymensingh Gitika among many others. When on stage, their playful demeanour impressed the audience furthermore.

When Swarobanjo started off, they were a relatively obscure band from Rajshahi. By the time they were done with their performance, they made many new fans. Needless to say, Swarobanjo is a band to look forward to in the near future.