Laughs, giggles and applause

2014 could well be singled out as the scenario-changing year for the then six-year old band who called themselves “Circus Police”. Formed in 2008, it all began when Zaki Adnan's cousins introduced him to their band called the “Sibling's Cry”. Influenced by the styles of Rage Against the Machine and Pearl Jam, as numerous before them, they all started dreaming of doing something different. One of Sibling's Cry's singles, titled Circus Police, was instantly identified as the future name of a band that had members from both Bangladesh and the UK, blending styles and teachings continents apart. 

Circus Police, once finally formed, began working the underground as the thousands of bands before them. What distinguished them from the rest was their penchant for making even cover songs their very own while belting out unheard singles that quickly developed a cult following of sorts. However, for whatever reason, the band did not yet enter the playing fields with the big boys of the music scene. That is, until, 2014 hit when Circus Police finally broke the invisible barrier, being awarded the number one single of the years by Radio Shadhin for their Top 100 of the year 2014. 

The song chosen by Radio Shadhin was of course “Mohini Romoni”, the undisputed Kohinoor in Circus Police's discography. This was the song that kicked off the band's foray into experimentation, specifically their collaboration with the legendary Nazrul Islam and his “geetis”. Not only did the fusion help them explore an entirely new and unchartered genre of music, it made their sound stand out and instantly recognisable. The single could be said to have had the same effect as “Millionaire” had on Young Weezy's later works, albeit the negativity. The song was also one of the best known singles of the band, closely following on the heels of Circus Police's first original, “Thank you for not smoking”. An interesting backstory, the seeds for the song's germination were planted when Zaki Adnan began dating his high-school sweet-heart and decided to quit smoking for her and she later thanked him for his effort. Thus the song and the theme came to the band, with the song being later developed to also include a social message. The band said the song would be used for an anti-smoking campaign in the near future. 

Currently, Circus Police are working on their much awaited debut album. The album is titled "Darshonik Chorki" which roughly translates to "Philosophical Ferris-Wheel". They are near about 60% done with their album work, with the song-writing nearly done. All that remains is putting the words and instruments together. Breaking the oft-times limitations set by limiting oneself to a particular genre, Circus Police's songs range from trip-folk-hop to reggae, from old-school rock to disco pop and much more, promising something for almost everyone. 

But the band has not yet forgotten its roots, paying homage to the live underground scene where it was birthed, cloaked in hype and hardship. Zulyad Islam, a member of the band, when quizzed on their favourite live moment, had much to say. “We love playing live! And if we had to pick the most memorable live performance, it has got to be "Hello Fried Chicken's Launching Ceremony Concert at East West University"! We've always wanted to experience the irony of performing "Another Brick in the Wall" in a University, and so we did to hear the entire crowd sing-along with us! What was even more crazy was when someone from the crowd took off his Pink Floyd T-Shirt which crowd-surfed towards the stage to us and we pulled it up and waved it across the crowd and then came the never-ending, overwhelming cheers. In fact, their ever so loud cheers still play in our ears and our hearts,” he reminisced. Circus Police are all set to stir up quite a storm in the music scene. If you haven't heard their singles yet, go give it a go. There is a shift in the wind and it is coming full of laughs and giggles; courtesy of Circus Police, the band that is redefining versatility as we know it.