Groove to the music of India's biggest talents here at #Awestrung on the last Friday of every month. Block your dates and witness some magical performances at the Courtyard.

This month on 28th April, High Street Phoenix invites you to the next edition of AWESTRUNG with the legends of Sufi – The Wadali Brothers, supported by Bombay Bandook.

About the artists

Hailing from “GURU KI WADALI” near Amritsar, the Wadali Brothers were never into music at an early age. While Puranchand Wadali, the elder brother, was a regular in an Akhara (wrestling ring) for 25 years, Pyarelal contributed to the meagre family income by playing the role of Krishna in the village rasleela. Later, their father, Thakur Das, forced Puranchand into music. Puranchand studied music from celebrated masters like Pandit Durga Das and Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan of the Patiala Gharana. Pyarelal was trained by his elder brother, whom he considers his mentor and guru even today. Post their training in 1975, the duo went to Jalandhar to perform at the Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan but were not allowed to sing because of their appearances. Later, their first ever performance finally happened right outside the Harballabh Temple in the same city.

Known for performing in various genres of music such as Gurbani, Kafi, Ghazal and Bhajan, they believe in Sufi tradition deeply and in a free atmosphere as an homage to the divine one. Their spiritual voice opened the door of Bollywood where they sang songs for Bollywood movies such as Pinjar, Dhoop, Chikki Bukku, Tanu Weds Manu and Mausam.

By showcasing some of the most beautiful performances without the use of any electronic musical instruments, they have bagged a number of awards such as Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1991, Tulsi Award in 1988, Punjab Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2003 and Life Time Achievement Award 2015 in PTC awards in Jalandhar. Ustad Puranchand Wadali also received the most prestigious award, Padama Shree by the Indian Government in 2005.

Opening this month’s Awestrung will be Bombay Bandook, a six-piece fusion band from Mumbai. The idea behind their compositions is fairly simple, taking Raags or Ragas which are modes in Indian Classical Music and use them to create a more modern and western music based sound, with the fusion genres ranging from jazz to progressive rock.

AWESTRUNG is High Street Phoenix’s big-ticket, monthly music property which aims to bring the best names in the Indian music scene closer to the music lovers.