Sylvin Thomas at 04:21, 5 May 2025

2025-05-05T04:21:23Z

New page

{{Short description|Indian rock band}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{for|the 2020 Canadian novel by Michelle Good|Five Little Indians (novel)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Five Little Indians
| image =
| origin = [[Kolkata]], West Bengal, India
| instrument =
| genre = [[Alternative rock]], [[hardcore punk]], [[hard rock]]
| occupation = Musician
| years_active = 2007–2011
| label = [[Independent record label|Independent]]
| associated_acts = The Supersonics Span [[Pinknoise]] Them Clones [[Avial (band)|Avial]] [[Thermal and a Quarter]] [[Pentagram]]
| website = {{url|fivelittleindians.com/}}
| current_members = Neel Adhikari Allan Ao Arka Das Sayak Banerjee Roheet Mukherjee
| past_members = Sandip Roy Rabi L. Roy Sanket Bhattacharya
}}
'''Five Little Indians''' ({{langx|bn|ফাইভ লিটিল ইন্ডিয়নস}}), (also known as FLI) was an alternative rock band based in [[Kolkata]]. The band was formed in January 2007. Five Little Indians merged melodic rock and a heavier sound with singer-songwriter sensibilities. The band used [[Hindustani classical music|Hindustani classical]] vocals and often mixed [[raga]]s with a rock sound.

==History==
Five Little Indians played its debut show at the [[Eastwind (music festival)|Eastwind Festival]] '08.<ref>{{cite web|author=Diya Kohli|date=25 February 2008|title=Blowin' in the Wind|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080225/jsp/entertainment/story_8946131.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526034218/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080225/jsp/entertainment/story_8946131.jsp|archive-date=26 May 2011|access-date=4 March 2011|work=The Telegraph|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Allan Ao|date=9 March 2008|title=Rock Mela|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080309/jsp/entertainment/story_8996130.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526034241/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080309/jsp/entertainment/story_8996130.jsp|archive-date=26 May 2011|access-date=4 March 2011|work=The Telegraph}}</ref> The band had formed only a few months before.

Back at [[Kolkata]], the band was featured in ''[[The Times of India]]''<ref>[https://archive.today/20120718070358/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIKM&login=default&Enter=true&Skin=TOI&GZ=T "We don't need shelter from any establishment"]; ''[[Calcutta Times]]'', 24 March 2008.</ref> for its original sound. Simultaneously, FLI was the band in focus for August 2008 on IndianMusicRevolution.
The band played the Calcutta leg of the RSJ Pubrockfest '08, taking the stage after Aurora Jane to a full house at Someplace Else. The band played at Star Theatre, Calcutta as part of INTERface '08, an inter-disciplinary arts festival featuring artistes from [[Korea]], Singapore, [[Switzerland]] and Japan.
In November 2008, FLI's original "Screaming at the Sun" saw a worldwide release as part of ''Stupidditties 2'', a compilation of Indian "un-metal" music from {{Proper name|ennui.BOMB}}, supported by [[Counter Culture Records]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Arjun S Ravi|date=5 November 2008|title=Meet Stupid Ditties 2: Five Little Indians|url=http://nh7.in/indiecision/2008/11/05/meet-stupid-ditties-2-five-little-indians/|access-date=4 March 2011|work=Indiecision}}</ref>

The November issue of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine, India, featured FLI's first single, "Happy Birthday" on its Downloads section, lauding the band's dark, moody sound and offering up a 3½ rating for the song.<ref>{{cite web|author=Neha Sharma|date=1 November 2008|title=Five Little Indians|url=https://www.rollingstone-india.com/review/reviewdetails.php?reviewid=339|access-date=4 March 2011|work=Rolling Stone India}}{{dead link|date=January 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

In early 2009, FLI co-headlined the east zone finals of Campus Rock Idols with Skinny Alley in January.<ref>{{cite web|date=20 January 2009|title=Make some noise!|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-01-20/kolkata/27999803_1_top-spot-bands-noise|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023083754/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-01-20/kolkata/27999803_1_top-spot-bands-noise|archive-date=23 October 2012|access-date=4 March 2011|work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Malini Banerjee|date=20 January 2009|title=A war out there|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090120/jsp/entertainment/story_10412557.jsp|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911110154/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090120/jsp/entertainment/story_10412557.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 September 2012|access-date=4 March 2011|work=The Telegraph}}</ref> In May, the band, along with Bertie Da Silva and The Supersonics, organised the first chapter of Elektrik Kool Rock Revue, a platform for all-original music showcased in a series of shows.<ref name="play" /> FLI also opened for French chanson-rockers KWAK and was featured as part Littlei's Friday Night Live series at the Big Ben, The Kenilworth. Apart from the 2008 and 2009 editions of the RSJ/Kingfisher Pubrockfest, the band headlined the Autumn Festival 2009 at [[Shillong]] and then headlined the Hornbill Festival in Kisama, [[Kohima]].<ref>{{cite web|date=8 December 2009|title=Five Little Indians finds roots in Hornbill fest|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091208/jsp/northeast/story_11834065.jsp|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204225157/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091208/jsp/northeast/story_11834065.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 February 2013|access-date=4 March 2011|work=The Telegraph}}</ref> In February 2010, the FLI opened for pop singer [[Richard Marx]] at Rock'N'India, [[Bangalore]], along with [[Swarathma]], Jaycee Lewis and [[Prime Circle (band)|Prime Circle]] from South Africa.<ref>{{cite web|author=Taniya Talukdar|date=22 February 2010|title=Backstreet Boys perform in Bangalore|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_backstreet-boys-perform-in-bangalore_1351014|access-date=4 March 2011|work=Daily News and Analysis}}</ref> FLI also played the [[Greenpeace]] [[Earth Day]] Fest in May 2010.

In between live performances, Five Little Indians also crafted the soundtrack to ''[[Gandu (film)|Gandu]]'', the critically acclaimed 2010 feature by Kolkata-based director Q.<ref>{{cite web|author=Grishma Rao|date=15 October 2010|title=Five Little Indians Score Film Soundtrack|url=http://nh7.in/indiecision/2010/10/15/five-little-indians-score-film-soundtrack/|access-date=5 March 2015|work=[[NH7 (webzine)|NH7]]}}</ref> The independent film went on to bag several awards at the South Asian International Film Festival 2010 at New York.<ref>{{cite web|author=Meenakshi Shedde|date=18 February 2011|title='G--- will win over fans exhausted with the tried and true'|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_g-will-win-over-fans-exhausted-with-the-tried-and-true_1509393|access-date=24 February 2011|work=Daily News and Analysis}}</ref>
Five Little Indians disbanded in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|date=21 April 2010|title=Five Little Indians-Interview(A Conversation)|url=http://www.indianmusicrevolution.com/Interview-s/Five-Little-Indians-InterviewA-Conversation.html|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713025120/http://www.indianmusicrevolution.com/Interview-s/Five-Little-Indians-InterviewA-Conversation.html|archive-date=13 July 2011|access-date=4 March 2011|publisher=IndianMusicRevolution}}</ref>

==Members==
* Neel Adhikari: vocals, guitar
* Allan Temjen Ao: guitar, backing vocals
* Arka Das: drums/percussion<ref name=play>{{cite web |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090526/jsp/entertainment/story_11018760.jsp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204002818/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090526/jsp/entertainment/story_11018760.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 February 2013 |title=Play Me! |author=Malini Banerjee |date=26 May 2009 |work=The Telegraph |access-date=4 March 2011}}</ref>
* Sayak Banerjee: vocals, guitar
* Roheet Mukherjee: bass guitar, vocals

===Former members===

*Sandip Roy: bass, backing vocals
*Rabi L. Roy: bass, backing vocals
*Sanket Bhattacharya: bass guitar, vocals<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090528/jsp/entertainment/story_11027442.jsp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912013519/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090528/jsp/entertainment/story_11027442.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 September 2012 |title=Ready to rock you|date=28 May 2009 |work=The Telegraph|access-date=4 March 2011}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110207105839/http://fivelittleindians.com/ Official Five Little Indians website]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100104005550/http://indianrockmp3.com/2009/03/28/1o1-with-five-little-indians/ Interview with FLI]}}
*[http://nh7.in/indiecision/2010/10/15/five-little-indians-score-film-soundtrack/ Five Little Indians score Gandu soundtrack]
* [http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?268192/ Netherworld]
* [http://rollingstoneindia.com/news-updates/five-little-indians/ In Shades of Grey]

{{Bengali Bands}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Five Little Indians}}
[[Category:Musical groups established in 2007]]
[[Category:Indian alternative rock groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2011]]
[[Category:Bengali musical groups]]

Five Little Indians - Revision history

Sylvin Thomas at 04:21, 5 May 2025