Thaikkudam Bridge, the dynamic Indian fusion band known for blending classical ragas, folk tunes, heavy rock, and orchestral sounds, is heading back to Australia in March 2026, and this time, they’re bringing something fresh.
I caught up with Vian Fernandes, the band’s charismatic bassist and frontman, and Ashok Betty Nelson, their masterful rhythm guitarist, over Zoom to dive into what fans can expect from this much-anticipated tour.
“It’s a really big honour,” Nelson begins. “Going abroad is always a tricky thing. Leaving behind family, meeting new people… it’s a test every time. But we’ve been lucky. This is our third Australian tour, but it’s our first time at an Australian festival, the Adelaide Fringe. Our experience with festivals has always been great. It’s a very big opportunity.”
Fernandes shows palpable excitement too. “We are super excited for the festival.” For him, the magic lies in the unknown crowd. “We get to play in front of an audience from different backgrounds, different genres. That is what is really exciting, to connect with a new audience.”
He emphasises that the band itself is different now. “We have a very different sound. So many new songs. The Adelaide Fringe is the perfect stage for that.”
Thaikkudam Bridge is a band that can’t be easily described. They mix Indian classical music, folk songs, hard rock, and orchestral sounds to create an exciting and unique musical experience.
Nelson says, “With seven vocalists and a 13-member lineup, our performances stay fresh. It’s like coffee for your ears, every song brings a new flavour, so the audience stays hooked.”
So how does Fernandes, as the anchoring bassist and frontman, hold it all together? “We always have a picture,” he admits, “but honestly, we go with a setlist and sometimes it does not go according to plan.” The real conductor, he explains, is the crowd. “The energy they deliver… we make changes on stage. But for a festival, we are very clear about what we want to deliver.”
He hints at an evolution. “If somebody watched us in 2013 or ‘14, from that time till now, there has been a big change. We’re working on a new album, and this is going to be a sound-shifting moment.”
For Nelson, the rhythm guitarist, these seismic shifts are the lifeblood of the performance. “What dictates everything is passion and being able to enjoy yourself on stage,” he says. “Since we have multiple vocalists, each person brings a different flavour. The audience never gets bored.
“What the audience is going through, we are also going through,” Ashok adds, a grin spreading. “When something gives the crowd goosebumps, the same thing happens to us on stage. As Vian always says, we have the best seats in the auditorium.”
With members scattered from Mumbai to Kochi, the birth of a Thaikkudam Bridge song is an exercise in modern, collaborative chaos. “The right answer would be it all starts on WhatsApp,” Fernandes laughs. A skeleton of a melody, a voice note, a riff gets dropped into the group chat. If it catches fire, everyone begins building on it from their own corners of the country.
“Most of the time, it’s Govind [Vinay, co-founder] or Ashok who come up with an idea,” explains Fernandes. The pieces coalesce slowly until they finally meet for a rehearsal or, often, a soundcheck.
Nelson interjects, “We’ve actually had a couple of songs born on stage, where we just jammed.” Fernandes agrees, “It’s unpredictable. Just like our band.”
This spirit of open-ended creation defined their last album, Namah, which featured collaborations with international legends like Guthrie Govan and Marco Minnemann. “First thing would be to be humble,” says Nelson. “We never told them what to do. It was an open book… Listening to their parts for the first time was an experience in itself.”
After releasing Namah just before the pandemic hit, the band had to pause live shows, which they say is the real heart of their connection with fans. “Live performances are where people really feel us,” says Nelson. They’re now working on a new album that promises to take their sound to a new level, but fans will have to wait for that surprise.
The conversation turns to their personal journeys. Fernandes’ start with the bass was almost accidental. “We formed a band in college, we didn’t have a bassist… I said, ‘Okay, fine, I’ll play bass.’ It wasn’t a choice I really wanted.” But what began as a necessity became a love affair. “Over the years I’ve understood the beauty of the instrument… Every day is a crazy day, just knowing how much music there is to discover.”
Nelson adds, “From my experience of watching him over 13 years, he constantly applies himself. He’s learning new instruments… That’s something I look up to.”
His own path was rooted in rhythm from the age of four, starting with the mridangam. “Maybe it’s because I started with a percussion instrument, but for me, rhythm is the right place. I enjoy my role… I don’t have to do the flashy stuff.” Fernandes is quick to add, “Other than playing rhythm guitar, Ashok also plays bass on stage for some of the songs.” It’s a band where roles fluidly merge.
As talk returns to Australia and the new album, the excitement resurfaces. “I can confidently say,” says Nelson, “The sound we’re about to unleash hasn’t been heard before. It’s a completely different leaf we’ve turned.”
They recount the delightful surprise of past Australian tours, expecting non-Malayali crowds and finding a sea of homesick Keralites. “We prepare for a non-Malayali crowd,” Nelson laughs, “but no one is non-Malayali!”
So, for the uninitiated Australian, what is Thaikkudam Bridge? Nelson says, “A multilingual, multi-genre band with an essence of metal, I guess.” Fernandes has a simpler suggestion: “Watch the video for Navarasam. It’s a great storytelling piece. It captures our sound, genre, and cultural roots.”
Their final message to fans, old and new, is straightforward. “Be there. Be the bridge. Let’s have a crazy time together!”
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