Sikkim hard rock/heavy metal band Girish And The Chronicles

GANGTOK: Bengaluru-based, Sikkim-origin hard rock/heavy metal band Girish And The Chronicles has struck gold this time.

The band has been keeping their audience and hardcore fans on their feet all these years of tremendous performances.

This time they shared the stage with the internationally famed Guns and Roses.

It was indeed a matter of pride that a Sikkim-based band shared that same stage as Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Dizzy on Thursday in Abu Dhabi.

The Sikkim-based group played before their musical heroes at the sold-out show.

Girish And The Chronicles, who recently released their latest album โ€˜Back on Earthโ€™ in January this year, will perform at several places in Abu Dhabi, followed by a European tour including festivals and club gigs in June and July.

Earlier, bandleader Girish Pradhan and bassist Yogesh Pradhan performed at a tribute to Guns Nโ€™ Roses on May 20 in Bengaluru, joining the Kishan Baalaji Collective.

The band took to social media to talk about what might arguably become the biggest gig of their lives.

โ€œTake a deep breath! Now hereโ€™s an example of the phrase, โ€˜Dreams do come trueโ€™. We are opening for Guns and F****** Roses @gunsnroses on the 1st of June, 2023, in the heart of the UAE! Unbelievable right? We canโ€™t wait to share the stage with our all time favourite Rock โ€˜n Roll heroes! Totally stoked and really donโ€™t have the words to express what we are feeling right now, but one thingโ€™s for sure, we are so proud to represent Sikkim and India today. And Ofcourse, we will also be going in as cool Bangalore boys,โ€ the statement said.

While Guns Nโ€™ Roses will follow up with performances in Israel and Europe, Girish And The Chronicles – comprising Girish, Yogesh, guitarist Suraz Sun and drummer Nagen Mongranti – too will head to Europe in June and July.

Among the confirmed performances include Summerside Festival in Sweden on June 24, plus shows in Lille, France in June 29, Ghent, Belgium in June 30 and four shows across Spain in July.

As a vocalist, Pradhan remains one of the most sought-after in hard rock and heavy metal circles at the moment.

Part of metal band Firstborne with drummer-composer Chris Adler (formerly of Lamb of God and Megadeth), the vocalist also leads vocals for Whitesnake guitarist-composer Joel Hoekstraโ€™s solo project, called Joel Hoekstraโ€™s 13.

Late last year, Pradhan also announced he was part of rock supergroup The End Machine, comprising guitarist George Lynch (formerly of rock band Dokken), bassist Jeff Pilson (currently part of Foreigner) and others.