EIGHT THINGS DHOL PLAYERS ARE MISSING ABOUT GIGS DURING THE LOCKDOWN

For all you who uploaded a pic on Instagram with the caption “2020 is going to be lit” or “Here’s to the next decade” or “2020, starting with a bang”. I bet this isn’t what you quite had in mind…2020 brought a lockdown to everyday life as we know it. I’m not here to give a sob story, but I do feel for all the couples who’ve been looking towards their wedding day. Aside from losing a dear loved one, the financial & emotional stress of a wedding must be unforgiving, and probably at its worst right now. Believe me, we at @lifeofadholplayer and @imperialdrummers do empathise. But hang in there, this might be you getting a second chance…On the other hand, we’re taking a moment to think about all the dhol players, performers, artists, DJs that are used to filling their weekends performing at your special event. We love what we do and we’re itching to get back out there.

To give you a quick insight into our lives, here’s our list of 8 things, dhol players will be missing about playing dhol during this lockdown.

1. The Starters

It’s a well documented fact that starters trump the mains. There really isn’t too much to say on this, who doesn’t love food? We certainly do. Shout out to all the wedding caterers who may be struggling a little bit with no work right now. Hang in there! No matter what, you’ll always be on our minds…especially the food.

2. “Mum, dad, I’m leaving for my gig… Babe, I’ve just left my house”

Now I’m not saying we’ve done it, but saying you have a gig is the perfect excuse to get out of the house to go link a ‘ting’ No-Questions-Asked. Chuck your dhol in the boot, off comes your shirt showing your tight t- shirt underneath and off you go on your date. Your parents are none the wiser. “Such a good puth, enjoy your gig.” I feel for those with small cars who have to put their dhols in the back seats…

3. Long distance gigs with the boys

Think of it like this. A road trip, with your mates, banter, music & summer vibes. That’s literally what a long distance gig is like. Damn, we’re really missing that right now with the Imperial boys.

4. The smallest is always in the backseat. Here’s why…

Did you watch that video we had posted on life of a dhol player of us loading 4 drums & 4 people into a car? The one where Sunny was super helpful… If not here it is. The smallest ones always get left in the back seats, squished against drums with their face pushed up against the window. Imagine doing that from London to Birmingham & back. That is, the life of being a dhol player.

5. Getting all dressed up and stuntin’ for the gram

It isn’t just for the ladies you know, boys can do it too. Whether it’s a tux, a sherwani or a team uniform, we’re always stunting for the gram. If we’re honest, dhol players love it. Nothing like rocking up at a wedding, fashionably late (but still on time) with the lads, in your tux.

6. Confession: Get Out Of A Family Function Card

Using a dhol gig as an excuse to get out of a family function. Come on, we’ve all done it. Especially when it’s your Masi’s, Chachi’s, Sister’s, Phabi’s neighbours paat. Like, who cares, man. Go to the gig!

7. Post-gig Galavanting

We dhol players often find ourselves venturing across uncharted territories. New countries, new towns, new cities, new people, new experiences. When we do stumble across something new, often enough, we’ll go out and explore after a gig. Local restaurants, local people, local clubs and local bars. This is where the “Heyyyy i’m in your city. Wys?” text comes into play.

8. Meeting a Jaan Pachaan (meeting someone you know)

Indians, Punjabis & Asians are an intimate race. When at a wedding, the chances of you seeing a familiar face is pretty high. Whether it’s a friend, an ex, or a future partner, relatives or your parents who didn’t invite you to the wedding because they didn’t want you there (could you imagine if this happened)! Either way, it’s kind of exciting. You never know who you’re going to meet. So that’s our list but in all seriousness we miss playing dhol, we miss the bants’, we miss being musically creative and most of all, we miss all the people we meet. This lockdown has changed the way we live, it’s put pressure on our public services and slammed the brakes on all the things we all had planned for 2020, which is a bit shitty. But, it’s important to remember, this is temporary. We will recover, we will move forward, we will adapt, we will have weddings again, dhol players will play again and 2021 is merely round the corner. … Hopefully Tik Tok won’t be coming with us to 2021.

#Stay Home#Stay Safe #ThankYouNHS#ThankYouToTheKeyWorkers#Lifeofadholplayer