Formed in 2009 in the scenic hills of Sikkim, Girish and The Chronicles (GATC) started out far from India’s main metro music hubs. In those early days, the band cut their teeth in the Northeast’s rock scene, a place where passion ran high even if the industry infrastructure was limited. Frontman Girish Pradhan grew up in Gangtok on a steady diet of classic rock, first picking up a guitar at 13 after hearing The Eagles. Every rocker has idols, and GATC wear their inspirations on their sleeve. The band’s sound unapologetically channels the spirit of ’80s hard rock and heavy metal. In June, GATC took Indian rock to an American prime-time stage, making history as the first Indian rock band to compete on America’s Got Talent. It was a bold move 16 years into their career, but one that paid off in spades.
Crafting Songs with Riffs and Real Life
When it comes to creating music, GATC’s approach is a collaborative jam. The band often fleshes out a song together in rehearsal, adding breakdowns or bridges and trimming the excess as a team. Over 15+ years and three studio albums later, GATC’s sound has grown bigger and bolder. Their debut Back on Earth introduced a hungry young band with a love for melodious hard rock. By the time they released Rock the Highway and Hail to the Heroes, they had refined their production and songwriting process into slick, arena-ready anthems, without losing that old-school rock ’n’ roll heart. Still, the band never wants to pigeonhole itself. In late 2024, GATC surprised fans with a ferocious new single titled Kaal. Sung partly in Nepali, the track is ‘a heavy song, a little different from the band’s usual sound,’ featuring a rawer edge than their previous material.
Rocking Crowds at Home and Abroad
From small pub gigs in Sikkim to massive European festivals, GATC have experienced the full spectrum of live rock ’n’ roll. Over the years, they’ve built a cult following and performed across Asia and Europe. Back home in India, the band has always been a live force as well, headlining festivals and igniting crowds who sing along to every chorus. Over the past decade, GATC have found themselves living out the rockstar fantasies they grew up with. They’ve shared festival bills with the likes of extreme metal titans Destruction and prog metal act TesseracT, and opened concerts for mainstream rockers Hoobastank and Poets of the Fall. But perhaps the most pinch-me moments were getting to perform alongside their heroes. In 2019, three members of GATC (Girish, Suraz, and Yogesh) were handpicked to be the backing band for Grammy-winning drummer Chris Adler (of Lamb of God fame) on his India clinic tour. Another dream came true when GATC landed the gig of opening for Guns N’ Roses not once but twice – in Abu Dhabi and on home turf in Mumbai.
The America's Got Talent Buzz
For America’s Got Talent, the band flew over 20 hours to California, intent on showing the world what desi rockers could do. For their audition, they chose an unlikely cover: Adele’s soulful ballad Set Fire to the Rain, turbocharged into a hard-rock anthem. ‘Giving Set Fire to the Rain a raw, gritty rock spin was our way of honouring Adele while making it our own. We wanted to stay true to who we are as a band – helping us connect with a new audience,’ GATC said about their song choice. All four judges – including the normally icy Simon Cowell – got on their feet, visibly
blown away by GATC’s powerhouse delivery. Their audition clip went viral online, racking up millions of views. Suddenly, fans around the world were discovering GATC’s back catalog and saying, ‘Thank you for bringing heavy metal to AGT!’
‘This year is about taking our music to more cities, connecting with our fans, and keeping the energy alive on stage. We’ll be continuing to tour through the rest of 2025, with shows lined up across Asia and Europe,’. Next on their wishlist is North America – they’re eyeing that breakthrough U.S. festival slot that could cement their international presence. Through all these adventures, Girish and The Chronicles remain, at their core, the same four passionate kids from Sikkim who started a band for the love of loud guitars and high-voltage melodies.
This article is from our July EZ. Read our latest EZ here.
Words Harita Odedara
Date 2-09-2025