Rocking all over the nation

Here's great news for rock music lovers in Dubai. Just when you had resigned yourself to becoming a lifelong victim of hip-hop and R'n'B music, there finally comes a silver lining in the guise of Rock Nation. The event has the sole aim of promoting local rock talent within the country through a series of concerts planned over the next year.

The first rock challenge will be held on August 16 at Touch, Four Points Sheraton, with local bands Juliana Down and Moonshine showing us how rock really rolls. This will be followed by performances from Sandwash and Point of View on August 30 at the same venue.

"We are setting the benchmark within the region. It's time that local talent finally gets the recognition it deserves," says Nikhil Uzgare, managing partner of Hook Line and Sinker, the organisers of the event. Partnering with Mark Sayntos John, the two passionate young men are all set to challenge the local rock scene and this time the popular genre of music is finally going to get its due in the country.

"We will conduct regular gigs for four months, every alternate Saturday, with a break during Ramadan," says Uzgare. "This will lead up to a mega-concert in January where selected local bands will obtain a platform to perform in front of a large audience, and hopefully, one big international act."

But in a market where hip-hop rules, can rock concerts draw in the crowds?

"Commercially, rock music hasn't taken off here even though there has never been a dearth of local talent," says John. "There are 70 to 75 good bands in the UAE alone, and everyday we receive demos from younger bands trying to make it big."

Ask them the reason for this lack of demand, and both Uzgare and John believe that it is a combination of a lack of regular rock shows and that many companies – be it organisers or sponsors – are simply unwilling to invest in a genre of music that isn't tried and tested like hip-hop and R'n'B. The final nail in the coffin is of course, the less than sterling reputation of rock itself.

When you think back on the days when rock was young, it wasn't just Suzie who had so much fun. The hedonistic lifestyles of rock legends Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead and The Rolling Stones have forever been etched in music memory. As the nineties rolled around, younger bands such as Nirvana and Van Halen reinforced that rock and roll could only be preceded by the words, sex and drugs.

However, Uzgare – a rocker himself – quickly rises to the defence, saying: "What we are promoting here is a clean-cut image of rock music that is just as powerful. We know the demand exists. If the packed crowds at the annual Desert Rock Festival aren't indication enough, then one just needs to explore the local underground rock scene in Dubai.

"I recently attended one such event at the Canadian University of Dubai and that gig alone easily pulled in a crowd of 1,500 or more fans. Bands like Nervecell, Sandwash, Juliana Down and my own band, Point of View, have what it takes to make it on the international circuit, especially with new record labels opening up that sign on independent artists."

Uzgare is currently working on his new album with his band, which is set to release later this year. But while we wait to take home the musical talents of Dubai's homegrown bands, fans of rock music can at least fulfil their immediate thirst for good music through Rock Nation.

Besides the live acts on the concert days, there will also be an air guitar championship, so bring on those Adam Ant impressions.