When Indian rock band Girish and the Chronicles (GATC) opened for Guns N’ Roses Mumbai concert on May 17, it was not just any other gig for them — it was homage to the very band that first inspired this group of four Northeast boys to explore rock music.
“It was a huge moment for us. Guns N’ Roses is a band we literally grew up listening to. Their songs were a big part of our lives,” Girish said in a candid chat with The Telegraph Online.
Girish and his band mates — his brother Yogesh Pradhan on bass, Suraz Karki on lead guitar and Nagen Mongrati on drums — played several Guns N’ Roses songs at local gigs while growing up. And sharing the same stage with their idols in Mumbai was nothing less than a dream come true.
“Getting to open for them felt surreal, like coming face-to-face with your demigod heroes,” said Girish.
The Mumbai concert was the latest in a series of international breakthroughs for Girish and the Chronicles, a band that has been defying the odds and carving a niche for themselves in the rock and metal circuit in India and abroad.
From being the first band from the Northeast to perform at a major European music awards festival to sharing the stage with rock legends like Alter Bridge and Poets of the Fall, GATC is crossing new milestones, one show at a time.
The DIY ethic, a love for ’80s hard rock and heavy metal, and the desire to keep rock ‘n roll alive in the Indian music scene is what keeps GATC motivated. The journey, however, hasn’t been easy for Girish and his team.
“When I first started out, there was no blueprint - no one from our part of the world had really gone down this path, so I was figuring things out as I went. But the time I spent traveling before forming Girish and The Chronicles in 2009 really shaped my perspective and helped me prepare for what was ahead,” Girish said.
Girish and Yogesh were born and raised in Gangtok in a home where music was a way of life, finding their early influences from bands like Iron Maiden, Guns N’ Roses, and The Eagles. While their mother Bimla Pradhan is a renowned Nepali folk and classical singer, their father Shyam Pradhan was their first manager, mentor and strongest supporter.
Sikkim, Girish said, is often referred to as the ‘eighth brother’ to the Seven Sisters and it's very much a part of the Northeast, not just culturally but in spirit and identity. His first singing idol, Girish said, was Jigmee Wangchuk Lepcha, lead singer of a local band from Gangtok in the ’90s named CRAB.
“To be honest, we never really thought about fitting into the Bollywood space or even the Indian rock scene in a conventional way. Coming from Gangtok, we knew we were already outside the spotlight,” said Girish.
The idea for Girish and The Chronicles, currently based out of Bengaluru, took shape after Girish left college to pursue music full-time. He connected with Suraz Karki, a talented guitarist from Namchi, and drummer Nagen Sarki from Darjeeling. Though not all from Gangtok, they shared the same Eastern Himalayan roots.
“One of the first decisions we made as a band was to say yes to everything: college festivals, competitions, any opportunity to get on stage,” Girish said.
It was this hunger that helped them gain momentum beyond the Northeast, eventually building a national and international audience, thanks to viral YouTube clips and an early presence on Facebook. The buzz around GATC reached Europe, where the band now tours regularly. They are also signed to a label that has worked with acts like Whitesnake, Mr. Big, and Nazareth.
“When we started GATC back in 2009, the rock scene in India was leaning heavily toward metalcore, extreme metal, and fusion. But we gravitated toward what we genuinely loved: ’80s hard rock and heavy metal. That passion naturally sets us apart. In a way, we were fortunate too, because very few bands in the country were exploring that sound at the time,” Girish said.
Describing the evolution of the Indian rock 'n roll scene since he started out, Girish referred to bands like Kryptos and Bloodywood. “While the rock scene might have been bigger in the ’90s and early 2000s, today’s landscape is shaped by streaming, social media, and a growing DIY culture. What’s new and exciting is the rise in young artists releasing original music, which wasn’t as common before.”
At the recent Guns N’ Roses concert in Mumbai, Girish grabbed the microphone and belted out his staple electrifying “soundcheck” that garnered over 3.5 million views on Instagram.
Revealing that it was an unplanned, spontaneous moment, Girish said, “It all started as a bit of fun during soundcheck at I-Rock Mumbai in 2023. I was in the zone, and I just went for it. Never did I think it’d become ‘a thing’! Now, it’s turned into this unexpected tradition.”
On June 1, 2023, the band supported Guns N' Roses at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi during their performance. In the same year, they opened for iconic bands like Bullet for My Valentine, Billy Talent and Alter Bridge at the Summerside Festival held in Grenchen, Switzerland.
Adding another feather to their cap, Girish and the Chronicles performed on the America's Got Talent stage on June 3 night, making the judges and audiences headbang to the band's electrifying rock version of Adele's Set Fire to the Rain.
The crowd cheered endlessly as the band lit up the stage with their '80s rock sound. Even Simon Cowell, who is often hard to impress, beamed with a smile and said, "Can't fake a reaction behind us," pointing to the audience behind. While Mel B said that their performance was her favourite so far this season, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel were left speechless. With four 'yes', Girish and the Chronicles is now set to compete on the global talent show, after previously winning a coveted contest in Montenegro.
But no matter how far they go, Gangtok remains at the heart of their sound. “The foundation we built in Gangtok, with the unwavering support of our parents, especially our father’s belief and guidance, remains at the heart of GATC’s journey,” Girish signed off.