Sid Sriram performed amid rain, headlining Echoes of Earth’s Elephant stage on day two in Bengaluru. Photo: Courtesy of Echoes of Earth
In between arena shows for his film songs and big collaborative projects, singer-composer Sid Sriram is bringing his Boundless experimental live show to Mumbai on Feb. 23, 2025, as part of Social’s new event series Meet The Artist.
Described as a “front row show” by Social that serves as an intimate gathering, Sriram and his band – comprising drummers Ramkumar Kanakarajan and Tapass Naresh, guitarists Sanjeev Thomas and Chris Jason and sound engineer Hardik Keshan at the console. Sriram, who released his acclaimed solo album Sidharth in 2023, says it’s “the energy” that’s the allure of playing an intimate club show after conquering big stages around the world. “Getting to feel the audience’s energy up close is so special, especially after doing huge shows. I’m super grateful that my career allows me to explore artistic expression across the spectrum of scale and genre. Doing these shows with Antisocial and Koramangala Social is going to be great, the ethos they bring into each venue is special. I can’t wait,” he says.
While a Bengaluru show was slated to take place on Feb. 20, 2025, Sriram announced on his Instagram that the concert has been “postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.”
In one way, Sriram says the Boundless shows – which have also been staged around the world with a revolving door of musicians – “are going to feel like a big exhale.” He adds, “This last year and a half has been filled with so many special moments for me and a ton of travel. I’ve loved every moment of it all, gained so much perspective from the experiences.” Early 2024 marked Sriram performing at Coachella festival in California. In contrast, The Boundless format is more for improvisation “against a completely blank canvas.” He says, “I can’t wait to step on stage and take all the inspiration I’ve gained over the last year and a half and pour into the music with complete freedom.”
The Boundless set has its origins in Brooklyn in 2022, when he was asked by Sidharth producer Ryan Olson to perform a set supporting Olson’s experimental act Marijuana Deathsquads. Sriram says, “I didn’t have anything prepared but I really felt like singing, so I went on stage with my tambura and improvised/shapeshifted for 45 minutes. And hence Boundless was born.”
While there have been different musicians backing Sriram for Boundless sets, he says there’s a closeness with all the instrumentalists and an “intrinsic musical understanding” they share. In terms of his creative direction for the band, he says, “All I’ll be giving them is broad brush parameters, the sonic playground if you may. And from there, we’ll let the music come alive.”
Sriram explicitly mentions that no film songs will be played – a disclaimer he provides whenever he plays shows promoting Sidharth or Boundless sets – and we can likely expect improvisations on his original material. What’s common between Boundless and all his other performances, however, is the way he preps. Sriram says, “I pray, surrender and make sure to instill in myself the necessity of being completely present in the moment.”
On the studio releases front, outside of regular film songs, Sriram was recently part of composer-producer OAFF’s new album Between Flowers, on the song “Falling.” He says of the experience, “I really enjoyed working with OAFF on ‘Falling’ for his album. He had an initial sketch of the instrumental, I went into my studio and improvised vocal ideas. He then took that vocal improv and chopped/arranged it out, then we refined and bit and added some lyrics where they felt necessary.” Although Sriram isn’t really ready to talk about any specific forthcoming projects, he says “2025 promises to be a special year.”