IRON MAIDEN Helps Indian Metal Band PARIKRAMA

IRON MAIDEN's official web site has been updated with the following message:

"As some of you may have read, PARIKRAMA from New Delhi, India will be opening the main stage at the Download Festival this Sunday at 11am. This is a historical occasion for the thriving Indian rock and metal scene as this will be the first time any Indian rock act has ever performed at a major music festival outside of India.

"The eight-piece band formed in 1991 have performed hundreds of shows, including TV appearances, up and down the length of India to thousands of people with their unique mix of rock, metal and also traditional Indian influences as part of their repertoire. They have been leading the way for rock music in a country that contains over 1.2 billion people (one sixths of the worlds population) and yet has been rarely visited by rock and metal acts from around the world.

"This changed recently when IRON MAIDEN played to the sold out Bangalore Palace Grounds in front of 25,000 manic metal fans, the biggest ever attendance for a rock concert in India, with thousands more who couldn't get in listening from outside the stadium. PARIKRAMA were one of two Indian bands chosen to support and it was at this point that they came to the attention of IRON MAIDEN's manager, Rod Smallwood."

Says Rod, "We were completely blown away by the intensity and passion of the India crowd and also by the quality of PARIKRAMA. I just didn't realise there were metal/rock bands of this quality in India. I was so impressed by their playing and attitude and professionalism and all of the IRON MAIDEN band and crew watched and listened to their entire set backstage. So I asked the Download promoters Live Nation to add them to the bill opening our MAIDEN day, the Sunday, on the main stage and we further extended the invitation for them to play at Clive's show at Brixton. I certainly look forward to seeing them play again and l hope MAIDEN fans will give them some great support."

Subir Malik, keyboard player and manager of PARIKRAMA says,"Metal here in India has grown like mad since 1991, but the scene has kind of exploded in the last five years. With the easy access to info on the Net, many music schools opening up and corporate companies finally putting in money on rock bands, things have really blasted off. The invite from Rod and IRON MAIDEN and the help we've had from their organisation means a very very big step forward to rock music from India on a whole because if things go down well with the English audiences, the curiosity to listen to more Indian bands would grow further which would be a milestone for the Indian rock industry as a whole. We can't wait to get there."

PARIKRAMA will also be playing dates around the country while they are so if you are not heading down to Download or Brixton you can catch them at the following dates:

June 9 - Rios - Leeds, England
June 10 - Download Festival - Donington, England
June 15 - Underworld - Camden, England (supporting O.D.S.)
June 19 - The Charlotte - Leicester, England
June 20 - Little Civic - Wolverhampton, England
June 22 - The Peel - Kingston, England
June 24 - Brixton Academy - London, England (supporting IRON MAIDEN)

Information on the band can be found at www.parikrama.com.