Friends of Linger is a mixed-genre #Indie band based out of New Delhi. Built around a number of session artists and collaborations, the set up focuses primarily on lyrics and the purpose of a track.

The front-man of the band is the author, writer, former journalist and communications consultant, Sharif D Rangnekar. He believes greatly in the power of music and lyrics to tell stories and raise issues that often go unheard or aren’t addressed sufficiently by the media.

The band came on the scene in December 2013 with Head Held High – India’s first dedication to the LGBT+ community. Three years later, it’s second track – Miss You – a same-sex ballad, ran into rough weather with the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) that sought a ten-second cut in the music video. After a four month tussle and after its appeal to the Appellate Tribunal, the band won the case recording of history of sorts for the LGBT+ movement in India.

Ever since, the band has from time to time addressed issues such as rape and women with the song Dignity (2018) and the politics of hate – Silence (2018). The former was adopted by the global She Decides movement and the latter featured in a list of must listen tracks of Rolling Stone India.

In its journey since December 2013 when they first performed at Hard Rock Cafe, Delhi, till now, there have been over seven different musicians and as many as 10 vocalists perform live, singing originals and covers. The set up in the studio recording originals, however, is a bit different with five vocalists and over a dozen musicians from different parts of the world, hailing from Taiwan, Venezuela, USA, Serbia, Romania and of course, India.

The band currently has four singles out and available on music streaming sites and a few more videos on YouTube. It will soon release its first album with new songs and some of the already released singles. The following is where you can stream or buy Friends of Linger’s music: