Helga’s Fun Castle which will perform at Someplace Else on April 1, in concert

The pub on Park Street remains one of the sole live music destinations in the city. And for the next two weekends, Someplace Else (SPE) is taking a break from the staple diet of Doors and Pink Floyd covers, and, instead, turning ‘alternative’.

A Different Beat, starting April 1, will feature four ‘different’ bands from Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta.

“We’re now in a position to promote a particular kind of music, hence the alternative approach,” says Namrata Ray, assistant manager, events, for The Park.

But ‘alternative’ is strictly for lack of a better term.

It’s really some different music than the night after night renditions of Roadhouse Blues and Comfortable Numb.

Here are the bands?

Helga’s Fun Castle (April 1): A Mumbai-based jam band that often makes up songs impromptu on stage, Helga’s Fun Castle was originally called Helga’s Funk Castle but dropped the ‘k’ because “we don’t play funk, we play fun,” says founder member Siddarth Coutto.

The ‘mini-supergroup’ with seasoned musicians like Gino Banks will play music “without genre limitation” at SPE and an ode specially composed for the pub.

Urban Reflections (April 8): It began as a project by Debashish Banerjee and Sidhartho Samadar in 2003. Now, city-based Urban Reflections is a five-member set-up mixing eastern influences with elements of jazz and R&B.

Mystique (April 14): This fusion band emerged out of Bangalore-based Amit Heri and Mumbai’s Ravindra Chari performing together.

“There will be a lot of on-the-spot improvisation,” promises band manager Vijay Nair.

The Tribe (April 15): Gaurav and Ujjaini usually perform as a duo in Chennai, with Gaurav handling the guitar and every other sound via the laptop.

But the electronica outfit will sport percussionists and a DJ for the first time at the SPE gig.