A DJ console and turntables, a fan and some light are the only things that fit inside a makeshift food truck parked on the second-floor at Gears and Garage, Nungambakkam. There is just about enough space for one person to stand comfortably, but with a bar to its left and a projector-ready wall to its right, the setup is ripe for partying. This one-month-old space has already hosted a string of talent: DJs, indie bands and standup comics. Most are from within the city, some come from other parts of the country — from old city favourites like Sean Roldan & Friends to DJ Ankytrixx, who has taken his sound to Ibiza, Berlin and Amsterdam before bringing it to Chennai.
Gears and Garage is among a new crop of city spaces dedicated to encouraging indie talent. While it focusses on burgeoning Chennai’s nightlife, others offer a lighter experience. This past weekend, when standup comic Chockalingam did his first solo hour — a personal benchmark for comedians — he was hindered by a fiercely rainy evening and audience members who kept trickling in over an hour late. And yet, the show was a success, partly because of his ability to create warmth and camaraderie among a room of strangers, and partly because the size of the 38-seater venue, Canopy, helped the gathering feel intimate.
