Ahead of their performance at Lollapalooza India 2026, the audio-visual collective opens up about friendship, future rollouts, and their upcoming album
Excise Dept, the audio-visual collective consisting of Rounak Maiti, Karanjit Singh, Andrew Sabu, and Siddhant Vetekar, are gearing up for their biggest show yet at Lollapalooza India 2026, produced and promoted by BookMyShow Live. With a penchant for subverting expectations, there’s nothing conventional about this group. Everything is infused with calculative madness, a style they sometimes refer to as “schizophrenic.”
Returning to the stage after almost a year, they reflect on their expectations for their upcoming gig: “Every Excise performance is actually very explosive in nature. So regardless of what the setting is, how many people are there on stage, it’s going to come with a lot of energy,” Sabu tells Rolling Stone India. “It’s after a while that we’re playing on such a big stage with a big sound.”
Formed in the wake of the pandemic, the group cut their teeth in intimate, DIY spaces, their sound reverberating even in the smallest of rooms. As they prepping for their Lollapalooza India debut, roping in the theatrical, the narrative, and the political, it’s set to be a gig by the people, for the people. “There’s always that sense of dialogue in the live set between the audience and us,” Maiti points out. Even as the arenas and audiences have grown bigger, the group still wants to have that same sense of camaraderie with their community. “You can expect the same level of sort of chaotic, loud, robust energy on stage with like four men just going at it,” Sabu chuckles, as the fellow members cringe in unison. “That’s a strange way of saying it,” Maiti coyly adds.
“We also have our very close friends who are doing some visuals and lights as well,” Maiti says. “Whatever we do, stage, website, or posters, there’s always an analog component. We haven’t really delved into the generative software kind of design yet.”
Perhaps best described as a stimulating battleground for the audience, this isn’t your typical set. On one hand, you’ll be moshing out to “Baaro Malla,” on the other, surrendering to the warmth of “Koyalia.” It all leads back to their tagline: “Sabh Kuch Mil Gaya Mujhe.”
“Everyone comes in and takes something away from it,” Maiti points out. “I don’t by all means need people to look at me or KJ and be like, ‘Wow, you guys are the best performers ever.’ I would just want everyone to have fun, experiencing what they exactly expected to experience.”
As a group that heavily draws from socio-political themes, investigating the extent of “Indianness” through the lens of diaspora, identity, and culture, the past year was introspective, to say the least. While they were away from the stage, the members were slowly yet steadily creating their own reference points, pouring all their observations into their upcoming album. “We’ve mainly just been writing and working on new music. I feel like a lot has just happened last year, we’ve all just been reflecting on what’s happened,” Maiti stated.
There are layers to their lore. At first glance, they may seem like the conventional friend group that wants to make music together. Zoom out a bit, and you’ll find a bunch of friends hailing from different states, speaking multiple tongues, with varied tastes and personalities, something which could signal a recipe for disaster. Look closer, though, and you’ll find they’re pulling from the vast expanse of a universe built on curating clashing patterns.
Opening up about their creative partnership, the members candidly point out that even while wading through the waters of mainstream success, what keeps them grounded is not the bigger picture, but their bond. “We’re learning a lot as the work is evolving. It can make it harder because you’re close friends. There’s a lot more at stake. It can lead to a lot more friction sometimes. But at the same time, I don’t think I would want to do it with other people. It’s not a negotiable point for any of us, I think,” Maiti emphasized.
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