Here’s a sign that the pandemic has come full circle. Last November — when there was false hope that things would return to normal after lockdown restrictions were temporarily lifted — The F16s had played the first live gig to take place in Mumbai after the fateful day of March 25, 2020. Those hopes were dashed when the second wave reared its head like a cobra ready to strike its prey. But we are now back to square one, with the lockdown seemingly over completely, and The F16s returning for a gig at the same Lower Parel venue this weekend. This time around, the Chennai-based alt-rockers will be joined by funky city-based act Madboy/Mink for a musical evening that promises to end with tired feet. We caught up with The F16s guitarist Abhinav Krishnaswamy to find out what made them tick during the pandemic, and what’s in store at the gig. Edited excerpts from the interview.

How would you describe the period in between your gig last year and the one that’s coming up?
That [last] AntiSocial gig sort of sealed a belief we had about being crash test dummies. The period in-between had us write, record and finish our latest EP, Is It Time to Eat the Rich, Yet? and we’d like to say it’s some of our best work.