Germany's infamous Oktoberfest is slated to be held on October 17 in the city, with official band Die Oberbayern set to perform. Theu00a0guide finds out what their sound is aboutu00a0

True, the splish splosh of drinks as mugfulls of beer thud onto the table and the guzzling and bubbling of fizzy glassfuls make up most of the sounds of any beer fest. But Oktoberfest, Germany's beer festival which has been imported to the city, will also feature live music courtesy Die Oberbayern from the original Oktoberfest in Munich.

"We're very excited and curious about playing in Mumbai," says lead singer and guitarist Ingo in an email interview. The five-member band will fly down after finishing up with the fest in Munich. Their musical influences are as varied as their experiences, with a playlist ranging from German folk songs to country, pop and classic rock numbers.


Kati and Alex of Die Oberbayern

Ingo plays the role of devil's fiddler as he gets the audience to sing along like an orchestra, a somewhat tone-deaf one, though. "The best part of Oktoberfest is when people start to sing along. It's as if everyone joins in the party," says Ingo.The band features two reality show finds, sisters Kati and Alex, who were contestants on German reality show Popstars. The band, especially its women, take great pride in sporting traditional German costumes, the dirndl in this case: a dress with a bodice, blouse, full skirt and apron.

Drummer Andreas is known for his disappearing drumsticks act in which the audience can barely make out when the drumsticks land on the drums. He has shared stage with Jethro Tull, Toto and Westlife.

Bassist Gerd nicknamed Die Groovesea (The Groovesea) and organist Heinrich complete the band. Heinrich been
jamming with German icon Hugo Strasser for a decade.

"We try to feed off the audience and create a spontaneous playlist instead of following a set format," says Ingo. For audiences looking forward to Oktoberfest's official band, you can expect renditions of Barry Manilow's Copacabana, Bryan Adam's Summer of 69, Sister Sledge's We Are Family and Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama.u00a0

At: Mahalaxmi Race Course
On: October 16 & 17, 12 noon to 12 am.
Call: 66652147