On March 28, Coldplay - arguably the world's best alternative rock band right now - is scheduled to play in Abu Dhabi. It is a great accomplishment for our hometown and something that fills our hearts with pride.
Unfortunately, we were told that a local band will not be able to open for Coldplay. We have started a campaign to try and get the organisers, the promoters, the band itself and the band's management to reconsider their decision.
There are a large number of very talented bands in the UAE that could easily share a stage with these titans of rock - and we are intent on letting them have their say.
Our band, Juliana Down, was formed almost a decade ago, when most of its members were still just starting high school. Playing all around the UAE, we made it to Bahrain, Spain and even England - the birthplace of the music we love so much! But never in our wildest dreams did we ever imagine that we would have the opportunity to see Coldplay live, much less open for them.
They remain our biggest influence and the band we most aspire to be like, along with bands like U2 and Radiohead. They fall into the category of bands that do not just make music but also try to make a difference. They try to improve the situation for everyone around them.
The UAE has a nascent music scene that needs all the support it can get. Radio and television stations, besides newspapers and magazines latched on to the phenomenon a few years ago and have supported local talent wholeheartedly, since.
Several radio stations have taken it upon themselves to encourage local talent, including Gulf News's Radio 1 and Radio 2, but they are lone soldiers in a battle against apathy. One hour a week on a radio station is really not enough to get local musicians heard.
Local bands still have to pay crippling fees for the right to perform and promoters still do not automatically make provisions for them. It is somewhat frustrating that there are not enough local artist management services.
This is why getting a local band to open for Coldplay is so important to us. Not only does such an event make it possible for a band to make it big, but it also sets a precedent. I hear lots of people complaining about the lack of importance given to the music scene in the UAE. Well, this is a chance to make a real difference. Join the Facebook group: "Get a local UAE band to open for Coldplay + Mercury Rev!!!"
I urge the community to spread the word far and wide and perhaps in the near future we will have bands that make us proud.
The reader is an Abu Dhabi-based IT professional and songwriter.
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