Do The Needful is a Chicago band that channels retro Bollywood soundtracks through a surf-rock and psychedelic lens — the kind of project that only makes sense in a city where musical traditions collide on a daily basis. The band draws on the cinematic sweep and melodic drama of 1960s and ’70s Hindi film music, filtered through fuzz guitar, reverb-drenched surf rhythms, and the raw energy of garage rock. The current lineup features Shruthi Kannan, Bindu Poroori, Mohit Manohar, and Divya Parameshwaran on vocals; Sonny Patel on bansuri flute; Thomas Gaulkin on drums; James Sud on electric bass; and Jamie Osborne on electric guitar and keyboards.
The name itself is a wink — a phrase familiar to anyone who has navigated South Asian professional culture, repurposed here as the name for a band that takes its influences seriously without taking itself too seriously. The music is danceable, theatrical, and built to fill a room.
Do The Needful performs regularly in Chicago at venues including The Skylark, Empty Bottle, and Hideout, and has developed a following among audiences who appreciate the collision of South Asian cinematic tradition with American rock and psych. Festival appearances include World Music Festival Chicago (2025), World Dumpling Festival (2024), and Old Town School of Folk Music (2024).
People of Rhythm represents Do The Needful for bookings.