The Hectics (1958–1962) was an Indian school band. The members of the band were Farrokh Bulsara (later known as
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the ...
) (pianist),
Derrick Branche
Derrick Branche (born 1947) is a British actor, best known for his role in the film ''My Beautiful Laundrette'' and television roles in '' The Jewel in the Crown'' and ''Father Ted''.
Early life and education
Branche was born in 1947 in Bomba ...
(guitarist), Bruce Murray (lead vocalist and guitarist), Victory Rana (drummer) and Farang Irani (bass). The school band was formed while all five were students at
St. Peter's School, Panchgani
St. Peter's School (formerly the European Boys' School) is a private all-boys boarding school located in the town of Panchgani in Satara district, Satara, Maharashtra, India. Founded in 1902, it ranks among the top ten boarding schools in India. ...
, an English boarding school in
Panchgani
Panchgani, called Paachgani (पाचगणी in Marathi), is a hill station and municipal council in Satara district in Maharashtra, India. Panchgani attracts tourists throughout the year. It is also known for having many residential educat ...
, near Bombay (now
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
), India.
Freddie Mercury (1946–1991) went on to become the lead vocalist of the rock band
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
.
Derrick Branche (born 1947) went on to appear in
British films
The United Kingdom has had a significant film industry for over a century. While film production reached an all-time high in 1936, the "golden age" of British cinema is usually thought to have occurred in the 1940s, during which the directors D ...
such as ''
My Beautiful Laundrette
''My Beautiful Laundrette'' is a 1985 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Hanif Kureishi. The film was also one of the first films released by Working Title Films.
The story is set in London during ...
'' and television shows such as ''
Only When I Laugh'', ''
The Comic Strip
The Comic Strip are a group of British comedians who came to prominence in the 1980s. They are known for their television series ''The Comic Strip Presents...'', which was labelled as a pioneering example of the alternative comedy scene. The c ...
Presents...'' and ''
Father Ted
''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4. It aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until ...
''.
Bruce Murray currently runs The Music Centre in
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
, England. His step-son Guy Griffin plays with British rock band
The Quireboys
The Quireboys are an English rock band formed in 1984 in London, with strong ties to Newcastle. When the band formed they were originally known as The Queerboys and later as the London Quireboys in the United States and Canada, settling at ...
.
Victory Rana became a general in the Nepali army and headed a UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus.
Farang Irani joined his family's restaurant business and ran Bounty Sizzlers, a Pune restaurant.
How Panchgani made a rock icon called Freddie Mercury
/ref>
References
Freddie Mercury
Musical groups established in 1958
Musical groups disestablished in 1962
Indian music
1958 establishments in West Bengal
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