MUMBAI: It is a notable feat to compete with bands from all over the world and come out on top. And for a band as young as The Koniac Net, there is no doubting that big things are in store. What started off as a solo project is now a fast rising indie band, which has already released one album and one EP. Fresh of their runner-up place at Hard Rock Rising, the Mumbai based band is planning world domination- well almost.

David Abraham, lead singer and songwriter for the band, was encouraged to sign the band up for Hard Rock Rising by a friend, another musician that he met online. It also helped that the album he had written sometime during the end of 2011 got a lot of airplay in places like US, UK and Germany. "I had a lot of radio personalities telling me that the music you are doing is good. So get a band together and start playing and come here to play," Abraham says.

Six months after the release of his debut album 'One Last Monsoon', he put together what is now 'The Koniac Net'. Along with Abraham, the five-piece consists of Jason D'Souza (guitar, vocals and mixing engineer), Ishaan Krishna (guitar and vocals), Adil Kurwa (bass) and Karun Kannampilly (drums). The band's first EP 'Abiogenesis', which was released this February, is a joint effort. "I brought my unfinished ideas to the table and asked the guys if they could work on it, and most of them knew exactly what I was going for. So we sat down and wrote the songs together and it worked out."

Talking about the competition, which started earlier this year, Abraham said, "I thought it was a completely international thing and had no idea about the process, but I figured it would be fun. So I signed up for it and we got the part." He added that the band did not expect to win, especially in the second and third rounds, but they received good feedback from the judges.

So what has the competition brought them? "We gained a lot of fans, like about 400-500 fans right from Jammu & Kashmir to Ireland. So it was really amazing. Obviously the prize we got as well. We are really proud of landing in the top four slots," he says. There is no doubting that the prize, which is worth $10,000, could do wonders for an upcoming band.

The band is now planning a tour of India, and is currently in talks with Hard Rock Café about presenting themselves to indie fans around the country. However, Abraham states that nothing has been finalised yet. In fact, the discussions have barely even begun, but he does want to make it happen. For now, however, Abraham is focused on playing shows, in the country and internationally as well. He wants to tour places that have played the band's music. They will also soon start working on a second full length album. "We already have a few songs ready, like pre-releases and single releases. We are going to do as much as we can but it depends on a lot of factors."