We got rocked

Dusk is slowly creeping in. Flocks of birds can be seen heading back to their abodes. In the quiet climes,the clear gush of water soothes the ears.

Dusk is slowly creeping in. Flocks of birds can be seen heading back to their abodes. In the quiet climes,the clear gush of water soothes the ears. And there is the stage. With a Bryan Adams poster looking over the proceedings,this concert-competition of rock bands begins at Amanora Park’s open-air amphitheatre.

As people take their seats under the stars,Something Relevant from Mumbai goes through a sound check. The seven-piece band begins its catchy mocktail of rock-n-roll,jazz and punk. Their retro cum modern punk sounds are reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys,only set apart by the dulcet tone of the vocalist Aazin Printer. They work up the crowd as they croon Love me like you do me,do me like you say you would!” The fillers between the acts were sadly as brain-dead as they come. Free Bryan Adams-tees were awarded to ‘lucky’ spectators on the basis of puerile commercial innuendos.

To intermittent cheers,Kolkata band The Heroin Slip (previously,The Page) begins its unapologetic punk round. The members feebly try their hand at juxtaposing political statements with girl-next-door songs.

The amphitheatre is now teeming with music lovers. The standard rock tee-shirts and long-haired men,with nicotine sticks and multi-coloured drinks in hand,go about trying their best to look the part of the gruff rock music followers. The enthusiasm spikes when Pune-based band Hourglass Inversion saunters in. Humble,everyday guys,they raise quite a few cheers with their earnest bluesy numbers and zero gimmicky style. Technical glitches crop up now and again to bother the lead guitarist,but it passes. What no one realised was that it was a sign of things to come!

Another Pune fledgling called Soul Strings is next. Expectations soar as the female vocalist (the only one of the night) takes the mic,her shimmery jacket drowning her short stature. The band has a flautist,which inspires some hoots. But it’s a bit of a yawnathon from there on. The cover of Only thing that looks good on me gets the crowd up and dancing,but the credit is more to the big man than Soul Strings.

As the night progresses,it’s hard to remember that it is a competition. This reality resurrects when six strapping lads from Pune’s Highway 61 come to the fore. The sturdy Hindi vocals,opinionated lyrics and all the prancing about on the stage sends an electric shock passing through the audience. For the first time in the evening,they huddle around the stage and some devil signs spring up. Almost as a stark contradiction come Delhi band Tantra. The rambling vocalist efficiently puts off the crowd,so much so that their good guitar work goes un-noticed. Their cover of East Side Story would have made Adams cry in despair. Enough said!

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