LIVING life rockstar size. That’s exactly what Pentagram did in Estonia during the recent Sun Dance Music Festival. Cruising around in limos, wowing an audience of 30,000 even before the soundcheck ended and rising to the top of Estonia’s rock eclat, so much so that people on the street stopped to scream ‘Pentagram’ when band members took a walk. And that’s just the tip of the Estonian iceberg. ‘‘People were waiting outside our window the day after our concert,’’ says a completely stupefied Vishal Dadlani, frontman and vocalist of the band that was formed a decade ago. This is Pentagram’s first international music fest, and not only were they the first Asian band at the fest, but the only one amidst 357 solo artistes. ‘‘The vibe was amazing because people expected us to do the tabla-flute thing and went completely berserk when we started,’’ says Dadlani. Pentagram performed four originals, kicking off with a Chemical Brothers-Pink Floyd-Pentagram version of Floyd’s Brick in the Wall. ‘‘We didn’t try selling the exotic India vibe. We’re sick of that,’’ spits out Dadlani. Held at a defunct amusement park called Luno, the two-day festival was a riot of colour and sound. ‘‘The park was bang on the sea and there were ocean liners that parked themselves just to watch the fest,’’ says an enthusiastic Dadlani. The artistes were spread out in 18 tents pitched across the vast grounds. He reveals that the Drum & Bass tent emanated a never-before-heard kind of energy. And when they weren’t performing, all four Pentagrammers Dadlani, Shiraz, Randolph and Papal went around capturing everything on camera. ‘‘We also spent time in Old Town, which was full of beautiful palaces,’’ gushes guitarist Randolph. The adrenaline only shot up after they met two ‘mad’ bands in a music store. The Estonian English vocabulary (at least everyone Pentagram met) was restricted to three words— music, band and CD. ‘‘Both bands went crazy when they heard our music. In fact, the members of industrial band Whaw! Zaiks! went around breaking things in the store after our track Fear kicked in,’’ claims Dadlani. Meeting Estonia’s biggest rock movement No Big Silence was also awe-inspiring. ‘‘This was a Goth rock band and its lead guy casually told us that he’s worked with Ramstein and Metallica when I asked him about his music,’’ reveals Dadlani. Bigger surprises came in the form of invitations to perform at Finland, Denmark and Russia, through a Russian promoter who works with UK band Sledge. ‘‘We’re definitely doing Sun Dance as many times as possible, but the rest will have to wait because we can’t make it out of India so soon,’’ says Dadlani, who is also tied up with Bollywood music projects. Also lined up is a Canadian tour next April. ‘‘We already have a list of 20 confirmed dates and venues,’’ says Dadlani animatedly. ‘‘Four festivals, Hard Rock cafe.’’ Looks like show time. But that didn’t stop drummer Shiraz from announcing that he was ready to forfeit his passport and stay back in Estonia. ‘‘The women there are so hot, man,’’ growls Dadlani, ‘‘They’re hot as hell and don’t even know it, which makes them hotter.’’ With this he take off on how 99 per cent of Estonia’s female population looks mind blowing. The shattering silence and exasperated aftermath when a delicious-looking housekeeping staff walked in with a tea tray is another memory that will stay with the band. ‘‘We were having an animated conversation until that point, but were dumbstruck as soon we saw her,’’ he explains. So what’s the verdict? ‘‘It’s the most slammin’ trip we’ve ever had.’’
