Tag Archives: Incubus

Shapes on The Wall by Black Letters

Young and enthusiastic, Black Letters is a band that is taking its baby steps into the Indian music scene. These earnest and eager musicians hail from Kochi and are currently based in Bangalore and Chennai and are touring extensively. They may be new to the scene but they have toured the college circuit and have gathered a loyal following with good old-fashioned clean rock tracks. Black Letters started off as a metal band but soon realized that their sound lies in the alt-rock genre.

Their sound is catchy and groovy that is reminiscent of Incubus and Kings of Leon. Black Letters songs are emotionally charged and powerful yet retain the finesse and restraint of a much more experienced group of artists. The band consists of Sharath Narayan on vocals and guitar, Arjun Radhakrishnan on bass, Akash Chacko on drums and Sarang Menon on guitar. Formed only a few years back in 2008, the band has risen steadily from being just another college band to one that is getting a lot of attention and praise in the Indian music scene. One of the reasons for their success is that they were able to stay away from playing only covers and started creating some excellent original material in their early days itself. From playing college gigs, they have moved on to bigger venues around the country and have even played at renowned music festivals such as The Go Mad Festival in 2013. In the span of a few short years, Black Letters has already come out with a debut album called Shapes On The Wall that was released on 27^th February, 2014.

The album features original alt-rock tracks that are easy to listen to and the whole album is very polished and well put together. While listening to the album, one cant help but find a certain Incubus-esque riff here and a Death Cab for Cutie-esque section there but every song manages to be come across as fresh and original. The band has kept itself squarely in the alt-rock box and does not once try to step out of its boundaries and this works for them because their songs do not sound like a hodge-podge of genres. Instead of being contrived and forced, they have chosen to keep their songs simple and honest, giving them an album they can truly be proud of. Every track on the album flows smoothly into the next and all the songs are consistent. Smooth yet impactful, each track is perfect for a large concert, out in the open, or for a loud solo singing session while driving.

Roam is the opening number of the album and is a quintessential alt-rock track. The song starts off with an energetic drums and guitars and gets mellower as the vocals kick in. Sharath has great control and vocal range, being able to convey immense power without ever getting screechy. With extremely catchy riffs and a fluid melody, the track is upbeat and very earworm-y a great introduction to the album.

This is followed by a personal favorite – Find You that is built-up to with a somewhat-militaristic drumbeat and a guitar drenched intro but it soon smooths out and becomes rather laidback. Again, this track shows off Sharaths admirable vocal range and control and even though the song is passionate, it never gets too loud or aggressive. With a very appealing hook and riff, you will suddenly find yourself humming along.

You Say is one of their first original compositions and is a crowd-pleaser at their live gigs. Although the intro is stripped down and soothing featuring only the guitar, it leads into some very affected vocals. This is the one track where the vocals fail to impress and it seems like the band is trying too hard to make an impact. Nonetheless, this was one of their early songs and it was meant to be big and showy and one can see why it is such a success at their live performances.

The next track Old Firebox is rather funkier and lifts the tempo of the album. Packed with delightful riffs and vocal acrobatics, this is a track that you should look out for. The well placed changes in tempo and snappy chorus will keep you on your toes and interested in the track through its entirety. Old Firebox, with its creative composition, shows how far the band has come since their days of being a metal band that used to play college gigs.

Another gem in the album is Skygazer that features eccentric vocals and musical interludes. Like the previous track, Skygazer has some ingenious riffs that make the track so memorable. It is relatively relaxed but has tempo shifts that keep it consistently interesting. As the song progresses, it becomes more atmospheric and large that is bound to get you pumped up.

Tomorrow has the most languid intro and breathy vocals by Sharath that beckons the end of the album. The song is hopeful and talks of the future and how one should let go of a dark past and move on. Like most of the other songs on the album, even though the track is a quite laidback, it can rouse and inspire you.

Remembrance is a fitting end to the album soft, soothing and bittersweet. It is the perfect farewell and will leave you feeling content after you are done listening to the album. It has a discernible yet calm bassline that compliments the tranquil mood and melody of the song beautifully. As the name suggests, the song speaks of bygone days and lasting memories.

Shapes On The Wall is a well crafted album that progresses effortlessly. The band has done away with backing vocals on most of the tracks, which turns out to be a great decision as it allows Sharaths impeccable vocals to shine and keeps the tracks tight. Most of the tracks do not deviate from the alt-rock genre and just when you think the album is getting monotonous, the songs get funkier and groovier providing a nice change in the middle. There are so many tracks in this seven-song album like Old Firebox, Find You and Skygazer that have the potential of becoming very successful EPs, which goes to show that the band has put a lot of thought and effort into constructing this album. As Black Letters debut offering, the album effectively showcases their talent, growth and zeal. The songwriting is simple and transparent yet earnest and the album tackles topics that every young adult can relate to broken dreams, uncertain future, partings, memories and the desire to break free. This added to their innovative compositions makes the album a must-have.

Anusmita Datta

Anusmita Datta is an ardent day-dreamer, music lover, die-hard foodie and occasional writer. Her obsession with pandas is sometimes disturbing and she can be often found lusting after momos!

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Da High Tribute to U2 by The Beatroute at High Spirits, Pune

Anoop Bhat Anoop Bhat Anoop Bhat Anoop Bhat Anoop Bhat Anoop Bhat Anoop Bhat Anoop Bhat

It’s not often that you get to enjoy 80s music these days. The once ubiquitous rock pub where you could sip a leisurely beer while tripping on Mr. Mister and Culture Club on loop is fast being replaced by live gig joints: not that I’m complaining! However, when news broke that a U2 tribute night was being organized at a nice alfresco bar not too far from home, we thought: why not? It’s probably too early to be paying tribute to a band still going strong, but given the bleak possibility of the aging rebels from Dublin ever making it to Indian shores, this would be the next best thing.

I’d never heard The Beatroute before. According to their Facebook and Reverbnation pages, they’re a Mumbai-based Alternative Groove Rock band that started off by playing covers of songs by bands ranging from U2 and Incubus to Maroon5, Coldplay, Wolfmother, etc. They’ve recently started composing and playing original music, which they will be releasing soon. However, we’re always all ears when it comes to new acts on the scene so, after a lazy Sunday afternoon siesta, we took off towards the High Spirits pub at Koregaon Park – a nice enough venue for live music, but just a trifle small and unsuited for large turnouts.

We needn’t have worried. For quite a while, it seemed as if The Beatroute’s active audience would not cross the dozen mark, though a bunch of late entrants did fill the place to some extent. The band started off bang on schedule which I liked, and without the prolonged and annoying sound checks that are the bane of any paying audience they launched effortlessly into ‘Elevation’ and surprised many, including myself, with their tight sound. A fairly decent attempt at covering a band that often sounds deceptively easy. The good feeling persisted a few songs later, with an unexpected original called ‘Roll the Dice’ in which the rhythm section came into its own, with a sprightly drum solo tossed in to boot!

The Beatroute, formed in late 2010, is still young as bands go, but you wouldn’t know it from the ease with which vocalist Greg Sarma hit the high notes that Bono is much loved for; or from Vignesh Iyer’s neat ‘The Edge’ imitation (woolen cap and all), his red PRS and Boss GT10 weaving a loop of nice chorus-y delays that characterize the Irish band’s sound. The show-stealer however, was Eeshan Tripathi, the talented, classically trained pianist who played his Roland Fantom G6 with a nonchalant ease that was a joy to behold. The “long-haired freak on the bass” (Biswajit Chakroborty) and a replacement drummer (Toobloo, really?) standing in for founding member Gopal Dutta who, with Tripathi, branched out from regional-rockers Arth to form The Beatroute, complete the lineup.

There were glitches, sure – the guitars were barely audible on the left speakers for a lot of the songs. The Beatroute would be well served with a full-time sound guy on board, a role currently being moonlighted, one understands, by their manager. But on a lot of songs, the band’s love for the material shone through. I was particularly looking forward to my favourite U2 number ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’ and there was an awkward “Oh no!” moment when Greg started the verse two bars too early but the rest of the gang caught up quickly and it was smooth sailing right till the beautifully executed arpeggio outro. I, for one, was happy though it was becoming increasingly clear that the audience members weren’t exactly die-hard U2 admirers.

The next track, a groovy, funky love song called ‘Glow’, was carried effortlessly by the talented Eeshan and extremely well-received by the audience. The band seemed rather thrilled by the fact that the crowd was enjoying their originals more than the U2 covers they were ostensibly there to watch!

Next up, a rather ordinary cover of an extraordinary song: ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ from U2’s Grammy-winning Joshua Tree album. Everything was wrong: the guitars were turned too low, the vocals seemed off, the band didn’t seem to feel the song at all. Sensing a low, they quickly launched into a piano piece that morphed seamlessly into the jivey ‘Sweetest Thing’. Now I’ll be the first to confess that this is NOT my favourite U2 track by any stretch of imagination, not in the least because Boyzone is singing the chorus! However, surprisingly for me, this was the rendition of the evening – beautifully done, with the audience swaying and singing along.

The band seemed to grow massively in confidence after that, playing ‘One’ with panache. If only that acoustic guitar patch had been set up correctly for the vocalist! He did his best, sure, but there was something wrong with the way it was sounding, and Vignesh caught it right away when he traded in the PRS for the Walden acoustic for the next number, a jazz-funk original that was most enjoyable. I found myself marveling at these youngsters who delivered original material with such élan. In the 80s and 90s, any “good” band that dared inject so many “OC’s” into a tribute set would surely be booed off. Times have changed, it seems, and for the better!

Another original, ‘9 to 5′ featured in the set between excellent covers of two songs straddling opposite ends of the band’s oeuvre; the haunting ‘With Or Without You’ and ‘Hold Me,Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me’ (from the Batman Forever soundtrack). With the former, the guitarist finally found his perfect sound, and it couldn’t have come at a better time! The latter kicked off with a host of keyboard runs and scratchy record effects, which set up the track rather nicely.

I must confess I had a great time overall. The show ended rather abruptly at ten thirty, with an aborted version of ‘Vertigo’ and one of the rare moments on the show when the band’s lack of maturity in handling live situations coming to the fore (the other was at the beginning when an over-excited Greg yelled out “How we doin’, Pune?” to a deafened and rather amused audience). The best takeaway for me that night was the fact that all the material was enjoyable, including the original stuff that we hadn’t even expected to be brought to the table.

With a better sound guy and some more flying hours, this band could wind up quite the live act to watch out for. They certainly had us in high spirits as we left the venue. More power The Beatroute!

Anoop Bhat

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Karnivool live at Mood Indigo, Mumbai

A few months ago, IIT Bombay threw the biggest surprise at the nation by revealing their headlining act for LiveWire – Karnivool. The band was already quite famous, and music lovers were hooked on to this alternative/progressive powerhouse almost immediately. A lot of bands across the country had been competing to make it to the finals so they could open for Karnivool and also get the opportunity to represent India at the Great Battle of Bands in Romania.

To start off, none of the bands could give it their best, but they weren’t really to blame. With only ten minutes on the clock, they probably did the best they could under the circumstances. Another thing that affected the performances was the overall sound – the drums were too loud and the bass could barely be heard, at times not at all. Those who have attended LiveWire pro-nite will know that standing in line means that there’s a good chance you’d either miss the competition, or would enter midway or towards the end, which is exactly what happened this year.

When The Hoodwink Circle from Mumbai took to the stage, there was barely a crowd since everyone was making their way through the extensive lines. Their music was very good, save for the aforementioned problems of time and sound. In my opinion, they were the best act and should have played last.

The next band, Turnkey of Kolkata, failed to impress, especially after The Hoodwink Circle had set the bar quite high. With their rap-metal genre, they put on a good show nonetheless. The crowd had moderately increased by then.

The third band Verses, a melodic heavy metal band from Bangalore – put the competition back on the table. The crowd grew considerably, though a lot of people were still stuck in the excruciatingly long lines. Verses played a powerful set to bring it to a close finish.

All the three bands kept the crowd interaction to moderate. The results were quick to be announced as the crowd clearly wanted to get on with the show and see Karnivool on stage. Verses from Bangalore emerged the winner and were chosen as the band that would go to Romania to represent India at the Great Battle of Bands.

Junkyard Groove is a band with many feathers in their hat. They have in the past, opened for leading international acts such as Iron Maiden, Prodigy and Incubus and Karnivool has now become the latest addition to the list. The sound issue that had earlier plagued performances of all the competing bands had been fixed. Junkyard Groove remained consistent and spot on with their tones and rhythmic patterns. Being exceptionally good at crowd interaction, they had the crowd all pumped up and cheering enthusiastically.

After Junkyard Groove’s performance, the wait lasted a few minutes before Karnivool decided to come on stage; the energy and excitement was infectious as the crowd repeatedly chanted the name of the band.

I have been following this band since 2007. Around that time, not many people in India had heard of them. They had released just one EP and an album. While in New Zealand, I unfortunately missed two of their concerts. However, whenever I heard that Karnivool was going to play, there was immense hype about the show. Four years later, they set foot in India. Since 2007 they have come out with another album Sound Awake that, as opposed to Themata, is much more progressive and technical and also one of the most intelligent set of compositions I have heard.

So on 18th December 2011 when the band finally took to the stage, all the hype that surrounded them didn’t seem out of place. Having been tagged as one of the best live acts in the world, Karnivool did not fail to deliver.

The open air theater was now packed. As the band began to set up, people started to take guesses as to what the opening track would be. The crowd roared as the band opened their set with the track ‘Goliath’. The sound took some time to get settled, with the levels going up and down, but it wasn’t too noticeable.

The next track was ‘Simple Boy’, which is usually the track the band opens with. The sound had considerably improved but wasn’t quite at its best yet. Mark Hosking began the track on the xylophone over a distorted ambiance effect while Steve Judd joined in on drums along with Jon Stockman on bass with distortion. It is difficult to say which portion was the highlight because each member proved to be uniquely excellent. In this track I’d highlight the bass runs on the intro as well as the drum pattern.

The next track was ‘Umbra’, which starts off with a smooth bass line and an odd-time drum pattern. By this time, the sound has settled down and was nearly perfect. But the crowd had already lost themselves in the music and it made little difference to them.

They then played the first track from their 2005 album Themata called ‘C.O.T.E’ that begins with an effect on the guitar making a “ripple” sound. As Ian Kenny began the song, everyone started to sing along. The track that followed next was ‘Themata’ one of the most energetic tracks of the album. Andrew Goddard’s guitar work was more than prominent. His stage act along with the others was in sync with the ambiance and the music that they play, making it all seem very easy.

The track from Sound Awake ‘Set Fire to the Hive’, kicked in with a high paced guitar drum and bass. One of the things in this track that proves that Mark Hosking and Andrew Goddard are amazing guitarists is the variety of sounds that they produce, which is only possible when you know your equipment and the sound you can attain from it extremely well.

‘All I Know’ highlighted a sliding bass line and a guitar delay. Ian Kenny’s vocals were the biggest highlight as the delivery involved singing a major portion of the track in falsetto and being able to generate powerful vocals at the same time.

Tracks from Themata including ‘Fear of The Sky’ that was played earlier in the set and my personal favorite ‘Roquefort’ had most of the crowd singing along with the band.

During the penultimate track, ‘New Day’, vocalist Ian Kenny did not expect the paper bombs to go off. Although he was startled, his voice did not falter and he sustained the note to perfection. That definitely deserved some admiration from anyone who noticed it.

The closing track ‘Change’ was sung as a farewell to the audience. The band thanked everyone for the support and said “It was a humbling experience to play in India”, after which the band turned their backs to the crowd to pose for a picture to capture the crowd in the background.

The only low point was that the backing vocals were not very clear. Although during the bits when they were audible, the notes and harmonies were spot on.

As the band turned to leave, several fans requested them to play the tracks ‘Shutterspeed’ and ‘Sewn and Silent’ but in vain. Everyone around quoted the gig to be “an experience of a lifetime”. I now regret missing the two Karnivool gigs in New Zealand!

Chaitanya Mohan

Chaitanya Mohan is the Vocalist of Mumbai based band Frozen Chimes, his other interests include Movies, Anime, Manga, Writing, Football and Comedy. Follow him on Twitter @somatogyric

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Chimera at Hard Rock Cafe, Bangalore

Sometimes being a little late for a concert isn’t such a bad thing. On Thursday, October 6th, I walked into Hard Rock Café a few minutes into ‘Even Flow‘ and it was like being taken bodily out of Bangalore’s sticky traffic and being hurled into a musical blitz. Possessing the stage was Chimera – these guys have come a long way since their college days in Manipal, winning the Economic Times Rock Challenge in 2010, and after a brilliant stint in Bangalore this was to be their farewell act.

No politics, no teen angst, no agenda…this concert was about looking forward, and ‘Even Flow’ by Pearl Jam (with its swaggering, irresistible momentum) made for a great start to the evening. It was followed up with Audioslave’s ‘Show Me How To Live’, and it was with this song that Ankit Basu, the bowler-hat-wearing lead guitarist, made his presence felt as the man to watch on stage. Lead vocalist Sandeep Ravula sure had the strong supple voice for the songs, and he was quite a live wire on stage!

The diversity in the band members’ musical tastes was evident in their repertoire, which seemed to have something for everyone. The next songs were ‘Rise Today’ by Alter Bridge and ‘Megalomaniac’ by Incubus. The audience was totally won over by this time, and friends were already shouting requests for their favourites. The band played some originals starting with ‘Don’t Give a Damn’. Catchy, upbeat and neatly structured, the song was a winner. The others like ‘Two’ (“so named because every band’s got a song called One”) and ‘Hear My Voice’ emphasized the versatility of bassist Anuj Gupta and drummer Hari Anil Kumar.

And just when you’d least expect it, came ‘Bulls on Parade’ by Rage Against the Machine with a cool distortion duet by rhythm guitarist Ashish Sopori and Ankit, followed by ‘Rooster’ by Alice in Chains. It was pretty amazing to see the kind of personal rapport that the band had built with their audience, which definitely made the concert all the more special. And this was particularly evident in the last two songs – ‘Black’ by Pearl Jam followed by the song to end all songs – ‘Freebird’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd. The audience became completely involved – singing along, waving lighters in the air and cheering themselves hoarse during the superb guitar solo, ending the concert with a pyrotechnical flourish.

The band members say ‘Chimera’ was named after the mythical fire-breathing monster made up of diverse animals, to reflect the variety of musical styles brought together in the band. But Chimera also means a wild fleeting dream. And for this band that has seen so much success in so little time, but must disband all too soon, both meanings seem appropriate.

Rupayan Basu

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The Beatroute – Live at Pizza By The Bay

They say the routes of music lie in the beats of sound, and thats what the emerging Bombay based band,The Beatroute adheres to. The Beatroute, that comprises of ex Vayu drummer Gopal Dutta, Vignesh on guitar, Biswajeet on bass, Eeshan on keyboards, and Greg on lead vocals, recently played a gig at Pizza by the Bay, previously known as Not Just Jazz by the Bay. This new and upcoming band performed a wide array of songs ranging from their originals, to covers of U2, Coldplay and the sensational Michael Jackson.

Despite the fact that they are new to the world of live performances, their music seemed to stir our attention. With a professional like Gopal in the band who has had years of experience and other band members full of enthusiasm and zeal, they kickstarted the show with Wolf Mothers ‘Joker and the Thief’, which was very well done. In their second song which was a cover of U2s ‘Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me’, we saw a very focused Eeshan almost magically produce a techno sound through the motion-sensing interface on his keyboard, as if he was talking to it with his fingers!

Then came one of their originals called ‘Nine to five’, about the working class people in the city. The song was a tad shaky here and there and a little monotonous, but a good attempt at an original nonetheless. Next up was another U2 song, ‘Where the streets have no name’ followed by another original called ‘Glow’, which again seemed to lack the punch and vigor of ‘Nine to five’.

Next up, The Beatroute went into a wonderfully done medley of Chris Isaaks ‘Wicked Game’ and Maroon 5s ‘She Will Be Loved’. Subsequently, they played another cover of ‘Smooth Criminal’ by Michael Jackson, which was completely off beat and too fast a version of that song to be sung. It sounded like a cacophony of sound, with a mix of different instruments and bad timing. Next up, they broke out into another one of their originals called, ‘This Is Bound To Happen’, which had an electronica feel to it, making it a good listen.

Then came Eeshans solo performance on the keyboard, with an assortment of ‘Chariots Of Fire’, ‘The Godfather Theme’ and ‘Sweet Child Of Mine’. Immediately after which, out of the blue, I heard Greg screaming out happy birthday to someone, with Eeshan hastily filling in a 2 minute happy birthday tune on his keyboard.

Later on, Gopal Dutta played a 15 minute drum solo, which was astounding, highlighting his prowess as one of the most technically skilled musicians in the band. The best cover the band played was ‘Sunday Morning’ by Maroon 5; it proved that they have an umpteen amount of potential in them, considering that theyve only been playing live for a few months. ‘Clocks’ was one song where they couldnt get their timing right however, and towards the end of this Coldplay number, everyone in the band seemed to be a little perplexed.

Amidst this ambience of good music and dim lights, a man came up to the microphone and proposed to a woman, on stage, while Greg retreated into the background. Apparently, this wasnt a prank, but the real deal. In so many years of having attended gigs, this certainly was a first!

After this unusual saga, the band played a rather flat version of Porcupine Trees ‘Lazarus’ and a soothing version of Billy Joels ‘Piano Man’ which made everyone in the house sing along and come together for that moment. They proceeded to play an impressive rendition of ‘Drive’ by Incubus, followed by ‘Slither’ by Velvet Revolver that had a good solo by Vignesh. All in all, a band heavily inspired by Coldplay and U2, The Beatroute will probably go a long way.

Sharon Flynn

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