Heading towards its final leap this weekend, the first half of the I-Rock semi finals kicked off at a well known venue, The Hard Rock Caf?© in mid town Mumbai.
The bands that competed on Thursday night were Aftertaste, The Works, Depth and the Baroda based Manifus. E-18 CEO Farhad Wadia, Myspace.com India head Tarun Tripathi and Rohit ‘P-Man’ Pereira ( Bassist of Pindrop Drop Violence) judged the competition.
The four bands battled each other and played a set of thirty minutes each. The crowd had just strolled in when Aftertaste started their set – it was quite a task for Aftertaste to warm up the crowd. Though the band played really well and gave the show an energetic start, it didn’t get the crowd grooving for some reasons. Finally, the band left with Keegan Pereira (Vocalist) complaining about insufficient ‘flashy lights’.
Related Post
The Works came in next – and one must say the band displayed both musicianship and showmanship. This year old Mumbai based band covered Voodoo Chile by Jimi Hendrix, Can I play with Madness by Iron Maiden and Get over it by Eagles, besides playing their original Woman with a pretty face – quite thrilling.
It was Depth’s turn next – the band played an all original set which was quite laudable. Their original Do you like what you see is by far one of the best originals by any Indian band. Vocalist Spencer was loud and clear, pumping energy throughout. Perhaps, Depth is one of the few bands having excellent backing vocals and songs with meaningful lyrics.
Manifus came in last. This Baroda based alternative band played their mix of OC’s and covers. However, their original Gone for good was well received compared to their cover versions. The band didn’t quite strike a chord with the crowd as most of their time was spent in getting the sound right.
Out of the four bands, The Works and Depth were the only who put up a good show. Friday night will see Rosemary, Surface Trauma, Black and Amidst the Chaos battling it out at the D’Ultimate in Andheri.
The finale unfolds this weekend in Mumbai at the Chitrakoot grounds.
Watch this space for the latest updates on I-Rock.
Were you there at HRC last night? What did you think? Post a comment and share your feelings with the RnM community.
Pics by Mitesh Bhuvad
