Myspace Secret Show Review (RSJ July 2009)

It was two weeks before the show that the buzz started. Rock communities and friends started to discuss about a not so ordinary concert that was to take place in the city. Rumors abound about which bands would be featured in this concert, I was as intrigued as the legions of rock lovers in the city. The anticipation among the rock fans had built up to a fevered pitch when it was finally revealed that that the show would be headlined by cult rockers Motherjane from Cochin; supported by Mumbai’s very own seminal hardcore band Scribe along with up and coming alternative rockers Black. The show of course was the MySpace secret show, which after being extremely successful in various countries over the world, was finally being introduced in India. Tagged as ‘disclosed locations, undisclosed bands’ the series of free concerts provided MySpace users with the opportunity to see bands as wide ranging as U2, Slayer and Neil Diamond. On paper the bill seemed extremely strange, pairing up the acclaimed progressive rockers with the hardcore giants but after observing them in person, it seemed like an obvious choice. Both bands had gained a wide reputation of attracting audiences in droves, wherever they played and by associating them with Black, it would only add to the Mumbai band’s fan following.

The venue chosen for the event was the Bandra amphitheatre which despite its lack of popularity seemed like the ideal location for a concert of this magnitude. When the gates opened, surprisingly on time, a mass of black T-shirt clad rockers as far as the eye could see showed up at the venue with print outs of their MySpace profiles in hand, which in all likeness were created the night before. With the famously bearded members of ‘Bhayanak Maut’ also in attendance, the already high levels of excitement climbed a few notches.

Often acknowledged as one of the most underrated bands in the city, Black took the stage first starting off the show with ‘Bitten’, a short instrumental featuring incredible breakdowns and a great interplay between the drums and the bass, setting the mood for a great evening of music. The group sounded tight right off the bat immediately grabbing the crowd’s attention with their take on early alternative rock. One thing however lacking in the band’s performance was the sheer gusto. Even though the frontman had great energy and rolled around stage often interacting with their very own cheering section, the remaining band seemed too sober to get the crowd in frenzy. After breezing through the mediocre ‘Somewhere in the Night’, the band shifted gears with the funky rock n’ roll number ‘Newspaper Boy’ highlighting Roop’s bass playing and Shawn’s vocal skills. A true gem in the bands repertoire, this song was played with a true alternative spirit and is destined to be a classic. After a promising start the band unfortunately strayed into the generic modern rock territory with two lackluster, run of the mill rockers ‘Rift’ and ‘Blacklisted’. Although not bad songs per se, they lacked some of the same qualities as their earlier more dynamic songs. Soon enough though, they settled back into their niche with their last couple of songs. On ‘Field of Thought’ another track indebted to the 90’s; Shawn channeled grunge vocalists of the past and as one of the guitarists rushed in on stage mid song, jokingly remarked “We don’t need that boy!” ‘Dreamcast’ a song promised to be featured on a future album, proved that the band could hold their own even in the company of the more notable bands. A post grunge anthem with riffs straight out of classic rock and a mighty chorus, it seemed like a song built for radio. An exciting group in their own right, the band seems primed to take the next step forward in their careers.

With the omnipresent MySpace logo behind the stage at all times, talk during the interludes between the sets predictably steered towards promotion of the brand, with AV’s screening the bands take on the networking site’s new musical venture in India. By the end of the first set it had become pretty clear that the organizers had pulled out all the stops with high end quality sound and lighting. Another notable feature, which I’m sure the crowd appreciated was the minimal time for sound checking between bands, which as anyone who’s ever been to a concert before knows can be a real buzz kill.

The next to hit the stage were the ‘torchbearers of hardcore’ Scribe, who took over exactly where Black left off. A volatile combination of musicians, with unquestionable chemistry, the band pummeled the crowd into submission, dishing out one crushing rocker after another. Now I had seen Scribe live before, I had heard each of their albums, ‘Confect’ was and still is on my regular rotation but I believe that in that performance the band was at their absolute zenith. Maybe it was the thrill of playing the first ever secret show in India, but the band performed with great fervor, enthusiasm and familiar on stage banter. Playing songs off their latest album ‘Confect’, which takes a quantum leap in focus and consistency and attacks with scientific precision as compared to ‘Have Hard Will Core’, the band got the crowd off their asses and into the moshpits with the one of the weirder named songs off the album ‘Pomari Begattari’. Despite the vocals being lost within the sonic blare more often than not, the emotion of the driving anthem still seemed to seep through. Following was a cover of the ‘Earth Crisis’ track ‘Slither’, which judging by its aggressive riff, would seem more at home in a Slipknot album. Conformation of their status as one of the best live bands around came when they brought out fire breather ‘Mak’ mid set turning the show into an out-and-out entertainment spectacle. The antics didn’t end there though. When the time came for album opener ‘Analyze This’, the band invited seemingly random audience members on stage including one who oddly enough resembled an older version of Vinay from ‘Bhayanak Maut’ affectionately titled ‘BM Uncle’. After going through a couple of hilarious moves with the band which had the crowd in splits, ‘BM Uncle’ stepped offstage to a round of applause as Scribe delved into another cover, this time a track from the Batman soundtrack. Despite the music being heavy and unforgiving, it is not without its sense of humor, as established by ‘Ate a Banana’ which, people owning the album would perfectly well know, has one of the most hysterical beginnings and ends to it. In addition to Vishwesh’s biting lyrics and vocals, the rest of the band helped fuel unquestionably one of Scribe’s most vicious and venomous rockers. Breakneck guitar riffs battle with sledgehammer drumming turning the song into a headbanger’s wet dream. As Scribe ultimately concluded with their explosive set, they left behind a sea of rock enthusiasts with grins on their faces, horns in the air and from my personal experience, an extremely sore neck.

Throughout the show it had become pretty clear that the other two bands along with the audience held Motherjane in the greatest of regards. So when it finally came time for the iconic rockers to go on, the crowd was on their feet and rearing to go. Starting off with the classic ‘Mindstreet’, the captivating, bombastic song had the crowd reaching for their air guitars as the band performed choice songs from both of their critically acclaimed albums. Coming off with half painted faces akin ‘Kiss’ but fortunately with talent, the visitors from the south had mastered the art of taking classic and progressive rock influences and filtering them through their own Indian sensibilities. This trait couldn’t have been clearer on the track ‘Fields of Sound’ which after opening with a shredding guitar intro morphed into a breathtaking guitar part worthy of a classical raga. The high point of the set, exemplified by Clyde’s thumping bass line, Suraj’s soaring vocals and a moving solo by Baiju, was ‘Blood in the Apple’ off the new album ‘Maktub’ which showed them worthy of the ‘Best International Rock Act Award’ at AVIMA (Asia Voice Independent Music Awards). ‘Maya’ shimmered and shuddered beneath a creeping melody as the title track from ‘Maktub’ featured one of the album’s many hook filled choruses. Another brilliant track off Maktub ‘Broken’ began with a beautiful, uplifting guitar line, peaked with an extremely emotive vocal delivery and ended with an all out riff extravaganza. As is the case with most rock shows in the city, the policemen arrived in the nick of time to ruin the event by threatening to shut down the show. But following some sweet talking by Suraj, the band was allowed to play one last song which they sardonically dedicated to the men in brown. ‘Karmic Steps’ got the crowds grooving one last time as the band bid farewell to the Mumbai audience with a short outro of the national anthem, a very nice touch. Although a well thought out set list, I wish they could have also included the ever popular ‘Soul Corporations’, a personal favorite of mine, but as they say there’s always the next time and hopefully this next time is not in the too distant future.

The first of many secret shows planned for the city, this concert was, in hindsight, an extremely successful event with a few kinks that were worked out in time, a well chosen selection of bands who put in their heart and soul to entertain the over 1200 fans in attendance and a show which goes to prove that the Indian rock scene is healthier and more diverse than ever before.