BOMB Thursdays at Kino 108, Andheri saw its most interesting and musically diverse event in recent times, with music ranging from downright soulful, to uber-upbeat sets from the four artists that played at the show. The show featured fusion artist Krishna Marathe, singer-guitarist Apernit Sigh, alternate rockers Clay Crown and the acoustic duo, The Loyalists.
The first artists on stage were the duo that makes The Loyalists. With Sarthak Swami on vocals and the guitar, and The Wingman on darbuka, their set consisted of an eclectic mix of covers and originals. The Wingman’s masked appearance made for a very interesting get up, and this being only their second gig, the two seemed to be every bit as relaxed and composed as would any new act excited about playing their music. Their covers of songs by The White Stripes and Bob Dylan among others along with their originals reflected the impact international music has on singer-songwriters, and also a certain timelessness of the music itself.
Clay Crown were the second act onstage, and the five-piece alt rock/metal band were the most energetic set on stage for the night. Doing covers ranging from the Foo Fighters to Rage Against The Machine along with a host of their original compositions, the band mixed short-burst guitar solos with spirited drum work rife with blast beats and cymbal smashing. Also, vocalist Arnold Pinto kept the energy levels overflowing with his interaction with the audience and vocals. This band also displayed the same ‘inspired by the legends’ feel, with their covers being good odes to the original artists.
Ethno-electro artist Krishna Marathe was the next act on stage. Armed with her electronic artillery and a couple of flutes, Krishna eased the crowd into a set that was at once both spirited as well as chilled out. Marathe’s set was about drawing up canvases and settings that transported listeners to distant lands at different points of time. Subliming electronic music into different ragas, her music was the perfect marriage between Indian classical music and its modern western counterpart. She also debuted the EWI USB (electronic wind instrument) at the gig, the first time it has been used at a gig in Mumbai. What was also commendable about Marathe herself was her explanation of each raga she played, and how it connected with different subjects and their complexities.
The final set for the night was that of Apernit Singh. This guy was the total surprise for the night; while we previewed him to be a singer-songwriter of sorts and also imagined his set to be Hindi-dominant “light as a feather” set, what he did bring to BOMB Thursdays was a full power guitar virtuoso set. Singh played the guitar like there was no tomorrow, playing extremely intense guitar sweeps and shreds, while also showing off his ability to switch from extremely technical guitaring to softer guitar tones to blend with his singing. His last song, a cover of Guthrie Govan’s Bullet Blues was a fitting end to a set that showed his prowess on the guitar.
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Photos: Sushant Sawant
