It was a walk down memory lane for all those who attended the concert of Dubai-based rock band ‘Core 304’ at BFlat recently.

They didn’t look like your average bunch of rock stars, given that they are professionals who formed the band for the love of music. But age isn’t a factor that stopped the passionate group of musicians from giving a highly energetic performance.

They comfortably spanned genres, moving from classic rock to reggae to even Arabic music with songs like Habibi. A lot of covers were a part of their set but each one had their own distinct inputs, making it an interesting rendition to hear. Some of these covers included ‘How Long’ by ‘The Eagles’, ‘Carry On My Wayward Son’ by Kansas, ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way’ by Lenny Kravitz, ‘Rock n’ Roll’ by ‘Led Zeppelin’ and Bryan Adam’s ‘Summer of ‘69’. Since Gloria Gaynor’s birthday clashed with the day of the performance, their cover of ‘I Will Survive’ was dedicated to her.

As a surprise element, a guest artiste familiar to Bangaloreans was called up — Hindustani classical vocalist Smita Bellur. The band performed their original ‘That’s What’ with her singing the alaap for it. She also joined them for a Kannada song and a bhajan.
Among their other originals, the band’s diversity was also seen. This showed in the fact that in their two-hour set, they performed reggae, classic rock and fusion. There was an original called ‘Sunshine’, alongside a half-English and half-Portuguese one called ‘Journey+Voce’, which was sung by keyboardist Lynette.

“We are quite pleased with the response. In terms of numbers, there were fewer people in the crowd than we had expected. But the quality of audience was great. They showed up despite the rain for their love for music and were totally engrossed and appreciative,” says drummer Anurag Tripathi.

Bhavna, who attended the concert, was delighted about the fusion pieces with Smita Bellur. “I’ve heard the band’s music before and was initially sceptical about their attempting fusion with someone like Smita. But the way the classical and rock worked together was amazing. Personally, I would have enjoyed more rock than reggae and fusion. But in terms of the vibe and music, it was an enjoyable night.”