Enamoured by 'Hammer...'

Though it might seem like an unusual name for a band, ‘Hammer N Thong’ performed an energetic set at Hard Rock Café recently.

The electronic rock duo comprised of City-based singer Avril Quadros and Brian C Bangera on lead guitar, rhythm guitar and keyboards, which were rigged electronically using specific software.

The music outfit plays rock layered with other musical influences like Sufi, folk sounds, dubstep and electronica. The band members believe in exploring diverse styles while keeping rock as their base as they are self-proclaimed ‘rockers at heart and are completely unapologetic about it’. This fact was quite clear over the course of
the gig.

A lot of variety was presented with each tune and the set list comprised of some good old rock ‘n’ roll covers as well as original compositions from their album ‘Non Conformity’. The originals included ‘Cut You’, ‘Imprisoned’, ‘Insane’, ‘Broken’ and ‘Knees’, while they performed their own rendition of ‘New Sensation’ by ‘INXS’, ‘Golden Eye’ by Tina Turner, ‘Headless Cross’ by ‘Black Sabbath’, Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ and ‘My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark’ by ‘Fall Out Boy’ among others.

Sharing her experience after the gig, Avril said, “This is the third ‘Hammer N Thong’ gig till date and it was the best one so far. We’ve only played at ‘The Great Indian Octoberfest’ and ‘Soul Santhe’ before but the Hard Rock vibe was just right for our kind of music. The entire place was full of friends and fans. Our fan base has been getting bigger with each show and this time, it was a pleasure to play such a wild set for them.”

On Brian, whom Avril calls the ‘backbone of the band’, she added, “I do all the fun stuff – I sing and write the lyrics and sometimes play the guitar. But it’s Brian who plays all the instruments and does the entire production. He’s the reason why ‘Hammer N Thong’ is what it is today.”

Darius Taraporewala, who attended the gig, said that he had a great time. “I’ve known Avril and her singing for years and I liked the show very much. Brian was also very good as a performer and musician. Altogether, it was quite an enjoyable evening,” he shared.