A set of originals and covers

Pumped with energy and creative juices, alternative rock band ‘Whitesugar’ performed at the courtyard of Phoenix MarketCity recently. Having come all the way from Kochi, the band expected a lot from the Bangalore crowd, which is known to appreciate rock music. But owing to bad off-stage sound and a poor turnout, the event wasn’t what they were prepared for.

The band comprises James Jude Peter on vocals, keyboards and turntables, Gilbert Xavier on drums, Clement Samson Correya on guitars and vocals and Nijo Sebastien on bass. They performed a variety of original compositions and covers, which made for an interesting set – from ‘Rage Against The Machine’ songs like ‘Killing in the Name’ and ‘Bulls on Parade’ to covers of ‘Californication’ and ‘Around the World’ by ‘Red Hot Chili Peppers’. 

‘Whitesugar’ sees itself as a symbol of music’s power to achieve a state of pure inebriation, be it for the funky basslines that make you groove or the thought-provoking lyrics that reflect social problems. This fact was evident in songs like ‘Puppet on a String’ which talks of women empowerment or ‘Fields of Red’, which is about farmer suicides. These songs and others like ‘D-Day’ also had Malayalam lyrics interspersed with English ones. 

Talking about their original composition ‘Is the Swamy Insane’, frontman James said, “Back home, there are a lot of people who think that we’re wasting our time with rock music. Similarly, people think that swamis are crazy even though they appear to be the happiest people on earth. That’s the idea behind this song since we make music because it makes us happy, not for the money.”

About the concert, he said, “We were sure that the Bangalore crowd was much better than in Kerala but we’re a little disappointed. We were happy with the sound on stage but the PA was closed off-stage and what the audience heard wasn’t satisfactory. In terms of the crowd, a few rock lovers enjoyed it but the turnout wasn’t great.” 

But the few audience members who watched them were impressed. Satyam, who watched a few songs, said that he liked their music. “I had never heard of this band but when I heard rock music while shopping, I dragged my girlfriend here to check out what was happening. I’m pleasantly surprised by how good they are since the members look quite young,” said Satyam.