JOIN USIn today’s music scene, acoustic sets aren’t as common as they ought to be. But what unplugged gigs entail is a dynamic chemistry between the members where instrument gains prominence and vocals take on a whole new meaning.
Of course, going unplugged was no daunting task for Bangalore’s very own acoustic rock band ‘Allegro Fudge’, who recently performed at Monkey Bar as part of their ‘Pop Culture Bar Nights’ series.
Owing to space constraints, only three members of the band performed on stage — namely Saahas Patil on vocals, Shalini Mohan on bass and Jason Zachariah on keyboards. Not only did they perform songs like ‘Rock All Night’ and ‘Maximum City’ from their debut album ‘Maximum City’, they also tested some new material with songs like ‘Goodbye’ and ‘Come Back Home’, which was a big hit.
Some impressive covers were also performed — while Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ and Tracy Chapman’s ‘Give Me One Reason’ were enjoyable, the acoustic rendition of ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ by ‘Arctic Monkeys’ was a pleasant surprise and highlight for fans of the English indie rock band.
“I am having a great time here. I love ‘Allegro Fudge’ and seeing them go acoustic as a three-piece is truly fantastic. I loved their rendition of ‘Get Lucky’,” said Tejas Shankar, vocalist of City-based fusion rock band Lagori who attended the gig.
Many regulars were surprised at the gig happening there at all.
“I’ve been coming to Monkey Bar for the food and this is the first time that I’m hearing live music out here! The harmonies and acoustics sound great,” said Vijeth Jayaram, adding that such gigs need to become a regular feature at the bar.
But other than the fans who had a good time, it was just another day at a pub for others.
“It’s a nice venue to play at but the sound could have been a lot better. Even the ambience has to be created so that people treat it as a
live gig, not just some music playing in the background. But we did have fun and
our fans who showed up enjoyed because they’ve
never seen us perform as a three-piece,” said keyboardist Jason Zachariah after the show.
The concert was followed by a short set by DJ Akshay, who switched the mood from the mellow, acoustic gig into a high-tempo dance party.