Checking out some new songs

After their last show in Bangalore a year-and-a-half ago, Delhi-based rock band ‘Half Step Down’ returned to the City to
perform at Hard Rock Café recently. The band had a good time and gave a memorable set for their fans.

Starting with the groovy ‘Girl Not Guitar’, they spaced out their original compositions and covers across the set. Bob Marley’s ‘Redemption Song’ received a new treatment, Pat Boone’s ‘Speedy Gonzales’ woke up the crowd and the band’s attempt at covering ‘Gold On The Ceiling’ by ‘The Black Keys’ saw their influences shine through.

Their originals included songs like ‘Kingmaker’, ‘Mojo’, ‘Overture to Outerspace’, ‘Not For Sale’ and ‘Working Hour’ to name a few. The band even tried out some new numbers like the psychedelic ‘Rabbit Hole’
and the high-energy ‘Think About Me’.

What made it more interesting was the vocalist Dhaval’s stage banter and regular interactions with the audience, describing the story behind each song.
   “‘Summer Dress’ is as close as we’ll get to writing a love song,” said Dhaval, following which a loud, raw rock ‘n’ roll tune was played out.

The general groovy vibe, foot-tapping beats and impressive guitar riffs left the right impression on those in the crowd who were actually listening to them.
 “They sound pretty good and tight but it’s a shame that there aren’t too many people today, probably because it’s the end of the month. I don’t like covers personally but their originals were fun,” said Kritharth, an audience member.

Abhineet, who attended the concert, added, “I’m
from New Delhi and have seen this band in its early days. So when I heard that they were playing in town, I had to come see them. They’ve always been a fresh band who have their hits but keep coming up with
new tunes, which is great. Bands need to keep up with the times and they’re doing just that!”

Srijan Mahajan, the band’s drummer, said that they always have a great time performing in the City. “The gig was fun for us. Since the crowd was so tepid, we had a good time amongst ourselves and played all the new material that we’ve been writing to check out how it sounded,” he shared.