Belting out some original tracks

Groovy tunes

Every Thursday tends to get loud at the Hard Rock Cafe. And with City-based alternate rock band ‘All The Fat Children’ performing there recently, there were no two ways about it.

Groovy, fun and easy to listen to, the band that was formed in 2008 still retains its originality in every track. Bangalore-based funk rock band ‘Five Legged Funk Machine’ opened the show and set the stage for the main band, which consisted of Eben Johnson on guitars and vocals, Vickram Kiran on bass and vocals and Sachin Savio Dane on drums.

‘All The Fat Children’ performed a 90-minute set that included primarily original compositions, staying true to its philosophy of how music should be original, not borrowed. The originals included ‘My Favourite Heartbreaker’, ‘Shut Up And Dance’, ‘Love Child’, ‘Somebody Else’, ‘Simplify’ and ‘Thank You for the Rock ‘n’ Roll’ among others. The band even threw in a few covers, including a song by ‘Avial’ and a mash-up of ‘Lungi Dance’ and ‘Shut Up And Dance’, which had the audience moving.

It showed an eclectic range of influences in its songs, ranging from cheesy Bollywood tunes to old school disco to rock ‘n’ roll. With visible ease and high levels of energy, it took the audience through the set, entertaining them with stage antics at times and of course, the occasional banter.

Rakesh, a member of the audience, said that the band gripped the crowd effectively. “It had both showmanship and really good music. There was a typical punk attitude that came through and the members seemed at ease with their style of playing, making it difficult to not love the performance,” he said.

Johnson, who attended the gig, said that the band “put up a solid display”. “It did an admirable job of warming up the crowd. There was some really interesting interplay between the band members. Listening to them was a delight,” he added.

Eben Johnson, the guitarist of ‘All The Fat Children’, was happy with the response. “Technically, we did goof up here and there but entertainment-wise, we rocked! The crowd was lesser than the usual turnout at our gigs but it was supportive and openly danced to some of the songs, which was a nice sight.

Even when we performed our Bollywood songs, which essentially had us acting cheesy, we could see people with their hands in the air. Overall, I would say it was a decent gig,” he said.