CHENNAI: If you’d attended the Ray-Ban Never Hide Sounds concert, that was conducted in collaboration with the Rollingstone Magazine, at 10 Downing Street, T Nagar on Tuesday night, you’d be in complete agreement with the opinion that the Chennai western music scene needs quite a few changes. Sure, it is nice to see the same smiling, familiar faces at every western music concert in the city, the same big funky hair and the same crazy tattoos, but it will also be nice if we are not in a position where we can predict what the band is going to play. Apart from this tiny qualm, the open mic night was brilliantly loud and effortlessly energetic. Hosted by a dramatic Rohan Sen from Chennai Live, the show saw bands from Chennai playing their original tracks in a bid to make it to the top five from Chennai. The winners will get to perform in Mumbai on December 4 at the grand finale concert which will also feature Something Relevant and Pentagram. They will also win merchandise worth Rs 50,000, courtesy Ray-Ban. Since the bands had to use the basic drum kit, guitar and bass amps that they were provided, they did take a lot of time to setup and do mic tests. In fact, Tails On Fire literally had the crowds shouting at them to sing, but their delay was compensated for by TT Sriram’s guitar act. Shakthisree Gopalan, the lone female performer from Off The Record, performed with a strong voice and had excellent stage presence. Popular film musician Benny Dayal was also seen in a new avatar, performing with The Cranks. And a must mention, The Shakey Rays, for their rock ’n’ roll-sounding additions. There could have been a tad bit toning down on the red lights that flooded the room, but it was a night well spent. Bands can still register online by emailing their profiles and digital demos to [email protected] The last date to receive entries is September 30.
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