Dance and Rock at YWCA: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR DANCE AND ROCK AT...

What day is it today? Pets' Day, Long-lost Friends' Day or the plain ol' Samhain
(that, says 123greetings.com, is the old name for Halloween)? Whatever the date,
the card-sellers' philosophy states that don't let a day go by without celebrating
some facet of life. So, while you may be celebrating one such fad today (do let
us know what it is), a few dudes (us included) were out on the 28th, at the YWCA
premises in West Marredpally, under the pretext of exploring their true selves.
It was supposed to be the self-exploration day, you see, but not many had a clue
about it.

The show started a neat one-hour late (that's decent by current standards), and
there appeared a certain compere who, for his life, couldn't get the audience
to say what day it was. That must have made him wonder why all those stickers
were slapped onto everyone's T-shirts, proclaiming the day's significance. This
is not to say that it wasn't splashed all over the tickets. But since most of
them handed out for free, not many seemed to have cared to notice. All you event
managers, beware! The Hyderabadi youth isn't willing to shell out fifty bucks
for a do. That is a scary revelation.

On second thoughts, the audience may have been too taken-up by the effort to explore
themselves to respond. Whatever it was, the compere did not seem to like it, for
one did not hear of him for the rest of the night. On to the show, it was basically
for the music lovers of the city.

N'GRAVE'N

Remember the name fellas, 'cos you will be looking out for it to rock your nights
away. To put it succinctly, they play what not many bands in the city would dare
to. How many bands would dare refuse to play Summer of '69 or Sweet
Child of Mine? The reply to all the proddings was, "This one's called To
Hell with the Devil." Honestly, yours truly had no clue as to whose songs
the band played for the most part. This is not to say that the handful of rock
fans present at the show did not dig into their music. After a disappointing start
with It's My Life, the band played without getting many on their feet.

All this changed after the first break. Rajiv, the lead guitarist, played a guitar
solo that electrified our senses. The guy is simply superb, but more on him later.
Here on, the band displayed its repertoire. Starting with Knockin' on Heaven's
Door (the Guns 'N' Roses version), they went on to play metal, blues (Hui
on the harmonica lent a quaint air to the music) and alternative. Two hours down
the line, one had the feeling that the city's rock scene isn't as predictable
as we know it.

Talking about Rajiv, his ambition is to have a stage presence like that of Van
Halen. With his speed and ease on stage, he definitely has a presence of his own.
The band originally played Gospel and Michael, their lead singer, has been around
for quite a while. Though they came together in '96, they regrouped just fifteen
days before the concert, and this was their first major concert in the city, and
there will surely be many more to come. So, move over Shangri-La.

As for the rest of the night, some danced it away to Britney Spears and the like.
Oooh!!! What a fall!

The band:

Michael - Lead Vocals

Rajiv - Lead Guitars

Bradley - Bass

Samson - Rhythm

Guitarist Paul - Drums

Hughi - Harmonica