Rock & Roll, Bayybeh

Mood Indigo, Powai, Mumbai – 2002.

I was just a rock/metal fan until a year ago.

Then something massive happened. My brother’s band, Acquired Funk Syndrome, won Independence Rock 2001-02. It goes down as the most memorable concert of my youth. Not cos it was the band i grew up watching jam in a little dump in Phoolgate, Pune. Not cos they’d jam at my place when uncles had taken over the jam-pad to practice La Bamba for the local church fete. Not cos Bruce, Fali, Rushad & Sandy were the coolest bunch ever. There’s a long list of reasons, too long to list here.

But at that I-Rock in Rang Bhavan, Marzban Irani, the sound guy for AFS looked at me just as they were going up on stage for the competition, ‘Bijou, you do the lights, see these two faders, just push them up or down based on the music. You know the music. It’s damn simple.’ I was shattered. I wanted to go down to the mosh-pit like any regular teenager.

‘If it’s so simple why don’t you do it?’, I asked.

‘I have to focus on sound and make announcements when Bruce appears in his Govinda outfit bhenchot, just fucking do it.’

So I did. And as legend has it, AFS won. By miles. What they did, people present that day would recall with fond memories. I still get goosebumps.

Fuckall part was, since they won, I got light duties going ahead. ‘You’re good luck on lights bastard don’t jinx it’, I was told. So i tagged along for their competitions, all of them clean sweeps. Audiences left awestruck around the country. Meteoric rise to fame and all that. A little known company started by a college dropout, sign them on as his first band, calls the company OML.

Eventually i said at a band meeting ‘I QUIT’, and went back to the mosh-pit.

But that Mood-Indigo of 2002 i recalled today for other reasons. AFS did win that too, but that’s not the main story.

Soundcheck was on all day – bands, roadies, event people sticking around to get an idea of every band’s setlist. Pentagram is on stage for their soundcheck. At that point, they were the greatest pro act I could think of. And getting to even hang out during the day close to these guys was a dream come true. Even if all i did was hand water bottles to Shiraz with dreamy eyes. But it went beyond that.

Now, Pentagram had a lot of haters. Them being the first to bring in the ‘electronica’ sound to the metal/rock junta, not many were impressed. ‘Aye DJ aaya DJ aaya’, many said. I was amazed though. I loved them even more since that ‘Up’ album dropped, which is still one of the greatest Indi rock albums in my opinion.

Anyway, some friends of other bands are gathered on the steps in front of the stage, while Penta soundcheck. Black tees, long hair, etc. They’re guzzling down old monk rum, bloodshot eyes, waiting for their favourite band Metakix to soundcheck right after Pentagram.

That’s when one of them starts the chants ‘Bhenchot, Matherchot, Bhenchot, Matherchot..’. I’m a little uncomfortable. For the band yes, it’s stupid to be figuring out sound and have to listen to drunk runts abuse you. Then I’m wondering, you know if you did that at a concert, and somebody from the band got pissed, you could duck and hide between a thousand black tees and long hair. Here, you’re right in the center of the amphitheater, in broad daylight, sitting ducks. Nobody else. What if someone from the band got pissed…

And that’s when Vishal, the vocalist of Pentagram, known to have the shortest fuse in the music scene, plugs his mic into the mic stand, turns around and nods at Shiraz (drums) and Papal (bass). They all lay their instruments down. Randolph continues tuning his guitar, raasta love and peace.

The next few seconds were blitzkrieg. The three of them jumped off stage, ran, and flying kicks ensued. One slap that still rings in my head like the sax on Careless Whisper brought everyone around out of their ‘is this happening?’ moment, I ran in, cos i wanted a piece of the action and I loved Penta. But by the time i got to the melee, there was only one skinny guy cowering and whimpering, all the old monk he guzzled had left his system in seconds. The big loud guys who were just minutes ago showing their middle fingers, and chanting abuses very confidently, were knocked out.

Vishal looked at me, ‘You ok?’

‘I’m perfect’, i replied. He gave me a high five. That was it. I’d made it.

Penta got back on stage, soundcheck continued. Randolph didn’t even have to move, his strings were tuned and ready for the next song.

7 years later, in a completely unrelated incident, Pentagram asked me to be their road/tour manager.

I still have a bunch of creatives from a year of touring with them. I also have about four dozen ‘pentagram stories’.

Now go listen to ‘Is there a light’ – from 18 years ago.