LM Group : The previous weekend saw Himalaya transform into an open concert hall as the lawns played host to the LitSoc 2011-12 Light Music [LM] and Western Music [WM] group competitions. Handicapped by the power shutdown from 4 PM – 6 PM, both the competitions were forced to start the setup and soundchecks only after 6 PM, leading to a severe delay in the commencement of the events.
Litsoc LM group was held on Saturday, the 31st of March. An unfortunate error on the part of the Facilities team led to the power source being cut off and the competition started much later at 7:30. The judges for the event were guitarist Keba Jeremiah of “Rockstar” fame, sound engineer Sam Welsee from Benny Dayal’s band Groove #3, and singer and event manager, Swagatha.
Some performances stood out despite being rather typical. Noticeable in Mandak’s performance was its lack of a drummer as they played their entire set with a Mridangist, becoming the only hostel to do so. Sharav was the unfortunate hostel to have the sound cut during the middle of their set only to have it restored later, much to the indignation of the LM co-ord.
Alak performed an instrumental piece and the combined finesse of their vocalist and keyboardist made them the deserving winners for the evening. Pampa stood out with the tightness of their set, and were the deserving second place winners. Tapti’s band consisted mostly of freshies and their Sufi-inspired set received a lot of praise from the audience, cementing their position in the third place. Tambi, which was essentially the insti LM band V Desi, performed an original composition and secured the fourth place.
One of the performances that stood out but didn’t place was of Saras’. The band was centred around Glucon -possibly the reason they did not place, who in his final year, received tremendous respect from the audience which went perfectly silent as he took to the stage. It was a moment that captured the hearts of many and showcased how his ability had turned him into an icon, as they all sat in rapt silence and even demanded an encore from him.
“Kholo Kholo” from Taare Zameen Par and “Aaromale” from Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya stood out as favourites as more than one hostel performed them. Coke Studio seemed to be a big influence as upto 3 hostels performed songs from the famed television show. Freshies played a huge part in LM group, with Godav, Jam, and Tapti relying heavily on freshie vocalists, and many other hostels relying on freshie instrumentalists.
The winners:
- 1st – Alak
- 2nd – Pampa
- 3rd – Tapti
- 4th – Tambi
- Best Vocals – Anand VS (Alak)
- Best Percussionist – Anirudh (Tapti)
- Best Non-Percussionist – Chandrashekar (Alak)
- Special Mention – Vidya (Sharav)
WM Group : In continuing with the 2-day musical weekend, Litsoc WM group was held on Sunday, the 1st of April. The judges for the event were the members of the Chennai based band The Family Cheese who play everything from Electronica to Carnatic-influenced jazz. WM also began considerably later than the scheduled time, at 7:30.
Pampa who took to the stage first played a blues-rock influenced set and their guitarist, Advaith (Sappola) won the best guitarist tag. Sharav’s performance also received immense praise from the judges and kept the audience entertained. They received the awards for best keyboards, best bass, and best vocals and deservedly came first. Godav, which placed second, received a special mention from the judges for their instrumental piece, “Croatian Rhapsody”. Alakananda, the winners from the previous night, did not participate, in a speculated attempt to quit while still on a high. Ganga, which placed third, consisted almost completely of final years except their keyboardist who went on to jam with The Family Cheese on stage later in the night.
Saras, continuing from their fusion style of last year, did away with the drummer and used a Kanjira in tandem with a violin as they whipped up interesting fusion mixes of ordinary pop/rock songs. They placed fourth. Tambi was the only band to perform a metal song, and their cover of Sweet Child O’ Mine by the Guns N’ Roses had the audience singing along. Freshies once again played a major part in many hostels, taking up the roles of vocalists and various instrumentalists.
The competition concluded with The Family Cheese taking to the stage and jamming for almost an hour. Their energetic performances, colourful personalities and constant small talk kept the relatively small crowd of students who had stayed back completely entertained. The event ended late, at around 11.45 after the results were announced, and the small crowd of students trudged reluctantly back to their hostels to face yet another week of classes, tests, and projects.
The winners:
- 1st – Sharav
- 2nd – Godav
- 3rd – Ganga
- 4th – Saras
- Best Vocals – Sharanya (Sharav)
- Best Bass – Aarathi (Sharav)
- Best Guitars – Advaith “Sappola” (Pampa)
- Best Keys – Vidya (Sharav)
- Best Drums – Rishab (Ganga)
- Special Mention – Glucon (Saras)
T5E will include videos of the performances soon.
