Sakib Sharif

The Songwriters Collective’s First Draft gig in Dhaka showcased independent songwriter-singers, including Aseer Arman, Sadi Shahnewaz, and Shanila Islam, offering intimate performances that highlight original music, connect artists with audiences, and strengthen Bangladesh’s growing indie music scene.

It was almost 11:30 pm on the clock but the crowd was still spellbound by the mesmerising performance of Nagar Baul’s James. That is the kind of expectation, one attends a concert with and it was the case yesterday too.

Aftermath and Meghdol will be performing as the headlining acts at this year’s Moitree Concert in Kolkata.

The project initially started two years ago, but two months back they started again from where it was left. Shishir said, "I was going through a nervous breakdown, thinking at one point this won’t get done. But it turns out that song is doing great now."

Bangla Five started their journey with an immense level of support from the varsity-going audience. Now, they are gradually becoming a regular name in the concert scene.

Titled “The Only Headliner”, the album was released along with a collector’s edition book. Consisting of 128 four-colour pages, the book is filled with the stories behind the songs, untold experiences, struggles and rare photographs.

Tutul is a college student, and a crazy fan of band-music who goes mostly to free concerts and listens to songs on YouTube and makes social media posts. On the contrary, his friend Nahian listens to songs on streaming platforms with a monthly subscription, and feels that such amounts are not enough for the bands. To support local bands, he goes to ticketed concerts and collects merchandise. Nahian was introduced to Bangladeshi band music by his uncle, Suman, who is now in his 40s, and still goes to ticketed concerts. He used to collect original cassettes and CDs but is now frustrated about the declining situation of the band-music scene.

After almost 25 years, Pentagon decided to make a music video for "Shongshoy", in the process remaking their original song.

Dhaka, October 5, 1999 — a band rose from Dhaka’s underground scene to become a household name among the metal and prog rock fans of the country – Artcell. In spite of almost a decade of inactivity, the band continues to spread madness among the youth. Thousands of voices chanting "Artcell, Artcell, Artcell!" resonate in the concert halls to this day. In a conversation with The Daily Star, the band opens up about their recent activities, and their concert experiences over the decades.

Within just a week of the release of "Banglar Rock Metal", copies of the first print run of the book has already been sold out. After a positive response of such magnitude, another unveiling ceremony took place in the capital’s Farmgate area, with new copies from the second print run, on Friday.

Pentagon returns after 7 years with 'Bheshe Esho'

From East Pakistan to Bangladesh, this country has an enriched history of 'band-music' that spans over six decades. ‌Haque Faruk and Milu Aman, two dedicated souls, came together to preserve the unarchived history of Bangladeshi band music in the form of a book titled “Banglar Rock Metal”.

"My bus ticket was done and I was all packed to leave for Khulna with my friends, this afternoon. But I cancelled everything as I came across a Facebook post for this event only an hour before leaving for the bus terminal." This was the story shared by Rakibul Hasan, a music enthusiast and student of Stamford University, who cancelled all of his plans to come and show support at “Bornattoder Jonno Concert” an event organized by Dhaka University (DU) students to raise funds for flood victims in Sylhet and Sunamganj. Not only Rakibul, but thousands of music lovers and social activists, from different walks of life gathered at TSC, University of Dhaka on Monday and Tuesday to enjoy some amazing performances and express their solidarity for the cause.