14th Close-Up Juke Box concert

It was quite an enjoyable performance by the budding newcomers. Their flamboyant staging made a huge comeback for Juke Box after the last episode's daunting debacle.

The first group to come on stage was Nirjhar. They had a list of songs that consisted of their own numbers only. Aaj ei brishti jhora din was the opening track--a usual soft rock number with pleasant guitar works. They continued with Nodir dheu-e dheu-e, which had a pleasing harmony of vocals. Their fourth and fifth tracks were immensely melody-influenced songs with groovy bass, energetic drums and tuneful vocals. Their compositions, however, remain ordinary with the exceptions of admirable lead guitars and the superb bass compositions. A little variation in their music and a modification of guitar processor tone will surely do this band some improvement.

Shomoy took to the stage next with high tides of emotions. Their songs were as alive as their energetic performance. The first track was an instrumental piece with varied heavy guitar works, wonderful bass guitars and distinctive drums. Both their guitarists were competent and harmonic during the performance. The first song Bhalobashi shudhu tomay, was much appreciated by the crowd. The second song Chad jagay, a ballad, was a very melodious soft rock track. It has a very catchy chorus with bluesy lead, very pleasant vocals and gentle keyboard tunes. Their full-of-life performance persisted with songs like Alo adhar and Bhalobasha. Joe Satriani's Flying in a blue dream cover was supposedly one of the best tracks performed on the night.

In the end, Feedback entered the stage being one of the celebrated bands in the country. Their performance reminded of great music, which had created a revolution in the music industry a decade back. Songs like Melay jaire and Moushumi are still cherished as the crowd sang along with them during the performance. Their opening track Shobai amra melay jai was a good start. Other songs like Shukhi manusher bhirey, Chithi and Din-er alo nibhey gelo received huge response from the crowd. The cover of Pink Floyd's Another brick in the wall was agreeably a well done song. Finally, while performing Melay jaire, the band kept the audiences on their toes.

The concert was worth a visit although the organisers should think of a convenient and centralised venue for more successful endeavours.