May 2, 2014: For most, nothing in the world is as good as watching live music being performing to perfection, and that is precisely what the audience at Pop Splat’s Standing Room Only have been dished out week after week. This past week, The Hive, venue for the weekly gig hosted two acts, The Gobblestones and The Loyalists, and in one single word, their sets were fantastic.
The Gobblestones were the first band playing at the gig, and for their first gig ever, the duo of Rajesh Ravi on ukulele and vocals and Aurrick D’Silva on guitars played a mellow set replete with a whole lot of covers and originals. The tone of the ukulele gave their set a very tropical feel, and it was awesome to see Ravi interacting with the audience the way he did; keeping it light-hearted and funny worked wonders for all at the gig. It was also fantastic to see the audience providing percussions to the band’s set through foot taps and claps. Their set was not very “tight”, but for entertainment value, and a totally cozy feeling, full points to The Gobblestones. Their best songs for the night were All At Ease and I Say, I Sayand their cover of The Beatles I Want To Hold Your Hand.
The Loyalists, viz Sarthak Swami on guitars and vocals and The Wingman on djembe played the second set at their gig. For starters, it’s always awesome to see the Wingman in his masked appearance and his stage persona has the quickest way to grab anyone’s attention. But what really hits it out of the park for these guys is the passion and gusto with which these two artists play their music. Swami’s voice is one of the grungiest that this city possesses, and with the animated guitar play that he shares along, The Loyalists are perhaps the most fun and have among the tightest acoustic sets around. What is also awesome is how their music is not just lyrics and notes, it’s in fact storytelling intricately placed along tunes. Their best songs for the night were Scarlet Sea and their cover of Audioslave’s Getaway Car.
Pictures - Dhananjay Mane Photography / PopSplat.in
