FNL @ Big Ben

When my friend Diptanshu invited me to watch him and his band perform I made sure that I went considering I had missed their last performance too. They were doing a gig at Big Ben which is the night club at The New Kenilworth Hotel. Well that in itself was an added bonus, having never been there, I’d get to see a new act in a new place.

Wasn’t surprised though that when we got there at about 8:30pm, things hadn’t yet kicked off as was supposed to, but then that’s IST (Indian Standard Time) for you. That gave me enough time to scope out the place. After one round only I liked it. It reminded me of a place I used to love to frequent in Delhi; Djinns at The Hyatt Regency. Anyway my wife and I found ourselves a place at the bar from where we weren’t in the middle of things and yet could view the performance. We chose the bar, as it had been a while since had actually sat on high bar stools, and these ones were really comfy. The other reason was that at a night club, this was the best place to get prompt service.

Finally NO STRINGS ATTACHED, well that’s what Dip’s band was called got underway. Their music transported me to the Rocky Mountains camping on a lakeside under a starry sky with the crackle of the campfire and the faint sounds of the coyote in the background. Well not that I’ve been to the Rockies but the bluegrass music and Dips fabulous fingers on the fret board and strings of his Mandolin really set their act apart from any of the bands I’d heard in Kolkata in the past. Of course I wouldn’t want to steal anyone’s thunder in that band as they are a tight pack that delivered a compact 45 minute gig.

A bit about the band, NO STRINGS ATTACHED comprising Diptanshu Roy – Mandolin, Sujoy Chakravarty – Guitar, Vocals, Mirna Guha – Vocals, Vinayak DasGupta – Guitars, Subhayu Mukherjee – Bass, are a Kolkata based band whose repertoire consists of folk blues, bluegrass and jazz music. Their live shows are a blend of jazz standards, bluegrass hoedowns and original swing/jazz oriented material. The emphasis is on group improvisation, melodic-ism and a deep desire to swing hard and play music that is cerebral on one level and eminently danceable on another.

And here are some of the songs they played
Georgia on my mind
Summertime
Old home place
Freight train
Waltz for karie ( original)
Hard times ( original)
Spanish steps ( original)
Why do I love you ( original)

After their performance and a couple of mugs (believe me they’re giant mugs) of Draught beer, the next act of the evening came up. ABHISHEK BASU & HIS WORLD MUSIC PROJECT "ISM-IMPROMPTU SYMPHONIC MIND"

I saw the next Indian Ocean in the making. But that wouldn’t be true as these guys had their own unique style and I just loved what they did with the percussions. Abhishek set the beat for the rest of the evening.

Blending ancient and modern instrumentation and spirit, ABHISHEK BASU's project "IMPROMPTU SYMPHONIC MIND ISM " bridges the gap between primal and futuristic. Setting themselves apart with their intoxicating sound and extraordinary live performances, they take the audience on a soul inspiring journey that transcends this world, tantalizes the senses, and moves the body with waves of pulsating rhythm.

ISM – IMPROMPTU SYMPHONIC MIND are:
Abhishek Basu – Tabla,
Indradeep Ghosh - Violin,
Indrajit Dey - Keyboards,
Iman Das - Vocal,
Aditya - Guitars,
Joy Bhattacharya - Drums,
Arnab Majumder - other Percussions,
Sankha Subhra Ghosh – Bass

We hung around way past the performance and it had been a long time since we went out night-clubbing. Enjoyed a relishing and unique new dish called Bacon Chicken Olivettes and drank lots of beer. We got the low-down on the new law that had been passed and came into effect from today. All night clubs would have to shut shop by 2:00 AM. Man, are they trying to make this another Bengaluru or Mumbai. Kolkata is used to partying till sunrise. What’s wrong with these law makers? Anyway the staffs were quite happy; at least they could get off work earlier.

We finally called it a night when they were ready to implement the new rule on us. All-in-all it was a fun night, 2 new bands and one new night club checked out and all of them get a real thumbs up from me.

Hole in the pocket for the night:
Bacon and Chicken Olivettes: Rs. 400
Draught Beer (7 Nos): Rs 1540
Corona Pint (2 Nos): Rs. 600

Sub Total: Rs. 2540
VAT @ 12.5%: Rs. 50
SLT @ 20%: Rs. 428

Total: Rs 3018

NEW KENILWORTH HOTEL
1&2, Little Russel Street,
Kolkata - 700071
Tel: 91 33 22823939/40
Fax: 91 33 22825136