Ei Shomoy: Left audiences craving for more
‘Ei Shomoy: Addhay Ek’ featured performances by Meghdol, Avash, Shonar Bangla Circus, Shohojia, Shohortoli, Bangla Five and Apekkhik at the Liberation War Museum on Friday
'Ei Shomoy: Addhay Ek' did not try to include 27 different bands jammed packed into a single show, and that was perhaps one of the secret driving forces behind its success of the evening. Instead the concert featured seven bands; bands with philosophies about music on brand with the theme of the show. The venue wasn't too crowded, and the sound was nothing short of amazing.
Ei Shomoy: Addhay Ek intended to explore the predicaments of our present – life in the city, and the struggles faced by Dhaka residents – through music. Friday's show, the first in a series of concerts titled 'Ei Shomoy', left audiences craving for more.
The lineup of bands were so carefully curated that it did not make sense for fans to miss any part of the show, including the opening acts – Apekkhik, Shohortoli and Shohojia. A group of the audience will always show up at these events to only see the headliners perform, but even they tuned in early.
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Avash is one of those bands that naturally wheels in crowds just by the virtue of its talismanic lead singer Tuhin. Tuhin is still referred to as the former frontman of Shironamhin by most, but switching bands did not affect his ability to put on a great show.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for all of his bandmates who occasionally sounded off. But you could cut them some slack as they opened their act by covering Mohinir Ghoraguli's famous number 'Bhebe Dekhecho Ki'. Fans did not see it coming and everyone was pleasantly surprised.
Bangla Five's vocalist Sina Hasan also deserves special mention for his unrivalled stage presence. They performed 'Adalot' live for the first time and had the crowd caught in a trance.
The venue was arguably at its fullest when Shonar Bangla Circus took to the stage. You couldn't even walk down the stairs because just the seats weren't enough to contain the crowd. Chants of "SBC, SBC" echoed across the venue as the band performed Epitaph, arguably their most popular track of the 2020 album 'Hyena Express'.
"I mainly came to see Meghdol and Shonar Bangla Circus perform. I attend concerts almost every other weekend. I like this venue better than most because indoor concerts are safer for women. This is my fifth concert at this venue and I have always liked the sound and atmosphere here. It's not overcrowded and no one's smoking in my vicinity. It's great!" said Poushi, a member of the audience.
Meghdol took to the stage and their performance was utter bliss. There was something surreal about the band's opening act 'Esho Amar Shohore'. It felt like they were inviting the crowd into a different realm of music, and the audience happily obliged.
During their entire set, no matter where you looked, you could see the audience sing along to their songs. An underrated aspect of live performances are the efforts of backing vocalists and lead guitarist Rasheed Shoaib was absolutely mesmerising whenever he sang into the mic.
The highlight of the set had to be the performance of their recent hit – which almost broke the internet – 'E Hawa'. A dimly blue lit stage and an eager anticipation of the crowd set the mood for the song and the next six or so minutes was an experience which is incredibly difficult to express in words; you had to be there to live it.
"We believe the show went really well. The sound was good for a number of reasons. We allotted enough time for sound checks for every band and no stones were left unturned. We have been working since morning thoroughly checking every cable to every mic. The equipment we selected were also top of the line," said Sina Hasan, organiser and vocalist of Bangla Five.
"The architecture of the venue helped but most of the heavy lifting was carried out by our technicians and sound engineers who are highly qualified in their specific fields. Judging by the response of the audience, we are extremely happy with what we have accomplished today," he added.
