Saturday nights have always been a great experience at CounterCulture. Although some might complain about the distance, there are nights like these that make it worthwhile.
The space was perfect as it hosted the band, Solder.
The credit for the lovely evening must go to Solder, Bangalore's own “feel good” rock and roll heroes. While other bands are more about bringing out a deep introspective feeling, Solder was all about making people happy. The band comprises of Siddarth Abraham (vocals and acoustic guitars), Joel Rozario (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Samson Philip (bass, backing vocals), Akhilesh Kumar (guitars, backing vocals) and Sylvester Pradeep (guitars and backing vocals).
Covers
The set started out catering to a moderately packed house. Nothing seemed to affect the band's energy as they blasted out a set of their own compositions as well as some intricately sewn covers. When they started out with one of their own songs called Questions, the crowd immediately started to lean forward and bop their heads to music. The drums, with the occasional cow bell fill-ins, were played at optimum feel while the bass provided the ultimate groove.
They followed up with a few more of their own compositions such as Save the World , Waiting for Love , Won't let you down and Bring back the rain, which are songs about love in its many different forms — for the world, towards the city, towards one another and of course for that special someone.
Backbone
Siddarth's strong and pitch-perfect vocals blended with the rich acoustic guitar tone, providing the perfect backbone to their set. As the performance continued, the band played several covers such as songs by the Beatles and Elvis Presley. Their transition between random verses from different songs showed their level of skill and dexterity. The medley seemed like a ride in a time machine as they covered a plethora of songs by these artists.
Even though the evening was coming to end, the band had not dwindled in their energy or in their stock of songs. They put out a few more of their own songs like Passerby , Cookie Monster , All by Myself , Alive and the feather in the cap, Irish Coffee . The mix of both the electric guitars showed true prowess as it bound the whole melody together and created great flow. The sound setup was immaculate.
The band has great chemistry and a really good vibe to them. They share great camaraderie and love both within the band and with the audience. The songs were well-constructed and were well-received.
