Thermal and a Quarter

Photograph by Bobin James

It’s been twelve years. Twelve years of rocking stages across India, and across the world, and Thermal and a Quarter show no signs whatsoever of slowing down. When the Galeej Gurus had started performing in college, we were immature brats, and Thermal was already an unstoppable force that had left us a legacy as our seniors in college. It’s easy to see why Thermal is looked up to by so many kids these days, as well as musicians from my generation. They are easily the most disciplined band I know. Each musician in the band is up to date with the latest news, technology and developments on his instrument, and together they make some of the sweetest music there is.

The first time I ever watched Thermal live, I wasn’t out of school yet, and no particularly strong intention of turning into some guitar-slinging performer had yet surfaced in my consciousness. A performance by Bruce and the lads at the Ravindra Kalakshetra (a sadly defunct venue today) left me stunned. The guitars soared and wailed, the bass slapped out a funk rhythm that could make a cripple whole again, and the drummer was clearly insane. That single performance taught me what music was, showed me what I wanted to do in life, and still teaches me a few things about how it’s done, till today. There was no doubt in my mind whatsoever. A prophetic refrain hummed in my head ”“ ”˜This is It.’

By Ananth Menon of The Galeej Gurus