The Supersonics Live At Blue Frog, Mumbai, August 11th, 2012

Few bands can pull off a consistently brilliant show. The Supersonics from Kolkata are one of them. We last watched their performance at Mumbai’s Mehboob Studios and showed up at the Blue Frog again last weekend for more. The unusually poor turnout, perhaps because of the unrest earlier that day in South Mumbai, was a bit of a dampener but it sure didn’t show on stage.

Mumbai band Blek did a surprisingly early set, disappointing several fans who showed up for the double bill night that was to begin at 10 pm according to the venue’s gig calendar.  The Supersonics took to stage for a two-hour set pleading fans for a short smoke break having played non-stop for over an hour. The band performed hits from their debut Maby Baking including “Far From The Human Race,” “We Are We Are,” our favorite, “Yeah Whatever” and the new track “The Evil Fly” that was recently recorded for a vinyl compilation, not letting the energy on stage dip throughout the set [not even when vocalist Ananda Sen snapped one of his strings]. Drummer Avinash Chordia, who seemed to be on a serotonin high all through the evening, was as much of a pleasure to watch as he was to listen to and of course, unlike most other drummers we’ve heard, proved that he didn’t need to be loud to make his presence felt. 

Among the audience were other musicians from the city including The Lightyears Explode vocalist Saurabh Roy [who has already  impressed us by showing up at most gigs] and members of The Mavyns, also from Mumbai. It’s been a really long while since we’ve watched a gig by The Mavyns [we’ve heard they’ve been busy polishing their chops] and there couldn’t have been a better spot for the band to take the stage again. The Mavyns not only had a track dedicated to them, but were also roped in by the Supersonics for their encore, bringing their stellar set to a close. 

Here are a few photos from the gig by Monisha Ajgaonkar