On Saturday, 9th of
June 2018, Mojo Projects presented yet another concert under its Concert
Series, called Triple Treat: Battle of Bands. It was a 3 ½ hour show with 3
bands consistently belting out song after song, entertaining the crowd from
start to finish. Not a second was wasted.
Now, we feel it is only apt that
a Battle of the Bands confers a winner. After all it is a battle. Before we
pick the winner, let’s recap the night -- who performed and what were the
highlights.
The first band to take stage at
Triple Treat was a personal favourite of mine, AGAM. For those who aren't
aware, AGAM performed last year at MILFF 2017 and unexpectedly stole the show
as the closing act.
I was very pleased when Mojo
Projects decided to call AGAM again this year (something they normally won’t
do) because these guys are nothing short of special. At the Battle of the
Bands, it was AGAM who headlined the night,
casting their talent on the audience.
AGAM picked off where they left
last year and got the crowd singing at the top of their lungs from the first
number. I had brought a friend to Triple Treat who had no idea who AGAM was. By
the time they moved to their 3rd song, she had already declared her
undying love to them.
It is not an overstatement when I call AGAM a troupe of tricksters bringing musical magic to Malaysia, because such is their talent. They are able to cast magic spells on their audience, turning a rookie into a die hard fan. I like what Harish, the lead singer from AGAM said after their gig, “This is AGAM, you can tell people about our music, we are not that bad after all.”
It is not an overstatement when I call AGAM a troupe of tricksters bringing musical magic to Malaysia, because such is their talent. They are able to cast magic spells on their audience, turning a rookie into a die hard fan. I like what Harish, the lead singer from AGAM said after their gig, “This is AGAM, you can tell people about our music, we are not that bad after all.”
AGAM you were not just that bad
after all, in fact you guys are true magicians. You set the bar extremely high
at the beginning of Triple Treat and there was still Naresh Iyer and Stephen
Devassy to go.
With AGAM setting the pulse of
the crowd, it was Naresh Iyer’s turn to amaze the crowd with his melodious
voice. In terms of stardom, there is no doubt that Naresh Iyer was the biggest
pulling factor at Triple Treat.
Naresh Iyer’s voice combined with
the music arrangement of The Navneeth Sundar Ensemble, was a melodious treat to
ones ears. I am sure everyone there waited anxiously for Naresh Iyer to perform
“Munbe Vaa” but who would have guessed his renditions of yesteryear hits --
“Kanne Kalaimane” and “Malarthum Malaratha” was just as good. Thank you for
taking us back in time with your soulful versions Naresh.
The highlight of his show, apart
from “Munbe Vaa”, was when he brought a little rock flavor into “Kannukul
Kanne”. It was absolutely brilliant and filled with energy. His final track of
the night was one that has etched itself in my memory. His stellar performance
of “Vena Machan Vena” was mind blowing.
He burst into slick movement on the
dance floor, but the real star was a member of the audience who rocked the
dance floor with smooth but comical dance moves. I don’t know who you are
brother but you were amazing. Everyone behind was cheering at your talent,
brother!
After 2 out of 3 of them had
performed, we were at the brink of losing our voices, thanks to the endless
cheering. The final act was one we had no exposure to before but we were
reeling in excitement for Stephen Devassy and The Solid Band.
We had our eyes glued to the
stage, waiting for the man to make his entrance as his band was ready on stage.
Suddenly, there was music and cheers coming from the back of the hall and
people were going crazy. Stephen Devassy had made a grand entrance from back
through the audience and we were losing our grip!
He was jamming and hyping up the
audience with his keystar and it was absolutely startling. The way Stephen
Devassy conducts himself on stage reminded me a lot of Sid Sriram during last
year’s MILFF concert. The both of them clearly know how to raise the pulse of
the audience and return the enigmatic vibe that transcends the music.
He was jamming and hyping up the
audience with his keystar and it was absolutely startling. The way Stephen
Devassy conducts himself on stage reminded me a lot of Sid Sriram during last
year’s MILFF concert. The both of them clearly know how to raise the pulse of
the audience and return the enigmatic vibe that transcends the music.
By just jamming his keystar and
with no vocals, he was able to get the whole room to sing the songs, without
having to ask. That's the kind of magnetic aura he exuded. Tunes such as
“Mustafa Mustafa”, “Humma Humma” and “Maanguyile Poonguyile” got the crowd
singing at the top of their voices to his music.
My personal favourite was when he dedicated a part of his show towards love, peace and humanity, spreading positive vibes and energy through his music in a world filled with so much wrong doings. That was a fantastic touch Stephen, simply fantastic.
Before I announce the winner of
The Battle Of The Bands, I need to thank Mojo Projects for adding an opening
act this time around. Before AGAM performed, we had our very own homeboys
kicking off the show before Iftar with brilliant fusion music.
Current favourite, Music Kitchen
was live on stage with Arvind Raj and Abimanyu. I had the luxury to hear Music
Kitchen during the press conference of MILFF 2018 few months ago and they
impressed me a whole lot. I wondered why weren't they performing at the
concerts but it seemed my question was answered at Triple Treat.
The music fusion created by Music
Kitchen was wondrous but with the accompanying vocals of Arvind Raj and
Abimanyu, it was a real treat. Shout out to the stage presence of Arvind Raj. I
really like the way he engaged the crowd during his performance. Watch this
space people because Music Kitchen is going to be a big name soon and we will
be dishing out updates on them here!
In a nutshell, Triple Treat:
Battle Of The Bands rocked the night out. Music Kitchen cooked us an excellent
appetizer with some brilliant music fusion of Malay, English and Tamil. AGAM
are a bunch of magicians. The type of music they create are absolutely magical
and it will take you to a different dimension. Naresh Iyer was heartful and
touched our souls with his melodies. Stephen Devassy was an absolute rockstar.
He got the crowd reaching the peak with their energy throughout his set.
Now, announcing the winner of
Mojo Project’s Triple Treat: Battle Of The Bands.
*Drumrolls*
The winner issssssssssss……...
THE AUDIENCE.
Yes, the real winner of the night
is the audience at the show. They were treated to a night of magical
performances from 4 different flavours and it was all top notch. To all of you
who attended the show, congratulations!
To those who missed Triple Treat,
don’t worry, Mojo Projects has two more amazing concerts lined up for you. We
have Retro Rahman next on July 7 and MILFF 2018 Mainstage on September 8. What
are you waiting for? Grab your tickets right now from the links below!!!
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