KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — The inaugural Malaysian Independent Live Fusion Festival recently was truly a treat for the senses.
Headlining the concert was homegrown band Akasha along with top South Indian acts, including Masala Coffee, Thaikkudam Bridge, Haricharan feat Bennet and the Band as well as Karthik and the Krew.
The concert, organised by Mojo Projects, took place at the StaXpo Centre, Kuala Lumpur and was a spectacle of epic proportions — utilising a mammoth stage, precision lighting and illusions worthy of the fans’ utmost love.
Hosted by THR Ragaa announcers Ram, Anantha and Yashini, the event started off with an introduction of the bands, followed by some tongue-in-cheek banter that kept the audience entertained.
Kicking off at 6.30pm, Akasha showcased their percussion skills. Some in the audience stepped in front of the stage to dance along to the “joget” tunes which Akasha is known for.
The seven-piece band is known for playing a fusion of music from four cultures — Malay, Indian, Chinese and Western.
The musicians got a chance at solos, including competition-like sets called “Kunakol”. And the audience, a few of whom were on their feet, joined the fun dancing to the beats.
Masala Coffee followed, and they gave a beautiful rendition of Munbe Va.
Some of the songs that had the crowd swaying were their own composition Kantha, a Malayalam song with more than five million likes on YouTube.
Then came Haricharan with Bennet and the Band on stage with a different concept, where they presented Kollywood movie songs with different music arrangements.
Doing the bulk of the singing was humble Haricharan, joined by Bennet for a Tamil-jazz number in perfect scat-singing. A keyboardist, drummer, violinist, two guitarists and a flautist rounded out the group.
Haricharan, known for his smooth voice, sang a few of his own songs and also two English rock songs.
Karthik later took over and the audience, especially girls went crazy even before they were on stage. The hall reverberated with cheers and screams.
The singer, who had recorded more than 4,000 songs in the Indian cinema industry, dashed onto the stage with his white jacket and presented jaw-dropping series of “swaras”.
Starting with classics, the singer belted out some of his most celebrated songs. It was truly a journey down the memory lane to which he also performed the first song he sang for actress Trisha, Aval Ulaga Alagiya from the movie Laysa Laysa.
Karthik also interacted well with the audience by giving them lines to sing along.
It was surprising to see how the band’s pianist at some points switched from the piano to an accordion. Few can pull it off on stage, yet he did seamlessly.
The popular phrase “thana, thana, thane” from the song Anjala in the film Vaaranam Ayiram had the crowd whipping out the mobile phones and waving them in the air.
Then emerged the king of YouTube listeners, Thaikkudam Bridge.
Grateful as many Malaysians were, some were not prepared for what they witnessed that night, despite having heard a number of good things about the band and their unique “fish rock” approach to music.
Coming from Kerala, the band chose to wear traditional red dhotis.
The members of Thaikkudam Bridge gracefully made their way on stage, looking cool and collected despite thousands screaming people waiting for them to kick off their set.
The opening with melodies of Govind Menon’s violin was mesmerising.
Besides their own tunes Nostalgia, Fish Rock and many others, they also rendered a series of well-known Hindi songs such as Kwaja.
But one of the memorable moments was seeing the Godfather (also Govind’s father) of the band on stage.
Peethambaran got the crowd psyched, getting them to sing along to the beautiful folk song Appozhum Parinillje.
All said and done, it was an extraordinary treat made memorable by the talented musicians.
One of the highlights of the evening was the informal, fun setting of the bands performing their last number, in tribute to great musicians of the past.
Masala Coffee concluded their 45-minute slot by performing a medley of maestro AR Rahman’s celebrated numbers.
Meanwhile, Haricharan sang songs in Rajinikanth’s movies as a tribute to the superstar, who recently created a buzz among Malaysians in the film Kabali.
Karthik took a step back and dedicated his concluding gig to MGR, a famous actor in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Older audience who were present enjoyed that very much.
Thaikkudam Bridge made their exit after performing songs of Ilayaraja — a range of hugely popular hits from the 80s to 90s. The evergreen numbers made concert-goers fall in love once again to Ilayaraja’s music.
