Feature

The Wireless Session - Version 4.0

Star Campus Desk

AFTER a long break of almost a year, The Wireless Session was back with a bang! More music for the fans, more platform for underground bands and more fun for those who love to spend time with their friends, sitting in the café, listening to the slow jam and appreciate good music. The session promised to be bigger, and with a much diverse lineup of bands to be featured.

The Wireless Session is a registered trademark brand of the event management firm Live2, which first started way back in 2006, when Nafis Tahsin Ahmed Shubho, an innovative genius, kicked off the first ever café shows in Bangladesh. The first sessions were held in the cozy corner of Decagon Café and featured some of the promising underground bands of this generation like Nemesis, Arbovirus, Shunno, Bohemian, Radioactive etc. along with superstars like Arnob, Nemesis, Black, Sumon etc. The Wireless Session 4.0 was no different. However, the wireless for the first time in history was being featured outside Decagon.

Session one (Wireless 4.1) kicked off with Embers, followed by Absent Element and Dis-integration who covered a few Megadeth numbers. The track Dread And The Fugitive Mind got the crowd rolling and screaming even in a café show! Radiosis, surprised everyone with their cool RHCP covers of Dani California, Can't Stop and even their own composition which had the flavors of RHCP in it! The fusion band Old Skool, was really popular with the crowd, covering instrumental of IM's Fear Of The Dark to Chirs Daughtry's Home. Eclipse came on to bring back old school numbers like ACDC's Back In Black, Eagle's Love Will Keep Us Alive and ending the first session with their original Dhurobo Shopno!

The second session (Wireless 4.2) featured Cosmic Radio, a new band with loads of potential, consisting mostly of fifteen year olds who covered numbers like Oasis's Wonderwall and Snow Patrol's Chasing Car. They were followed by Aftermath whose cover of Pearl Jam's Last Kiss got the crowd to its feet. Blunderware, like their name, covered most unusual numbers in the UG scene punching off with RHCP's Can't Stop, John Mayer's Why Georgia and a few more new numbers. Wireless crossed boundaries to promote for the first time a band outside Dhaka, AOD, from the port city of Chittagong, whose cover of Eric Clapton's Tears In Heaven was one of the most noted songs of the evening.

The highlighter sof this show were Mechanix and Radio Active. Mechanix, who showed their class by going from thrash to wireless, covering numbers like Eagle's Love Will Keep Us Alive, John Lennon's Imagine. Radio Active took to the floor and blew the crowd off with their cover of Lionel Richie's Hello, Richard Marx's Right Here Waiting, Bryan Adam's Everything I Do, GnR's Don't Cry and topped it off with their own number Shopnokotha.

The third session, started in a pretty gray atmosphere. Overtone took to the stage but failed to up lift the mood delivering a shabby performance covering numbers like Scorpion's Wind Of Change and Alice In Chain's Would. My 31st Demerit, was the second alter band from Chittagong to perform in the Wireless Session. They were quite a hit, covering popular numbers like Alterbridge's In Loving Memory and a couple of numbers from Black. Effigy sparked life in the grey evening with the Cryptic Fate's hit Cholo Bangladesh and an Andy Mackie cover. Ashique M Fahim, a solo guitarist, woke up the crowd with his cover of Joe Satriani's Always With You and his own composition Movin' On. Alternation, the band, showed drastic improvement with good vocals and guitar works covering brilliantly Michael Jackson's Heal The World and Billie Jean and U2's With Or Without You. The session also featured Shade's comeback with a new lineup. Opus, probably the biggest band in the UG scenario with eight members, hit the stage with Eagle's Hotel California, GnR's Patience and their own composition. Jawad's rhythmic whistling in Patience mesmerized the crowd! Bohemian covered fast tracks like Desire and Lyra and showed why they are one of the most promising bands in the business! Shunno, the headliner, despite Emil's illness did a marvelous job covering their hit numbers Godhulir Opare, Notun Srot and Bedona.

Wireless 4.4 kicked off with Alley who were below par, followed by Alter Messaih. Rockhouse, though new to the scene, delivered a very compact performance covering track like Why Gerogia and Earth Song. Xoroastrain coved a few classics like GnR's November Rain and Scorpion's Wind Of Change, along with Watson Brother's Rong. '71, the band formed with the spirit of liberation war, covered numbers from RHCP, John Lennon's Imagine and their own composition. Although, they did extremely well, they were however sidelined by the performance of the very next performer - Sir Western Milon. Western Milon made his entrance with the mystical drum beat, to sing his unreleased track and his famous number Guitar Haate. Turnout was thrice the capacity to see this deshi rockstar's existence. Coming back to reality, Nemesis, as always mesmerized the crowd with awesome guitar work from Maher and Zohad's charming vocals! Black rocked the house with hit numbers like Chena Dukkho, the Djuice Theme, Ondho and ofcourse Blues n Rodh!

The season finale was quite unique! There was Feel Nation, covering unusual tracks like Alice In Chain's Nutshell, Staind's So Far Away and Porcupine Tree's Trains! Oblique, released their EP that very day and put up a solid performance covering Nemesis and Shironaamhin along with their own number Ojthothai. Saadi of Incursion and friends came up with the Incursion Project, played some of the coolest old school numbers including the famous Eric Clapton number Layla. Bringing back the mainstream flavor in the café scene, Minar went solo on guitar covering his famous number Shada. Arbovirus, even without their drummer, gave a neat performance covering their own tracks Ja Icche Tai, Omanush and Shohor. Ajob concluded the fourth Wireless Session with doping Lalon numbers including some unreleased numbers and their hit track Bhobotaane!

The wireless sessions were truly a great experience for all those who attended every show, for it blended the different genres of music under one roof. This season will definitely leave the fans craving for more such sessions! They will not have to wait long!