Band scene in Chittagong is reviving to get back its past glory. The recent activities of the bands such as Sustain, Revere, Swapno and Rush have brought fresh air, which is showing hope of a bright future.
They are confident as they are producing quality original songs these days and also getting good responses from the audience.
And these young and energetic musicians are determined to draw attention of the people across the country as their predecessors such as Souls, Renaissance and Feelings (now Dhaka based Nagor Baul) did in the 1980s.
A vacuum was created as during the past two decades Chittagong based troupes basically took a short cut way of becoming popular: they preferred performing cover songs to playing and producing original numbers.
They did not get much financial support nor got much offer for the live shows, representatives of some of the Chittagong based young bands told New Age.
Sustain has got popularity just after the release of its debut album Pobetri Prem in 2004. It released two more albums- Ekattoor in 2007 and Rohossho in 2010- and participated in mixed albums along with Dhaka and Kolkta based bands.
‘We consider our participation in B-ROCK, the first ever joined venture of Bangladeshi and Indian bands a great achievement,’ bass guitarist of the band Alamgir, who is also the band leader, said.
‘For attracting people from all walks of life, there is no alternative but producing quality original numbers and to perform in regular stage shows,’ he added.
He further said that the band was busy for performing in live shows in the upcoming Pahela Baishakh celebrations and also recoding songs for an upcoming mixed album.
Revere, another band from Chittagong, gained popularity from their last solo album Rater Chhobi in 2012. The band is now working on its next album under the banner of a Dhaka based production house. ‘Despite lack of financial support, we are producing albums,’ Jahed a member of the band said.
Swapno is working on its debut album featuring 10 songs, which will be released soon. Vocalist of the band Shawon said, ‘All of the over 20 active bands in Chittagong should focus on producing quality music to make a vibrant music scene in the port city, which will in the long run attract big patronisers and sponsors.’
Shatu from the band Rush also has the observation that if the young potential bands in Chittagong work hard to produce quality original songs, the problems they are facing will come to end. And they will be able to work side by side with the Dhaka based bands.
-With New Age input
