Bertie Da Silva and Amyt Datta pep up Friday night at Someplace Else. (Rashbehari Das)

A hushed Someplace Else on Friday night, raucous students left silent by the music… Impossible, right? Wrong. When Calcutta’s favourite professor-rocker Bertie Da Silva and guitarist-with-magic-fingers Amyt Datta perform together, impossible is nothing. The two of them belted out a part-acoustic, part-electric set. Someplace Else and t2 present Bertie Da Silva also saw his regular band mates Suraj on drums, Willie on bass, Sooman on lead guitars and Anindya on backing vocals.

In his trademark black beret, Bertie started off with his peppy composition, Hustle. Next up was the freshly written If By Any Chance. Quiz him on the new song, and you get a typically wry reply. “It’s about things that happen by chance,” he smiles. “About unexpected turns taking more unexpected turns and about being ready for those chances.”

The gig had something for everyone — from the romantic You’re The One and the wistful One More Saturday to every fangirl’s favourite La Dolce Vita and another old favourite Carnival (played with rousing solos by Amyt Datta). Keep The Lights On had the audience singing along. The set was wrapped up with Don’t Let The Sun Go Down (“nothing like the ’80s pop song of the same name,” he grins).

Obviously, pub-hoppers wouldn’t go home without an encore. So the singer-songwriter shut them up with Go!