(From left) Randolph Correia, Vishal Dadlani, Papal and Shiraz strike a pose before hitting Someplace Else;Pictures by Rashbehari Das

The 16th anniversary celebrations of the city’s most popular live music hub, Someplace Else, kicked off on Saturday night with Pentagram — also 16 years old— bringing the house down with their classic fare.

Brimming with attitude, Vishal (lead vocals), Shiraz (drums), Papal (bass) and Randolph (guitars) served up tweaked covers of Where’s Your Head At, Living On My Own, Desire and originals like Electric, Animal and a shout-out to Calcutta with This is For My People. What started off as a hard rock band in 1994 now infuses funk and electronica influences as was heard in songs from their new album Bloodywood.

t2 caught up with Pentagram frontman Vishal Dadlani, also known as one half of music director team Vishal-Shekhar, and axe-slinger Randolph Correia, also part of the electro-funk duo Shaair N’ Func, moments before the show…

You have managed to stick together as Pentagram for over 16 years. What’s the secret?

Randolph: Fevicol! Aisa jor kabhi nahi todenge! It’s a kind of magic we don’t want other bands to know or you to write.

Vishal: See, we like to do this so we do it and the line-up hasn’t changed, touchwood! Pentagram without us four would not be Pentagram.

R: It’s the same for me when I’m with Shaair N’ Func or when Shiraz, Papal and me do some studio work. We go into our individual spaces that help improve our attitude as musicians.

V: I’d say the band for me is No.1 and films are No. 2. I carry my own influences but nothing of Pentagram travels to Vishal and Shekhar and vice versa. Both are individual and part influenced by who I am as a person.

Any bands giving you a tough time?

R: We’re doing well, I’d say. I think our songs are getting better, and that must mean we’re getting better— as people, as musicians. We started out with many influences but at this point you become your own influence.

V: We’re more comfortable and evolved as a band in terms of what our songs are saying. The next album we’re putting together will be a landmark for us.

Pentagram in performance. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

What’s it about?

V: It’s an evolution of the previous sound, taking it to the next level, as well as a return to the roots. It’s a pretty existential album. The focus has always been about stuff we want to say about life around us.

R: Just that we’re saying it a lot better. The sound is loud and heavy but there’s a lot more soul. It’s called Bloodywood (a take on Bollywood) and we’re about three quarters through.

V: We want to do about 15 songs. We’ll tour and take it abroad as much as we can.

R: One thing to check out is pentatvindia on Youtube. It’s our fun and interactive video blog.

V: There are videos coming up while the songs are being made. We talk about the songs and you can hear it. It’s like a channel in itself and we plan to have a good 20 episodes. There’s a company called Babble Fish helping this video series to roll out.

What’s your take on the original music scene in India?

V: There are lots of bands doing a lot of cool stuff and a lot more people coming to see original music than they were back in the ’90s or 2000s. I think that’s a fight that all of us have fought and it’s a huge step that has been achieved. Also, Indian bands are now being signed abroad much more extensively and all this is happening on the strength of original music. It comes from a strong sense of identity and something to say for yourself.

R: It’s an evolving counter-culture. The radar’s on India. The West is pretty much saturated. People are looking at newer countries for newer ideas in sound.

V: We were just in the UK and Australia and people across the world are shocked to find that India has an urban sub-culture. It’s an important message that we take to them about Indians not being villagers riding elephants with turbans on their head. The fact that our lyrics are in English makes it easy for them to connect without losing track of the texture of where we’re from. When people hear us they hear Mumbai and India that we amplify into an urban electro-rock space.

Why bring in elements of electronica and funk into the essential rock sound that Pentagram was known for?

R: It’s a part of the culture and the way it’s evolving. Electronica and all come in from rock music anyway.

V: Genres have nothing to do with music. You can’t make rock using a hip-hop groove or an electronica sync line. Rock is about saying something relevant to your time, place and mental state. It’s not limited by a set of instruments. Those who don’t know will classify but the truth is that rock is a statement. You can even rock out with your hands and voice.

Any Indian bands that you guys like?

V: I like Scribe very much.

R: The Supersonics are awesome. Something very legitimate about their sound and what they believe in. The fact that they’re from Calcutta makes sense to us because when we were growing up doing music we always knew of Calcutta being a musical town. Then there was this rush of classic rock that washed everything out and now I’m glad that it’s back.

A dream venue where you hope to play some day?

R: Rang Bhavan in Mumbai.

V: Yeah. It was a nerve centre for the Mumbai rock scene but for some stupid reason, someone filed a PIL and now that place is just lying vacant and unused. It was one of the only outdoor performance arenas in Mumbai.

Any funny stage moments?

R: I fell down on the stage because I saw too many strobe lights. I got vertigo, stood straight and then I lay down. But I finished the track while lying down!

V: And I’ve actually fallen off a 10-foot concrete stage in Delhi. I couldn’t see the end of the stage so I walked right off it. People thought it was a disappearing act but I was actually lying in a crumpled spot at the bottom of the stage!

Picture by Amit Datta

Tanmoy Bose, accompanied by 20 folk drummers from Bankura and Purulia, five dhakis and two fakiri singers, flagged off the Queen’s Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games 2010 on Sunday morning in front of the Victoria Memorial. “Since the theme was ‘unity in diversity’ we chose the song Bhojibo tomar ranga charan from my album Baul And Beyond. What better way to express plurality than fakirs singing in praise of Allah and Kali,” said Bose.