Parikrama members perform in Imphal on Saturday. Picture by UB Photos

Imphal, April 23: Two super-groovy rock shows within a fortnight and Manipur could soon be counted as the rock destination of India, after Shillong.

Last evening, Parikrama, the legendary rock band, enthralled rock music lovers, along with bands like Shades of Retribution, metal band from Upper Assam, Apples, an all-girl band from Mizoram and two local bands, Fringes and Angelica, at a packed ground of Yaiskul Athletics Club in Imphal city.

This is the second rock event in Imphal this month.

On April 14, Imphal had a concert dubbed as India’s first heavy metal convention, where groups from Manipur, Nagaland and Bengal performed in a four-hour head-banging session.

The convention also saw the comeback of Post Mark, Manipur’s pioneering heavy metal band, after nearly 20 years, with a new vocalist.

Manipur itself has more than 10 rock bands, in addition to several groups performing Manipuri modern songs.

“Manipur is naturally the target for rock bands, as it has the potential to attract enough audience. Though it has the potential, it has never been tested. These shows are to test of this potential and the trend shows Manipur could be a rock capital,” R.K. James, director of the Imphal-based Oriental Pumpkin Events, an event management group, told this correspondent.

James was not exaggerating. Though the ticket was sold for Rs 200 each, nearly 10,000 people gathered at the concert venue last evening and remained a loyal audience till the show ended at 10pm.

The bands, too, were pleasantly surprised at the audience’s response.

“This is the first time we are performing in Imphal and the crowd was simply amazing. We had never expected this (large crowd),” Vedant, vocalist of Shades of Retribution, told this correspondent after his performance.

Subir Mallik, the organ player of Parikrama, agreed: “Audience in the Northeast is intelligent, they know the songs and music well.”

This is the first time Parikrama performed in Imphal with the original line-up. Ten years ago, Parikrama had performed here without its original vocalist. They had engaged another vocalist for the Imphal tour.

A few months back, Higher-On Maiden and Counterfeit Beatles also toured Manipur. Another band from the US, Fire House, will be performing in Imphal on May 6.

“Manipur, no doubt, loves rock music. The state also has the potential to produce rock bands that can be accepted not only in India but also on foreign shores,” Chaoma Sharma, an Imphal resident, who did not miss the recent concerts, said.