Artistes of rock band Unbound Retention perform in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 6: High-octane music streamed out of electric guitars and youngsters grooved to the head-banging numbers on Saturday evening at Cloud Connected, which testified the growing craze for rock music in the state capital.

Organised by city-based cultural group, Club Knox Entertainment at a pub near XIMB Square, the event brought together various popular as well as upcoming bands playing diverse genres of music under one roof. Eleven bands from various educational institutions and corporate houses took part in the daylong event.

“Every individual has a different taste of music. The idea was to bring these genres to a common platform. Moreover, rarely do city youngsters get to see and judge the performances of so many rock bands. While such events help the groups gain some popularity, it also gives music lovers a chance to pick their favourites,” said Soumya Banerjee, a member of the club.

While Smoke and Mirrors was the first performer, curtains came down with the tracks sung by Saints of Sodom. Unbound Retention, a year-old hardcore metal band that is gradually finding an increasing fan following, headlined the show. They played the Limp Bizkit track Take a look around that saw rock lovers pumped up and swaying to the music. Grievance Revival, another band, performed the track Walk by the American metal band Pantera.

The evening not only saw hard metal bands, but also there were a few such as Mystic Chimes that presented fusion tracks. Several bands took the opportunity of treating the listeners with original tracks. Each band was given a duration of 45 minutes for their gigs.

Among other bands that played on the occasion were Raaga, 2:57 AM, Ingredientz, Sweet Children, RZX and Magn. About 450 music lovers turned up at the event. “I just came back from New Zealand after completing my higher studies and it has been a pleasant surprise to find so many promising rock bands blooming in my hometown. To be able to see over 10 bands performing different English and Hindi tracks was a matter of great delight,” said Parikshit Hans, an aspiring pilot.