(From top) Bangladeshi band Warfaze in concert; Chris Burns with a guest at the Cutty Sark whisky launch at Taj Bengal. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

Surrounded by a large crowd of youngsters, the band belted out eight self-composed numbers from its albums. And the audience seemed quite clued in to the sound of Bangla rock, humming along with the performers and cheering them all through.

Formed way back in 1984, Warfaze was labelled “the pioneer” of rock in its part of the world. Over the years, the band has seen many changes. At present, the five-member gang comprises Balam the lead vocalist, Sazzad on guitar, Shams on keyboard, Roger the bassist and Tipu on drums.

But on Tuesday, filling in the blank left by the momentary absence of Tipu was Gaurab of Lakkhichhara fame who took control of the drums.

“Our songs are a reflection of the society at present. We started with heavy metal and hard rock and gradually moved on to progressive rock and soulful melodies. At present, we strike a balance between hard numbers and soft music,” said Shams.

The repertoire of songs included Boshe achhi aami eka kancha rodey, bikele udash from debut album Warfaze, released in 1991, Jokhon aami thakbo na mone rekho amar ei gaan from the album Obak Bhalobasha and He maharaj esho amader somotole from Maharaj, released in 2003.

This was the first time the band performed in Calcutta and the musicians just love the crowd. “Calcuttans are music lovers in the truest spirit,” smiled Shams.

Scotch style

Junction, the bar at Taj Bengal, witnessed the launch of a new international whisky label on Wednesday evening. Glenrothes, the leading single speyside malt Scotch whisky, is the latest offering from Cutty Sark.

Speaking at the launch of this premier product, Chris Burns, regional director, Cutty Sark International, said: “Cutty Sark is viewing India as a big whisky market and we are delighted to launch this new brand here. And since Calcuttans are known for their love of good whisky, we are expecting it to do very well here. Being a malt of exceptional character, Glenrothes is for the discerning whisky lover.”

Aimed at a premium clientele, a bottle of Glenrothes comes for Rs 4,000.