High Voltage: An Evening of Rock and Roll

The steps of the Manipal amphitheater witnessed a thrum of activity this Saturday. With the sun setting, the al fresco stage came alive with music, lights, and laughter.

As the strobe lights swept the crowd, the animated expressions of the audience – some impressed, some unchanged – emerged.

 

High Voltage is an event wherein musicians and bands come forward to showcase their superlative skills in the rock genre. The event, organised by the School of Life Sciences, was a success for a third consecutive time and the organisers were decidedly satisfied with the turnout.‎

Spurred on by the audience, the first band, Sama, took the stage.
As the evening progressed, a total of seven bands – three headliners and four normal slots – performed under the blinding lights.

The Scenes, a Manipal band performing together for the last time, held the ability to make the crowd go wild with just a single strum. The camaraderie of the band was obvious in the way the band members’ heads bobbed in tandem with one another.

Next up was one of the headliners, Cloudburst, who should consider calling themselves ‘_Crowd_ burst’ judging by the massive roar that went across the amphitheater when they took the stage. Cloudburst performed a set of songs, including an original composition.


The band broke a drumstick during the performance, which was a clear testament to the amount of zest they brought to the event. Amidst broken drumsticks being tossed to the crowd, the vocalist jumping off stage, and loud declarations of love by the audience, the band made some really fine music and the bass resonated with all of our heartbeats.

 

Another one of the headliners, Under The Cross, walked onto the stage with the all the swagger of a seasoned rock band and called the audience up front. While the sound of the violin swept the crowd off its feet, the screen on the left side of the stage displayed pictures of food to remind us of all our vices at once.

 

The greatness of a band is assessed by how many times they make one want to head to the closest music store and pick up an instrument, and Saturday night was full of bands that induced quite the same feeling in many. Although the night saw quite a few bands that could need more practice, it was an overall success.

Natasha Kumar for MTTN

Photographers: Mahalaxmi Maahi, Arvind Gunasekaran

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