Fans adorably refer to them as “ABC” -- Artcell, Black and Cryptic Fate. They may have different musical approaches or prefer dissimilar lyrical patterns but they have one thing in common -- a large group of young, energetic and loyal fans.
Live Square Concerts, an event management group that only arranges concerts, created a unique opportunity to watch and hear the ABC trio perform live on one stage. The gig, titled “The ABC Generation is Back”, was held at the auditorium of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, on July 29.
If we put aside the Cryptic Fate debut album “Ends are Forever” (1994, in English), all three bands emerged after 2000. Together, they made a significant contribution, probably the most influential, to contemporary Bangladeshi rock music.
Starting early in the evening, the show continued till midnight. Each of the bands performed for at least an hour and a half. The senior-most band of the trio, Cryptic Fate, took the stage first.
Influenced by the 1980s classic metal, Cryptic Fate's music has continued to develop and evolve into a style that is now considered unique. Following its debut album, the band started to climb the popularity ladder further through its later works “Sreshtho” (2001) and “Danob” (2006).
With Shakib on vocal and bass guitar, the band performed tracks including “Nidrahin”, “Bhoboghure”, “Tepantor”, “Prem” and “Cholo Bangladesh”. The last song is a tribute to the Bangladesh cricket team that the band released during the last ICC World Cup.
Black was the second band to take the stage. One of the earlier riders to come out of the underground music scene in Dhaka, Black is known for their bold stage performance. With Jon Kabir on vocal and guitar, the band shined through its performance.
Black's notable performances were “Ekhono Paini”, “Haat Barao Tene Nao”. Jon's gimmicks -- at one point lying flat on the stage -- were received with cheers from the fans.
Artcell, arguably the most popular among the trio at the moment, took the stage last. According to the band members, initially its music was heavily influenced by Metallica, though it has successfully moved away from that label through its ground-breaking albums “Onno Shomoy” (2002) and “Aniket Prantor” (2006).
It was half past 9pm on the clock. With some unusual sound checking, the quartet (Lincoln, Ershad, Cezanne and Shaju) started to rock the fans with their favourite numbers such as “Aaj Ami Alo Chhaya”, “Onno Shomoy”, “Kandari Hushiar” and “Dukkho Bilash”.
With guest vocal Jamshed (of Power Surge) behind the mic, Artcell also performed its popular number “Rahur Grash” and a Metallica song.
Later the ABC trio came together on stage and performed a couple of numbers, including their trilateral act “Ashirbad” that was featured in a mixed album in 2006.
Incursion and abc radio were the associate partners of the gig.