Decibels, the semi-pro competition at the annual Saarang 2010, hosted in the lush, green campus at IIT Madras has always been synonymous with good bands and better music. Having seen the likes of Bhayanak Maut, Slain, NerveRek and Junkyard Groove over previous years, I expected nothing less this time around. And to put it simply, I wasn't disappointed.

The prelims saw 13 bands battling it out for a place at the finals at the IIT Open Air Theatre, an amphitheatre with a long and beautiful music history attached to it. Over the years, this stage has seen the likes of Orange Street, Led Zepplica, Moksha, Opeth and other highly recognised bands and musicians, and is also the venue of the IITM Rock Show 2010, featuring legendary Swedish power metal band Hammerfall. It’s always been a dream of sorts, for bands and musicians (including myself!) to play at the OAT and this year, 6 bands made it to the finals. The prize they were playing for? The obvious title of Best Band at Saarang 2010, which is an honour by itself, plus a chance to win a truckload of money and to open for Hammerfall at the Rock Show, an opportunity no band would want to miss out on.

Under the noon January sun (which, in Chennai is just as bad as the April/May/June/July/August sun!!), bands like Soundscape, The Wakafooies, Maelstrom, Verses and Culminant, among others, played out 15 minute slots to win their chance at glory. I can only imagine the plight of the judges Jason and Timothy, who must’ve had an extremely hard time, choosing the bands that would battle it out at the finals, and breaking the hearts of those bands that would watch it from the sidelines.

In the end, the bands that did make it to the finals were Blacklisted (Chennai), Escher’s Knot (Chennai), Eccentric Pendulum (Bangalore), What Escapes Me (Kolkata) and Public Issue (Chennai). And as the day turned into night, the bands and the audiences trooped off to the OAT, to watch the finals, a veritable rock show by itself, with each band getting 20 minutes to display their musical prowess.

Blacklisted was the first band to hit the stage. Being a Chennai band, the home support was obvious, with fans flocking to the stage to watch them. Being part of the Chennai music scene for some time now, I remember these musicians a few years back when they were rank amateurs, and despite the fact that I hadn’t watching them for about 2 years, I immediately wrote them off as just another bleh-band.

My mistake.

The first note from Booby’s guitar pulled me off my chair, grabbed me by my collar, slapped me around and demanded my complete attention. A heady mix of RATM influences with dollops of infectious grooves, this 5 piece band opened my ears to a new form of alternative/indie rock, one devoid of the stereotypes that the genre is so ripe with. The judges didn’t seem to approve of 2 vocalists sharing the stage, but I found them A-Ok. Playing an all original set list, including the immensely popular ‘Jam Song’ and ‘Love Time Continuum,’ I couldn’t help but applaud the creative genius behind the music, and watched the band that I wrote off storm their way as title contenders.

Next up was, Eccentric Pendulum, a band I’d watched previously at Deccan Rock Fest 2009. I expected a lot from the Bangalore based technical death/thrash metal outfit, but on that day, the 25th of Jan 2010, they were just way off. Plagued by sound problems, their riffs didn’t deliver that punch that I usually take for granted from this band. Nikhil’s vocals were great, Arun’s bass playing were above par and the drummer was spot on, but I couldn’t really appreciate anything due to the fuzzy guitars which had continued from the prelims to the finals. Despite being a big fan of their music, I jus couldn’t enjoy their show, which was disappointing because I was really looking forward to being blown away by them (again!)

What Escapes Me from Kolkata were one of the underdogs during the prelims, and the very fact that they qualified to the finals zipped up quite a few unwanted judgements. They put up a fair show, but sadly had a few sound and sync problems. Though they brought out some good renditions of Bullet for my Valentine and a handful of decent originals, they failed to make an impact on the big stage, making their competitors get the better of them.

Over the years, Public Issue has built up a reputation of being a great, fun band to watch live and on Saturday evening, they lived up to that expectation and how! Kristo (on vocals) was literally all over the place and at one point, was hanging from the rafters that supported the massive PAs and even got a member of the crowd to dance along to their tunes! Albeit slightly off tune at parts, he was the exemplary front man and with Nipun (guitars), Handel (bass guitar) and Vinay (drums), they were quite the act. I must say that at parts, I felt their songs drag a little longer than necessary, but maybe that’s jus me. A special mention must be given to Handel. Exceptional bass playing skills and a treat to watch live. I was very highly impressed.

Escher’s Knot was the last band to take the stage. I’d watched them at the prelims and I was blown away by the technicality and efficiency with which they played but under the blinding lights at the IIT OAT, they were jus something else. Even a vicious carnivore, a monster charging and eating everything its path wouldn’t have been able to survive the onslaught that was Escher’s Knot. With riffs that would induce anger and aggression even among the meek, and growls would drive fear into the hearts of the brave, these guys were everything that I wanted to hear from a metal band and more. Manu was a machine behind the skins and I watched in awe, as Madhav (on bass guitar) and Anshuman (on lead guitar) opened a new musical portal, seamlessly connecting the world of haunting melodies with that of brutal, crushing riffs. The only way their show could’ve been better was if there was more of a ‘lock’ between the bass guitarist and the drummer, but that minor point was hardly enough to change my mind. I knew who the ultimate winner of Saarang Decibels 2010 would be...

Final Results:
1st Place: Escher’s Knot (Chennai)
2nd Place: Eccentric Pendulum (Bangalore)

Best Vocalist: Nikhil (Eccentric Pendulum)
Best Guitarist: Nipun Nair (Public Issue)
Best Bass Guitarist: Handel Jim (Public Issue)
Best Drummer: Manu (Escher’s Knot)