Bangalore rock act Thermal & A Quarter played the Blue Frog recently. Very few people turned up. Those who did will remember it as one of the best gigs this year. We were there.

Notes

1. This gig was part of Eleven Guitar Day – a guitar workshop conducted by TAAQ frontman Bruce Lee Mani, along with other desi guitar greats including Tony Das, Amyt Datta and Amit Heri.
2. While the inclusion of the additional guitarists let to much axe wankery during the end of the set for the obligatory co-ops, it was the Bangalore act’s unaccompanied stuff that was particularly sublime.
3. Very few people showed up for the gig. And though usually the lack of audience members does discourage some acts from giving 100% on stage, the quiet in the Frog made for a remarkably intimate TAAQ gig.
4. Put simply, this was a masterclass by the Bangalore (now) quartet.
5. With picks of material spanning their catalogue, TAAQ showed us just why they’re one of the best live acts in the country today.
6. We’d caught them just a few weeks earlier at Rocktoberfest and while they were pretty efficient, Blue Frog’s PA and the especially private setting of the venue allowed the band to, ironically, stretch their legs with a selection of tunes including ‘Holy Jose’, ‘How Can I Get Your Groove’ and a particularly goosebump-inducing version of ‘Jupiter Cafe’.
7. A couple of covers were thrown in – set regular ‘Roxanne’ and a loose-ish take on ‘Wonderwall’ (Cover Story soon).
8. Make no mistake, this was one of the best gigs this year.

We took a bunch of pictures at the gig. Here are a few.