Kolkata, amidst a rain-kissed evening, celebrated Word Music Day at several venues across the city. An outstanding portion of the city’s celebration symphony was Ahmedabad-based pop-rock band Heat Sink, fronted by singer-songwriter Chirag Todi, who played out their originals at Skinny Mo’s Jazz Club.
Chirag commenced a nationwide tour on June 15, following the success and release of his collaborative project with indie artist Dot. (Aditi Saigal), titled Spiced Lemonade. This peppy, catchy number is a love ballad that explores the concept of living in the moment and embracing the ebb and spontaneity of life.
With a set list of 16 original compositions, the group comprising Tshering Bhutia (vocals), Chirag Todi (guitar and vocals), Protyay Chakraborty (violin and vocals), Raag Sethi (bass), Pritul Chauhan (drums), and Kandarp Kavishwar (keyboard), executed a unique blend of genres (band's contemporary pop sound paired with Todi's jazz and blues influence) with terrific technical prowess.
Prior to this, Chirag's musical career boasts two released EPs and noteworthy collaborations with industry giants such as AR Rahman, Clinton Cerejo, and Mickey McCleary. His compositions are recipients of various accolades, including Nexa Music and Clef Music Awards, and have been featured in an Apple commercial and on Vh1.
Chirag Todi
By the end of the performance, many songs stood out, leaving an indelible mark on the audience. Thankfully, Skinny Mo's offers great acoustics and an atmosphere conducive to an intimate and attentive listening experience.
A significant aspect of their appeal lies in the band’s remarkable knack for creating unostentatious instrumental passages despite the overall composition being flamboyant, maintaining a sense of anticipation.
Judgement stood out with its groovy rhythm, a tasty piano solo, and captivating violin riffs. The chorus echoed with Tshering’s vocals, elevating the atmosphere. Choices, a heartfelt composition about a friendship breakup, allowed the audience to witness Chirag’s creative songwriting process.
“Being primarily a guitarist, my approach to writing melodies and chord progressions is rooted in starting with the guitar, utilising the knowledge and vocabulary I’ve acquired through playing and improvising solos. This musical approach takes precedence over the lyrical aspect, allowing me to focus on creating melodies from a purely musical standpoint,” said Chirag about his creative process.
Saaya featured a captivating drum solo showcasing the band’s rhythmic prowess. The magical moment of Little House, a song about a cosy little home and an evening shared with a loved one, left the listeners spellbound. The final song, Wait a Sec, served as a perfect conclusion to the evening, with all the instruments energised and seemingly having fun on the stage.
The highlight of the show was the frugality in Kandarp’s piano playing, and Protyay and Tshering’s harmonies. The group even played some of their unreleased music for the audience to sneak a peek into their near future.
Overall, it’s a tight band that manages to replicate their studio recordings even in their live performances. Spiced Lemonade, a tune so catchy, it lingers and reserves its place in the name of the tour. Protyay’s zesty stage persona, with Chirag’s awkwardness and his mellow yellow sunglasses, added some organic theatrical value to the sonic ensemble.
Surprisingly, this was Protyay’s first time performing live in Kolkata, despite being a Bengali. “I'm a Bengali but have never lived in Bengal. I grew up in Jaipur and then in Ahmedabad and have since been based in Ahmedabad. I have some relatives in Kolkata, so I’ve been visiting since I was a kid, but being on the other side of the country, professionally, I’ve been disconnected from the Kolkata music scene. It’s only now, with Chirag, that our music is reaching more ears, and the work from Compass Box Studio is also spreading in the national music scene. So we’re finally trying to branch out to more places this year. After Kolkata, we head to Shillong and Guwahati, which will also be firsts for us,” stated Protyay.
Raag, the bassist of the group, who is also the Founder of Compass Box Studio in Ahmedabad, is all set to release Compass Box Music: Unboxed Vol. 4, a compilation album showcasing what India has to offer in a live recording format in one take.
It is safe to say that Heat Sink’s debut performance in the City of Joy was tangy!
