Nostalgia — that was the word on everybody’s mind as they attended the relaunch of Jamsteady at Princeton Club on May 19. To bring back old memories (and make new ones of course) Aswekeepsearching (AWKS) took centre stage and kicked off the first leg of their Chasing Light Tour 2022. Uddipan Sarmah, Robert Alex, Sambit Chatterjee and Ajay Jayanthi performed songs like Kalga, ROOH and In Circles while the audience sang along with them.
The gig was opened by Universe In Crayons and VelvetMeetsATimeTraveller.
ONSTAGE
Aswekeepsearching performs at Jamsteady. “It’s emotional and exhilarating to go into those four walls that have heard historic music. It’s been one of the reasons why I am a musician today because initially just Princeton Club gigs and then as Jamsteady in Princeton, had been the heart of Kolkata’s indie music scene at a point of time. For Nishit to be able to negotiate and reach an understanding to do this gig... my hat’s off! With the competition we received around 60 names of bands who are making their own music, hopefully we can revive the place and yes it’s only possible if the reader right now takes an attempt and encourages another friend to come for these gigs... that’s how it will survive. In this gig, Kolkata really poured their hearts out. We played to a full house with new and old faces in the crowd who came here to support the scene. I hope they all continue to do so regardless of their taste in music... just to support,” said percussionist Sambit Chatterjee.
Post rock and ambient rock band VelvetMeetsATimeTraveller was the opening act for the night. The local band performed originals like Kaafila and Mizpah. “Jamsteady has always been the pioneer of the music scene in Kolkata. It is a pleasure and a dream come true for a band as young as ours to be able to showcase original music to a new audience. We appreciate the effort Jamsteady takes to promote young talent,” said Souvik Gupta, the band’s manager.
The second act for the night was Universe In A Crayon. The progressive instrumental band performed their first single Shooting Star along with Electric Sunrise by Plini. “It was a surreal experience for us to open for Aswekeepsearching at Jamsteady. We simply loved the energy of the crowd who cheered after every song which motivated us to perform an extra one in the end! We consider this to be an eye-opener for us and we eagerly wait for more such occasions so we can go out there and perform for you,” said keyboardist Prasenjit Ray.
OFFSTAGE
The crowd at Princeton Club could not get enough of the music.
“Having grown up with Sambit and now seeing him play with one of the best post rock bands to have come out of our country, is really emotional. On top of that, coming back to Princeton Club after all this time made us all very nostalgic. Overall a 10/10 night. Aswekeepsearching is tight, soulful and boy do they know how to play the crowd. It’s always a treat to watch them play. I never missed any of their gigs in Kolkata,” said Meghdut Roy Chowdhury (left) who posed with friend Vandit Shah. Meghdut, Vandit and Sambit had a band of their own called Nemesis. Their friend Kaustav Biswas was the bass player of the band.
(L-R) Bodhisattwa Ghosh, Tanya Sen, Kheya Chattopadhyay, Paloma Majumder and Adil Rashid
“I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of AWKS and the other two bands as well. It was a great feeling to have witnessed the comeback of Jamsteady at the iconic Princeton Club. When it started back in 2012, I played the first gig with my band Zoo, so it all came back to me. I hope this is a new beginning and I will always be part of it from both sides of the stage,” said Bodhisattwa Ghosh.
“Walking back to Jamsteady at Princeton after all these years was surreal. They have updated the space, but overall it feels just the same and it brought back so many memories. Back in 2012 we did the opening gig for Jamsteady with Zoo, so it was truly nostalgic,” said Tanya Sen.
“Princeton has always been super special because, as much as it’s been the place where amazing gigs have taken place, it’s also been the spot where different circles of people have become friends over music. It was a beautiful feeling to meet all the familiar faces once again under the same roof, united over their love for music,” said Kheya Chattopadhyay.
“It was quite literally a blast from the past. Jamsteady at Princeton holds fond memories for me as a performer and an audience. So, it was great to be back in a familiar setting with such amazing music and artistes,” said Paloma Majumder.
“I’m so happy that Jamsteady is back at Princeton Club, it feels like the independent music scene in Kolkata is back with a bang! Aswekeepsearching was sublime. All in all, great music, good ambience, good food and it was lovely catching up with friends,” said Adil Rashid.
Organiser Speak
“We returned to our birth place Princeton Club after a hiatus of five years with Aswekeepsearching. It was a need, a desperation and desire to recreate the magic of live original music and bring joy back to the city. We could feel it in the energy and the people in the room. We also saw a lot of new people who experienced Jamsteady for the first time and it felt amazing,” said Nishit Arora.
Pictures: B. Halder