Lamb of God To Play in Bangalore Tomorrow And You Can’t Miss It

By Supritha Sanjay & Ranjini Garani

Bangalore, May 14 : Going by vocalist Randy Blythe’s Twitter updates, the rocker can’t wait to hit the Indian circuit. “I’m ready to go see temples, eat my ass off and play a RAGING show. I’m VERY excited — always wanted to see India,” Blythe says on Twitter with barely concealed exuberance. What’s more, he even says he is looking forward to tasting ‘idli-chutney’.

For fans of Lamb of God, the American heavy metal band that was nominated for a Grammy in 2007, the next two days are sure to carry a heavy charge of anticipation as they wait for the band to perform live on Saturday, May 15. The heavy metal outfit from Virginia is all set to headline at the Summer Storm Festival at Palace Grounds. The performance is sure to give trash metal fanatics an opportunity to support pure American metal, say fans from the city.

Lamb of God, sometimes shortened to LoG, is also called ‘The wrath of Virginia' and comprises of vocalist Randall Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell and drummer Chris Adler. Today, the band has a world-wide following. “It’s exciting to see people from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Dubai flocking to Bangalore to watch them live,” says Vinay Venugopal, co-owner of event management company Overture that is organizing the performance.

Bringing LoG down made perfect sense for Overture as the band is currently at the peak of its spell. But it wasn’t easy to manage the logistical challenges, the company confesses. “We had a few difficulties convincing the band, but LoG’s management has been very cooperative and patient with us,” says Venugopal.

Overture also aims to encourage local talent and figures there can’t be a better way to do that than giving Bangalore bands an opportunity to open the LoG act. Arpan Peter, co-founder of Overture, says, “We at Overture are trying to provide a platform for local bands and international acts like this one present the perfect opportunity.” Some of India’s youngest and grooviest bands such as Bhoomi and Extinct Reflections from Bangalore, Boomarang from Mizoram and Scribe from Mumbai will be opening for Lamb of God.

For Indian bands, the prospect of performing with LoG is exciting. Sandesh Nagaraj, guitarist, Extinct Reflections, has flown down from Los Angeles especially for this. For the band’s vocalist Prasad Bhat, “Opening for Lamb of God is challenging, but also a great honour.” Unfortunately, this one might be Extinct Reflections’ last gig, though Bhat feels this is the “best way to end our chapter in music.”

Venugopal feels that the intricacies of LoG’s music appeals to both technically inclined musicians as well as the average listener. A fan himself,Venugopal expects LoG to captivate the crowd in minutes with its riffs and onstage histrionics. Speaking of the music scene in the city, Venugopal says, “The city has a progressive music scenario, people have begun to appreciate an assortment of genres.” And he is indeed optimistic about the turnout for this one.

Going by the mood in the city, Bangalore seems to have a pretty large Lamb Of God fan following. Shruti Rao, who calls herself a“hardcore LoG fan”, says: “The countdown has begun! I’m looking forward to watching Walk With Me in Hell live. The guitar solo is insane. Mark Morton is the man!”

For young metal-heads, it’s time to celebrate as the city is hosting a large-scale metal event after a long dry spell. Bhargav Venkatesh, a student, is thrilled about the Summer Storm Festival. “After a string of disappointing acts, metal-heads like me are relieved that LoG will be performing here. They never fail to deliver inside the studio or out. My friends and I would always joke about LoG performing here one day, and now it’s really happening. We are totally kicked about this.” No wonder then that the organisers are excited about hosting Lamb of God. “They are one of the biggest international bands and have made a mark,” says Venugopal. Going by Blythe’s tweets, the band too is excited about its maiden India visit. We hope it’s not just for the ‘idli-chutney’.