What a journey it was!
View(s):The maiden concert by Flame–a group that made waves in the local scene in the 80s was a delightful evening of classic hits
It was a privilege to attend one of the most unheralded concerts to take place in Colombo in recent times. Amidst the plethora of ads for ‘this gala, that happening and the other extravaganza’ you may think that you missed the publicity. But no; there had been no ad; there were some articles instead – and a ‘lot of word of mouth’. Pity, Colombo; ‘cos many of you missed out on a completely different show, by a band that has always had class and of course, supreme musical ability.
We’re talking of the maiden concert by Flame on November 11 at the Bishop’s College Auditorium.
Flame’s musical journey began in the late ‘80s at the Taj Hotel Lobby – some of you may remember those days, if you were a regular at the Lobby on a Friday night. Then, you may have listened to “some of the sweetest music heard in Sri Lanka” to quote drum guru Aruna Siriwardene’s words in the concert souvenir. Flame was unique then; a three piece acoustic driven aggregation that brought the timeless classics of Simon and Garfunkel and the Eagles (among others) to an eager audience. Over the years Flame grew – their numbers grew too – and the music fleshed out until today, they are a seven member outfit playing a very different brand of music, which speaks to this evolution and where the band is placed now.
And so to the concert on the 11th. Twenty two years of history seem to flash back in the blink of an eye as two founder members Naushad Rassool and Rienzi Pereira took the stage joined by Primal Liyanage to reprise Flame’s beginnings – three guys seated on bar stools. The mellow sounds of a single acoustic guitar heralded ‘The Sound of Silence’ – the Simon and Garfunkel classic – beautifully sung by Naushad and Primal followed by a Don McLean staple ‘Vincent’ – a solo by Naushad.
A point to note – the compere for the night Viran Corea made just two introductions for the whole show – the rest of the time, the members of the band interspersed the songs with much talk and banter as they introduced themselves, the songs and their guest artistes with a candour that was a revelation to the audience. Everything that was said on stage that night came from the heart – and the greatest thing is – the audience knew it!
Classic hit followed classic hit. The show was themed ‘The Journey’ and it proved to be so as the musical content moved easily from the early days of a trio to the fuller sounds of a full band as evidenced by songs like ‘You’re the One that I Want’ from Grease.
Another great touch was the appearance on stage of several past members in cameo performances that really brought back memories – people like Suranga Fonseka, Siraj Saboor, Lenny Vittachchi, pianist Rafi Buksh and guitarist Ranjan Josiah (who remained on stage as co-guitarist with Primal and Rienzi).
An even greater touch was the finale, when Naushad invited on stage ‘the younger, upcoming generation’ – the children of band members and friends. Young Ramith Herath took centre stage, clutching a guitar twice his size; joined by drummer Niroshan De Silva’s son Nigel at the piano, Naushad’s daughters Hayati and Tehani and bassist Joe Lappen’s daughter Jessie. We were treated to a more than accomplished version of the Beatles’ ‘ Let it Be’ by the kids who were later joined by the whole band. This segued into the chorus of ‘Hey Jude’.
The band’s roll call needs mention. Flame comprises: Naushad Rassool (vocals/occasional guitar), Rienzi Pereira (guitar), Primal Liyanage (vocals/guitar), Chris de Alwis (vocals/guitar), Joe Lappen (vocals/bass), Niroshan De Silva (drums), Nishantha De Abrew (keyboards/vocals) and Anne Jayamanne (vocals).
Well done Flame – it was a brilliant concert.
A fan
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