Arts
Travelling the world doing what they love doing most
‘Hypnotik,’ an internationally acclaimed party band have been settling in at the L.A.B (Lounge & Bar) at the Hilton Colombo. Comprising a line-up of multi-talented musicians from around the globe, they have been performing five days a week at the L.A.B. and thus far they’ve managed to fill the lounge with their positive energy and good music.
After having seen them live, we also met them on a Thursday afternoon, – vocalists Fern Lessani, Sophie Messina and musicians Hein Busch (Musical Director, Keys and vocalist), Felix Antoine Bergeron (Guitar) and Loic Dion (Bass/vocals) and Ian Ludolph (Drums/vocalist).
Hypnotik originally started off in Bahrain three years ago and have been travelling the world since. They have performed together in Morocco, China, Malaysia and of course Bahrain. This is their first time in Sri Lanka. The members themselves are of different nationalities but what unites them is the music. Hein explains that the moment they get on stage, they start to think alike.
“Music is a language and when we’re up onstage, all of us speak that same language.”
Each of them is gifted with their own talents which add colour to the band. Sophie Messina, who is originally from Brussels, Belgium, has been a professional singer for the past decade. She has performed on some major European, Asian, and Middle Eastern stages as a lead performer as well as a background vocalist. A talented dancer, Sophie is also fluent in French, English, Spanish and Italian.
Positive energy and good music: Hypnotik at the Hilton. Pic by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
Fern on the other hand, has great experience when it comes to working the crowd and involving them throughout the shows. In fact during their opening show she walked amongst the audience, getting them to sing with her, building the energy in the room.
“The goal is for the audience to enjoy the music,” she explains. Hein chimes in that Fern can also sing a few Chinese numbers.
Hein, the band leader is an accomplished and versatile musician who can play the bass, guitar, drums or keyboards at any given time. His smooth vocals also have the tendency to captivate his audience.
He tells us that each member puts in a lot of hard work and dedication as the band travels the world. They’ve also had to make sacrifices. “Leaving our families and homes behind is not easy,” Hein admits.
Most bands have their own repertoire. But Hypnotik tries everything and that’s what makes them stand out. They are not a “No band,” meaning they take all sorts of song requests from their audience and do their best to oblige.
L.A.B. has been challenging, Hein remarks, because the requests that keep coming are great songs. “In this circuit, you need to know songs like ‘Zombie’ and ‘Hotel California’. And even though this may be quite stressful, it’s advantageous, because this helps the band build up our repertoire,” he says.
Loic has been playing bass, upright bass, guitar and piano since the age of eight. He applies his strong experience in jazz and world music to bring a groovy and soulful touch to the stage. Loic can also sing lead and back up vocals in six different languages.
“What are some of the major challenges that you face?” we ask them, to which Fern retorts, “working with Ian.” Everyone chuckles at this point. On a serious note though she explains that it’s having to get used to a new venue from time to time.
As the guys put it, Ian is the baby of the band and as they say his special talent is his “smouldering intensity.” Growing up in a troubled area of Cape Town, he however rose above his circumstances and today, travels the world, doing what he loves, which is making music.
Catch Hypnotik in performance at the L.A.B for the next three to four months– Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8.30 p.m. to 1 a.m., Thursdays 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m.
For more information, call the Hilton’s F&B Reservations Desk on 2492492 or see www.hiltoncolombo1.com and facebook/hiltoncolombo.