Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Powerful sounds
Gear up for an atmosphere of raw ear splitting music as Youth Live 2003 hits Colombo on Sept 6. Four stunning rock bands will take the stage and usher in the raw sound of electrifying rock, come September 6 at the Methodist College auditorium at 7 p.m. From the very first guitar riff to the grand build-up of the final cymbal clash, this event promises great atmosphere and amazing talent as ‘Hi-Octane’, ‘Mute’, ‘Reap’ and ‘Ezra’ bring forth the music.

‘Youth Live 2003’, the first of a string of annual rock concerts makes its debut on the local rock scene, entertaining and satisfying a rock hungry generation that’s rapidly expanding. Says a spokesman for the organizers, The Kollupitiya Methodist Church Youth Fellowship (KMCYF), “There were four of us seated in a room discussing what to do, and one bright spark said… let’s have a rock concert. That pretty much gave birth to ‘Youth Live’.

Youth Live is organized with the objective of giving greater opportunity and exposure to the budding youth rock groups who have great talent and potential that needs to surface. Here’s what the bands had to say:

Hi Octane
With just four members, minus a drummer, this band goes back two and a half years, during which it has made steady progress as a rock group. Currently this group consists of Peminda and Jagath on vocals, Mills on lead, Suren on rhythm, Vije on bass and Heshan on drums. Hi-Octane believes in originality. Says Suren, “Originality should be promoted and bands that depend on covers should start working on originals.” Hi Octane will be the opening act at Youth Live 2003.

Mute
Mute was a bunch of guys who attended regular services at church and progressively started playing and leading the praise and worship segments. The four members have been there since the inception of the band. Youth Live 2003 will feature Mute with Sanjay on vocals, Warren on lead, Ravin on bass and Amrick on drums. “There’s more to rock music than most people think. It’s not only about head banging and noise, it could also be used to bring out a message,” is what Sanjay had to say. With their hit single ‘Sinner’ topping the TNL Rock Charts for four consecutive weeks, they feel they’ve made their mark and are on course to release their maiden album next year.

Reap
Making their debut at Youth Live 2003, Reap is an amateur youth rock/gospel band that wants to make their mark on the local rock scene. With Chrishantha (CC) on vocals, Pradeep and Rajind (TJ) on rhythm, Nirmala on acoustic, Timothy (Timmy) on bass and Lahiru on drums they are ‘all-systems-go’ and ready to launch! Their strong faith in Jesus Christ makes them a group with a cause. With their uniqueness in style and enthusiasm to progress, Reap plans to work on originals and get through tedious school exams (laughing)!

Ezra
Ezra began their rise in 1997 with five musically talented friends who decided to specialize in gospel rock music. Their high-point (so far) was winning the 2002 TNL Onstage championship. With Billy on vocals and lead, Dale and Joshua on rhythm, Yohan on bass and Romesh on drums, Ezra has plans for the future. Ezra is now working on their maiden album that is to be released at the end of this year. Their EP titled ‘Nazarene’, featuring ‘Are you ready’, ‘Dhveshaya’ and ‘Nazarene’ will be available at Youth Live.

The main sponsors of Yputh Live 2003 are ‘Rhema Realms’ together with ‘Sun FM’ and ‘Gold FM’ of the ABC Radio Network. ‘The Sunday Times’ is the media sponsor. Tickets for the show will be available on Saturday, September 6, at the Methodist College Auditorium, Colombo 03, from 7.00p.m. onwards. Tickets priced at Rs. 150 will be available at the gate and at the KMC office. (Call 2573280 during office hours). For more information on Youth Live 2003 contact on 0712285653.

Back to Mirror Magazine