Medium rare | Photo credit: Special Arrangement
I’m at a practice venue in Nungambakkam listening to retro-rock band Medium Rare practising for its upcoming Pink Floyd tribute concert. Vikram Vivekananda softly plays the guitar, creating a mellow, haunting backdrop, while Conrad Simmons gets on the mic and sings, ‘The lunatic is on the grass…”
Medium Rare are rehearsing ‘Brain Damage’, which addresses mental health issues, a recurring theme throughout the album, the dark side of the MoonAs the song progresses, there is a gradual build-up of sound with the rising vocal harmony of Orlando Ambrose, Eugene, and Conrad, culminating in the iconic line, “I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon”,
Listening to the band rehearse takes me back to the 1980s, to smoke-filled college dorm rooms filled with long-haired, dirty young men listening to Pink Floyd. the dark side of the Moon was released in 1973, and has since sold over 45 million copies; it is also listed in the Guinness World Records for having stayed on the charts longer than any other album in history.
Medium Rare was founded in 2005 by Orlando Ambrose and has performed over 350 gigs in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra over the last 19 years. The band has a line-up of experienced musicians with Orlando on lead vocals and Conrad on bass and vocals. Dave Gilmour’s brilliant guitar solos will now be shared by Vikram and Darren Hickman. The versatile Eugene Guest who also plays bass, guitar and keyboards is on drums and the talented Anthony Karuna is on keyboards.
Vikram Vivekananda | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The band’s original composition ‘Mad About You’, a rock ballad, was chosen as one of the top 24 original English songs in India in 2020 by AR Rahman and Nexa Music.
At the tribute concert, they will perform Pink Floyd classics such as ‘Comfortably Numb’, ‘Coming Back to Life’, ‘Another Brick in the Wall’, ‘Wish You Were Here’, ‘Brain Damage’, ‘Money, Time’ and ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, among others.
“The music has an enduring quality that continues to attract new fans from different generations,” says Orlando. “This tribute concert offers old fans and new audiences in Chennai an opportunity to experience the magic of Pink Floyd’s music in a live concert setting,” he adds.
Friday, June 14 at 8.30pm at Bay 146, Savera Hotel. Tickets here Prices above ₹250 are available on Paytm Insider. For more details call 9710976876
