Watching Solder in concert is like getting an instant rush of happiness. High energy, lots of jumping and unpredictable screaming guitar licks have you wondering what they’re going to do next. Frontman Siddharth Abraham says, “One element we try to infuse in all our songs is a three-part vocal harmony.”
At a recent performance in the city, Solder had music lovers pleasantly surprised when they opened their set sounding like a small choir, instead of a rock band. Perhaps that’s what sets this Bangalore-based band apart from most rock groups. “We play ‘happy music’,” smiles Siddharth. And with happy music, anything goes.
After all, it was a certain optimism that brought them together in the first place. When a previous band, Point Blank, didn’t work out between Siddharth, Akhilesh Kumar and Joel Rozario — they decided to stick things out and find themselves some new members and a new sound. The rest of the Solder line-up has Akhilesh (guitars), Joel (drums), Sylvester Pradeep (guitars) and Samson Phillip (bass).
So how did the name come about exactly? “Back when we started, we were kind of poor,” Phillip admits with a laugh. He goes on, “And Joel’s guitar cable was broken, so we decided to fix it ourselves.” Old cables and jacks were sought out of dusty corners and after several attempts — the guitar cable, now ‘soldered’ back together was ready for action. Well, the name stuck, although sadly the cable is long gone.
Three years and 15 original compositions later, fans are eager for an album. “We have all the material ready,” states Siddharth, a kickboxing instructor by day. “But hey it’s going to be our first album and we want it to be perfect,” he says indicating that this may take a while. “Hopefully, it will be out by the end of the year,” the vocalist adds as consolation.
In the meantime, watch out for their songs Irish Coffee and a close-to-evil sounding, Cookie Monster online. “Every time we play a different venue, we try to come up with a new song,” reveals Siddharth.
From their last gig at Star Rock, the audience may distinctly remember the sound of a repeated chorus that went – “Gin, gin, gin.” Whether or not it boosted alcohol sales for the bar, it certainly got the crowd going. To sum up then — they do happy music and are generous with their gin — you’ve got to love this band.
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