Hyderabad, you rock!

When the completely indie Two Stroke Tour came to town, the expectations were kept to a practical limit. For starters, it was a Sunday, the venue was relatively new and let’s face it, Hyderabad’s response has at best been lukewarm when it comes to indie and original music. But the two touring bands, Last Remaining Light and Ganesh Talkies were in for a treat in the city, which was also the last stop of the eight city tour.
The fun began early as the perky vocalist of Ganesh Talkies, Suyasha Sengupta started walking around in the crowd, photo-bombing selfies and even sang to the kitchen staff — all of this while performing the line-up for the night. The Kolkata band that began with just two members has metamorphosed from playing covers to rock-infused, Bollywood-influenced originals that transforms into pure energy when they are on the stage.
What came as a pleasant surprise also was the fact that the 100-strong revellers who turned up at the Kondapur pub even received the mellow and alternative sounds of the Last Remaining Light. Although it was the first gig in Hyderabad for the guitarist of the band, Anurag Shankar, he had heard from other musicians of the city. But he admits he was surprised at the response they got. “At first we did ask people to come up front, but when we were four songs in, we saw most of the crowd grooving to the music. I was happy to see Hyderabad enjoying and embracing original music. I think this city has great potential. Of course, I would come back and play here,” he enthused.
Hyderabad was the last pitstop for the second edition of the Two Stroke Tour, which involves a tour of two bands, conceptualised by two music enthusiasts Ram and Uddi. And the appraisal of duo behind the tour is that “Hyderabad was the icing on the cake!”