Queued for chaos, stayed for one of the most satisfying guitar performances Kolkata has witnessed in a long time.
A Rough Start That Almost Ruined the Evening
If Kolkata does anything better than other cities when it comes to live gigs, it is to mess up something or the other. Well, that’s how it felt when we had to stand in a long queue for one and a half hours outside the venue. Reason? Elevator issues (I say while rolling my eyes).
By the time we finally entered, opening act Jimmy Daimari of DWI was already more than halfway through his set. I only managed to catch his last three songs, but they were enough to lift my mood. The young guitarist from Guwahati displayed serious technical skill nailing every note with elan. Judging by the applause around me, I was not the only one walking away as a new fan. Sadly, he deserved far better than Kolkata’s frustrating venue management, which robbed many of us of catching his full set.
Thankfully, Plini and his band had more than enough firepower to rescue the night.
When Technical Brilliance Hits You In The Feels
Even after another half-hour wait, the excitement inside the venue hadn’t disappeared. The moment Plini walked on stage alongside Jake Howsam Lowe on guitar, Simon Grove on bass and Chris Allison on drums, the entire mood changed.
The set moved effortlessly through fan favourites like “Cascade,” “Paper Moon,” “Impulse Voices,” “Pan,” “Selenium Forest,” “Vespertine,” and “The Time Will Pass Away.” Every song sounded like album quality without losing the little details that make his music so addictive. His clean guitar tone, lush melodies and ridiculously precise playing were matched perfectly by a band that never missed a beat.
Watching the chemistry between the four musicians was almost as entertaining as listening to the music. Jake Howsam Lowe and Plini constantly exchanged playful smiles and shenanigans across the stage. They made it sound so easy, but real guitar nerds know how demanding it is to nail a Plini track.
Before wrapping up with the much-loved “Electric Sunrise,” Plini had one more surprise. He asked the audience to turn around and face his sound engineer, encouraging everyone to cheer for the person making the band sound incredible all night. It was a funny, wholesome moment that had the crowd laughing before erupting into one final celebration.
The night may have begun with long queues and plenty of frustration, but Plini made sure nobody walked out thinking about the long wait. They walked out thinking about a night worth remembering and a band clearly having the time of their lives. Honestly, this was one of the best instrumental rock performances Kolkata has hosted in recent memory.
