Pentagram « Only Much Louder

Pentagram

pentagram

PENTAGRAM is:

Vishal - Vocals
Randolph - Guitar, Samples
Shiraz - Drums
Papal - Bass

Profile:

Randolph, Shiraz, Papal and Vishal came together in 1994, with a strong need to play individual, original, unique music. This was as much a reaction to the stagnating Indian Rock scene, populated by bands playing mostly cover music, as it was a primal instinct. They did the rounds of college festivals, almost immediately becoming well known and popular, by winning three major rock competitions at the Kanpur, Delhi and Bombay IIT’s. They signed a record deal and put out their first album (’We Are Not Listening’) in 1996. It was listed by Rhythm House (India’s premier record store) as the fastest selling rock album. They released two videos (’The Ignorant 1’ and ‘Yoo’) which were frequently played by all the music channels.

Pentagram were MTV India’s ‘Artist of the Month’ in 1997. They also won the Channel V awards for Best Live Band and Best Indian Band in 1997 & 1998. They were featured on Channel V’s Big Gig show, a showcase of an hourlong live performance.

They played gigs in the Seychelles and all across Indian Campuses, while figuring out their sound When they put out their second album (’Up’, 2002), their audiences were taken by surprise. The alternative rock band they had known had added a huge electronic edge to their sound.

During the Kargil war, Pentagram recorded and released India’s first exclusive-to-internet song, ‘The Price of Bullets’, which featured famous poet Javed Akhtar and popular Indian Classical artist Shankar Mahadevan. The video, directed by Farhan Akhtar, one of India’s most successful young filmmakers, was blacked out by channels across the board for being ‘too politically loaded’. It was added as a bonus track on their second album “Up”.

Their new edge brought them international recognition, in that the doors of several festivals were flung open to them. They headlined the Sundance Music Festival in Estonia in 2003, a first for any Indian band. They were also invited to, and played at the Glastonbury Music Festival in 2005. This was a real high point, as they not only became the first Indian Act to play there, but also became aware of the real possibilities of their music. They were able to share the stage with contemporary giants like Coldplay, Chemical Brothers, Tori Amos, Fat Boy Slim, White Stripes. Seeing how they stood up to huge acts, and how positive the audiences were, knee-jerked Pentagram into producing their latest album. ‘It’s Ok, It’s All Good’, released by Counter Culture Records in March 2007 has been very well received. The album spent 6 weeks on Planet M’s national sales charts peaking at no. 3, again a first for any Indian rock band. The first single off this album ‘Voice’ won the Song Of The Year at the Jack Daniel’s Annual Indian Rock Awards. The same night Vishal was awarded Vocalist Of The Year. Self assured, more mature, and yet, as edgy as ever, this year they hope to tour the festival circuit far more aggressively. They played at The Great Escape Festival in the UK in May 2010.

Pentagram is a band that is best experienced live.

AUDIO:

VIDEOS:

Voice (music video)

Rock N’ Roll (Live at Hard Rock Cafe, Mumbai, India)

Electric (music video)

Ten (Live at Sundance Music Festival, Estonia)

PHOTOS: