Live: Shaa’ir + Func @ Blue Frog

Shaa’ir + Func played the Blue Frog on Thursday, Aug 6. Their set comprised of old favourites and new material from their yet untitled third album. We were there, soaking in the UV.

Is predictability always a bad thing? It’s a question we were left pondering at the end of Shaa’ir + Func’s last gig at the Blue Frog. The group – which includes drummer Lindsay D’Mello and bassist Anand Subaya in its live avatar – delivered all that they’ve come to expect of them: unusual outfits (Shaa’ir showed up in a skirt embellished with streamers, Func donned another pair of really funky glasses), some freestyle dance moves and the kind of electrically-charged delivery that would make even the stuffiest shoes want to groove.

The show was touted with the promise of new material, and they played no less than seven songs off their upcoming third effort. Not all of them had the instant appeal of the tunes from their first two albums, but at a couple were strong candidates for future videos – the high energy, lavani-inspired ‘My Roots’ and recent concert favourite ‘Love Love Love’ (so well known that it’s already inspiring covers).

But apart from the fresh tracks (the rest of which traverse only slightly different territory from their signature sonic zone), it was your average S+F gig. While “average” S+F is several bars higher than many other Mumbai bands on a good day, this was one of those nights where you felt like you’ve seen it all before yet are happy to go along for the ride one more time. Kind of like a Swarathma gig, where you can now tell the exact moment when they’ll bring out the ghodi.

Indiecision: B

(Pics: Vikas Munipalle)