Cover Story: ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’

Where would Indian indie be without covers? Back playing ‘Mustang Sally’ every August? Oh, wait. Indiecision scours the interweb to find you great (and sucky) covers performed by Indian indie artists during live performances, studio sessions and whenever the urge to bust out ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ hits them. Presenting, Cover Story.
Song: ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’
Original Artist: Frankie Valli (Heath Ledger if you’re a woman)
Cover Artist: Biddu

Biddu played an uber-fun, uber-kvlt set at the Blue Frog last week celebrating the release of his autobiography Made In India. While the set had many of the songs that propelled Biddu, and any of the crooners he worked with, into instant (but fleeting) indipop stardom, it also featured several covers, the highlight of which was this Frankie Valli tribute.

Biddu was joined on stage by long-time friend an co-conspirator Suresh Bhojwani (also of The Jets). The stage setup for the gig was minimal – a DJ on beats, a keyboard player, backing singers, Biddu – and Bhojwani and Biddu made it a point to explore the extra stage space with wholly uncoordinated, but wholly kvlt dancing. The song itself was executed with the same amount of enthusiasm as a drunken karaoke party with close friends, which at times the gig resembled too. While Biddu’s attempt at busting dance moves was one particularly blinding hip-jig after another, the performance was entirely endearing. But pretty, pretty bad.

Random note: Are all background pop singers trained in this dainty, upward hand movement and hip-shake?

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