RaddRock 2012, LNMIIT Jaipur - Review

LNMIIT Raddrock, one of the most prestigious rock competitions of Jaipur, where bands like Decibel, Hypnosis, Parikrama have graced the stage in the past years, and where new and upcoming talents from the scene were discovered, lost all its glory this year. Last year it wasn’t that good, but this year it totally sucked. Everything, this year, was way below standard - the bands playing, the sound, and even the management.

DAY 1 – Prelims

Thirteen bands were selected to play at the prelims, and the event that was scheduled for 9 am, actually started at 12. Judges were some random musicians who I bet didn’t know shit about rock. Good Judges are really a must because not only do they give fair judgment, but they also give bands good feedback which helps them to perform better in the future. Coming back to the prelims, half of the bands that were selected were real un-tight bands that would go on to cover ‘Smells like teen spirit’ and later play a (wannabe) blackened death metal original. Only bands that saved the grace were Segments, Wintergate and The Nihilists.

Segments, Rudraksh and WinterGate qualified for the finals.

Day – 2 Finals

Day 2 started with a bang! The unprofessional organizers apparently booked a Delhi band called Colossal Figures, to headline the show and ditched the band at the last moment (When they were waiting for the cab to arrive).
Read Full story here- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Colossal-Figures/360342188267?sk=wall

“Learn to respect musicians, rather learn to respect human beings “ Drummer, Colossal Figures.

Again, the event didn’t start on time, and the show that was supposed to start at 5pm, actually started at 7.30.
Rudraksh played 1st, but this time the band wasn’t at its best. I’ve seen them play better, but then again, the band has always looked out of place for events related to rock bands.

Segments were next, and the promising new act from the city, kick started the evening for us. Now, it felt as if we were actually at a fucking rock show. The band was good, with great energy level and they’d only get better with time. Sadly, they were stopped in between their last song due to some time issues.

Wintergate started next and it really felt like the band had come of age, as they sounded pretty tight. The band played two Obituary covers and a couple of its originals. Without a doubt, Wintergate gave the crowd a great fucking time.

While they were still playing, I heard Segments’ members getting pissed off due to the time issues they faced. When I asked the band’s vocalist about the matter, he told me that the band had good 4 minutes left to complete their set. While other bands played for over 25 minutes, they were stopped even before the end of their time limit.

Now, the lamest part- the event was judged and headlined by a Bollywood/Fusion band called JAIPUR BEATS. I was like WTF! I didn’t come all the way to see these pussies spoil my evening. They were not the ones you invite to judge a rock bands’ competition. For god’s sake, this was Raddrock. You guys had a reputation to live up to.

The evening came to an end, and the winners were announced. It came as a relief that the band that truly deserved to win, actually won. Wintergate was announced the winner of Raddrock 2012, and the 1st runners up were Segments.

I hope the organizers learn something from this year’s Raddrock, and come up with a better event next year.