A reveiw of the KroaKing finals

As requested by Vivek Madan, here is a review of the Kraoking finals at Opus. It is my penance as I ended up not getting a bill at the end of the evening. I was presented with a bill, but it had lots of food on and I had eaten before I arrived, so there was some confusion. However, I had several beers, that seemed to get cooler and cooler as the night wore on, which made me drink more and more (Is this an Opus ploy?), as the night got hotter and hotter. And what a night! Not privy to any of the previous rounds, it was an amazing evening, and so, mea culpa, here is a review (so you don’t have to write one!)

Thank heavens, the judges got it right. The deserved winner was Megha, and, in my opinion, for her outstanding performance of “Lady Marmalade”. Orangey in all the right places, and which received the most spontaneous standing ovation of the evening. One cannot fail to draw comparisons with American Idol, when the choice of song really matters. Her second song was not in the same category - try a Bette Midler song next time (not that she needs a next time now!) I was disappointed Mark didn’t get a higher placing: his Joe Cocker Song in the first round was truly great, a real character voice, full of swallowed ashtrays (a la Tom Waits). Again, his second round choice didn’t connect in the same way.

It was interesting that it was the real performers who got through to the final six: those who didn’t use the song sheet, thereby not presenting the audience (absolutely packed) with their backs. That is a real loser. The performer of the night was Barry, who truly connected with the audience. His first round number was really wacky and mesmerising. For all my catholic knowledge of music, I hadn’t got a clue what the song was, but it was very entertaining. His final number started brilliantly, but he probably lost out as his energy drained in the middle of the very long rap. Perhaps there should be a time limit in the finals. But I take my hat off to his energy and bravado. Anoopa: I was watching you on the big screen and it was your feet that let you down. Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, like Kate Moss on acid (am I allowed to say that?). But bravo for going for a big Broadway number, “Mama” from “Chicago”, which was brave, but the song was bigger than you, I’m afraid. And a general note to all, even when squeezing every ounce out of your body to get the high notes, if you close your eyes, you will not communicate to your audience. Eyes say it all. Vivek Madan, bless him, knows he hasn’t got the greatest voice in the world, but he communicated by directing his performance, even with eyes hidden by glasses and hazed by a mist of rum, straight out to the audience. And congratulations to him (another hat he wears is as the lighting man) for getting the lighting right, so everyone, even right at the back, could see the performers.

A very memorable evening by all finalists - congratulations to all, and enhanced by guest performances from the panel of judges: Avril Quadros, Stanley Pinto, Mark Rego, Samira and of course, the host of the evening, Carlton Braganza, who sang “Bad Day” as if it was, and probably was, one of the best days of his life. He and his wife, Gina, have made Opus into something Bangalore should be very proud of. The tension of the evening was heightened by the fact that we were all wondering if we would ever get to the end before the police arrived and close the place down at the ridiculous curfew time directed by Karnatakan law. (Wake up, this is a cosmopolitan city!) Fortunately, we got there without incident.I hope Opus have made enough profit out of the evening (yes, please send me my bill, I will pay it!) to invest in a better sound system. They did the best with what they had, but I hope there is a wonderful philanthropist out there willing to sponsor them with a wonderful system (and sound engineer) so that such evenings can reach the stars!

Chris Williams

Chris Williams is an international music director, songwriter and music theatre entreprenuer. You can agree, disagree or comment on this blog.