Shillong's Soulmate shares the blues with Goa

Shillong's legendary rock band Soulmate performs in Goa 


Nigel Britto

What are the odds that a band from far-away Meghalaya would spark nostalgia about Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and BB King, all at the same time? Not much? Wrong, if the band in question is Soulmate, the ‘pride of the north-east’, widely regarded as one of the best blues-rock bands in this part of the world.

An important feature of Soulmate is that it is one of the few Indian bands that consistently employ a largely original set at their concerts. In Goa, it was a 70% original list. And their stage-show here was no different. With a largely interactive presentation, the audience were on their feet throughout. Off the stage, Wallang and Kharbangar are affable and docile. On it, they transform into hungry lions; with a powerful and provocative display of musical skill. Songs like “Blues is my soulmate”, an original, set the crowd afire. Kharbangar sang into a mikestand dotted with magnetic butterflies made of X-ray sheets. If not butterflies, there are magnetic orchids sticking to the mikestand. She says her uncle, an artist, makes them for her. “I’m a huge nature lover”, she smiles.

And she supplements the aesthetics with a huge and expressive voice that would make Christina Aguilera fans squirm. She obviously enjoys her music, and shows it with a vivacious display of energy, dance and emotion. Wallang is no less, creating his tone from only a miniscule ‘Bad monkey’ processor. Just before landing in Goa, he lost some of his guitar gear. Some of it was flicked, some left behind in a taxi. How did he let us know about it? Through a song, of course. “If you ever see a taxi driver playing the blues, think of me”, he said. Indeed, Soulmate is a band that expresses its emotions through its music.

The band was formed by Rudy Wallang and Tipriti Kharbangar in 2002. Seven years and two studio albums later, it's been the same duo who form the soul of Soulmate, adding session musicians whenever they're on the road. In Goa on Friday night, drummer Shaun Nonghulo and bassist Ferdy Dhkar joined the duo. Wallang and Kharbangar did not choose the blues. Instead, “the blues chose us”, they say. Soulmate have performed at hundreds of gigs in India and abroad. In 2007, they became the first Indian band to play at the International Blues Challenge at Memphis, thus cementing their place in the big league. Soon after, their music video I am became popular on the internet, spiralling their popularity among their Indian fans.

And when Soulmate played in Chicalim on Friday evening, this popularity was in ample display, evident from the fact that the band garnered a full-house despite little or no publicity about the gig. “It was totally unexpected, the crowd was fantastic”, said Wallang, who, besides singing and playing the guitar, is responsible for most of the band's lyrical content.

And for Goa’s blues fans, the concert provided more than merely evening entertainment. It also inspired many. “I realized today, that live, original music can work out in Goa”, said Krish Gidwani, a drummer. Elliotlouie Afonso, bassist in a thrash metal band, left immediately after the concert and rushed home to practice bass lines. “They’re a total inspiration", he said, adding "Soulmate kicked some serious a** on Friday night”. He has one grouse, though. “Bands like these hardly ever come to Goa”. After Friday night’s gig, that was the overwhelming feeling among the crowd. “Soulmate should come here more often”. If and when they do, to their burgeoning Goan fanbase, nothing else will matter.

This article was first published in the Sunday Times of India, Goa, on September 20, 2009.