The electrifying performance by the Ministry of Blues, the famous Blues-Rock band, kept the visitors at Take 5, a resto-bar in Indiranagar, on their feet till Saturday late night.
MoB, who played their first gig for an audience of ten persons, had every reason to cheer on Saturday as the venue was jam packed with people letting their hair down to the music from the time the band started playing.
The MoB line-up includes Philipe (vocals and lead guitars), Vinoo (bass), Rauf (vocals and keyboard) and Deepak (drums).
MoB was formed in 2005 and took Vinoo into the group when their original Bass guitarist left the band a year later. Their repertoire includes improvisations of classic Blues musicians like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Robben Ford, Joe Cocker and Gary Moore among others.
The band played great improvisations of songs like “Voodoo Child” by Jimi Hendrix which had a blazing guitar solo by Philipe and “Gonna miss you” in which Rauf belted out a great piece on the keyboard. Philipe Haydon, who is a CEO of the Pharmaceutical division of a famous ayurvedic drug company, is the lead singer and guitarist.
The band members have been around in the music scene since the 90’s. The bass guitarist, Vinoo Matthew plays lead guitar with an underground band called “Sarjapur Blues Band”. Other popular bands that MoB members used to play for before include “Aftermath” and “Hammersmith”. Take 5 is certainly not a place frequented by teenagers.
“You will never hear teeny bopper, electronic dance or disco music because those who visit Take 5 usually do not prefer such music,” says Chaitra, a music lover.
Indeed one can see the jazz and blues’ influence in the pub which is covered with pictures of international and local jazz musicians. The resto-bar usually plays host to live bands every Sunday and almost all the bands they feature are in the rock, blues or jazz genre.
“This place is dedicated to jazz, blues and rock music,” says Prakash Sodha, the manager of Take 5. The recent performers at Take 5 include Moonarra, who showcased a fusion of Hindustani and Jazz music and Solder and Bourbon Street.
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