Rocktaves, which is organized by ARBITS, is the rock competition of Oasis. The event is well known among the music circles around the country and for a long time had been one of the kernel events of Oasis. This year saw an impressive lineup consisting of seven bands from cities across the country. Unlike last year’s event, in which the bands were disproportionately metal, this year’s bands were all unique and spanned the various genres of metal and rock. The process of selecting the bands that are to perform for the event started during the summer with onsite rounds conducted in major cities. Since only one band per city is allowed, judges from a well-established band are called to select the best. This year, in addition to the onsite rounds, an online portal was also employed in which bands could submit videos of their performance.

The finals were held in the Audi, with each band given twenty minutes to perform. While it was scheduled to start at 12 AM, the event was delayed by four hours; but in spite of how late it got, there was a buzz in the Auditorium. Not only could you find rock enthusiasts but the venue was also filled with newcomers to the genre.

The show commenced with a performance from Zokova, the judges of the event. This three-member band hailing from New Delhi, played post-rock. Their music, along with the lights and stunning visuals on the LED backdrop, had all the members of the audience mesmerized. During the course of their opening act, a small crowd had gathered at the front of stage, many of them head-banging to the beat. Some members of the audience felt that their gig, which nearly lasted an hour, was significantly better than last year’s opening.

Due to miscommunication, the bands had not been made aware of the parameters on which they were to be evaluated. Only when all the bands had been informed did the event resume which caused a delay of nearly half an hour. By the time the show resumed at 5 AM, much of the audience had left.

Shorthand, a band based in Delhi, was the first band to perform. Consisting of four members, the band’s music was inspired by a variety of musical styles like jazz, funk, and progressive rock. They began with their song titled “Eight Day Week” and followed that with “Make Your Prison” and “You’re Not Alone”. The band’s vocalist captivated the audience with her soothing vocals. While all their musical pieces were sung with passion, “Make Your Prison” stood out due to its intensity.

Corner Cafe Chronicles were the second band to perform. They opened with “Sunday Rides with Rosie” which was also the first song the group had composed together. This four-member band from Mumbai played music which could be described as blues rock. They were led by Chinmay Patkar, who would occasionally crack a self-deprecating joke. Chinmay tried to get the audience to stand up and groove, but unfortunately the exhausted audience remained unresponsive. The band then performed “Gloria’s Kitchen”, a song from their upcoming album, followed by a song titled “Midas” inspired by the king who turns everything he touches into gold. In between songs the members even switched their instruments. They then played a purely instrumental musical piece called “Paradise Drive”. Their whole performance had a relaxed and laid-back vibe and it was clear from the start that this band had come to have a fun time.

The third band to perform was Pathetic Disillusion, a five-member group from Kolkata. The band performed songs from the heavy metal genre. Unlike the previous two bands who were unsuccessful in rousing the crowd, Pathetic Disillusion managed to form a small enthusiastic crowd in front of the stage. Despite getting several signals to stop, they played well past their twenty-minute time limit. As a result, their music was cut off while they were performing.

The fourth band of the event was Mocaine, a three-man team that played four songs. Their final song, titled “Stella”, was about the lead guitarist’s dog, and had a slower beat than the previous three. Despite the thinning audience, almost immediately after they began to play, a small group gathered around the stage extension, and proceeded to head-bang to all four of their songs. At the conclusion of their final song, they were met with hearty, if tired applause.

They were followed by Yaj, a four-man outfit that played three progressive rock songs. They began with an animated appeal to the almost nonexistent audience to “put their hands up”, and proceeded to play their first couple of songs, to an increasingly enthusiastic audience. Before their final offering, they announced that it was a tribute to those in the Middle East affected by the conflict that raged there. Their final song was distinctly slower and more soulful, and they received a hearty round of applause as it concluded.

The second-to-last band started out by proudly proclaiming themselves to be The Third Eye, a band from Kochi. Their performance was characterized by bursts of energy on the mic, as well as loud proclamations when they started a new song. Their third song was entirely in Sanskrit, and they invited all head-bangers to the front. The audience obliged with around fifteen to twenty people gathering around the stage extension. As they began their final song, Controls frantically signaled to them that they had only a minute left. Fortunately, they got the message in time, and were able to cut their song short gracefully before their systems were shut off. Their last-minute save was accompanied by applause from the head-banging audience.

The final performance was The Jute Radio, a progressive Carnatic-Rock fusion band that played three songs. Their six-strong team comprised five men–two on lead guitar, one on drums, one on the flute, and a singer–and a woman on bass guitar. Their distinctively ethnic attire, along with their unique sound, drew cheers from the audience within the first minute of playing. Before beginning their second performance, one of the lead guitarists cheekily asked the attentive–if sparse–audience if they had ever headbanged to Carnatic music before, which resulted in the aforementioned headbanging audience to make their way once more to the stage extension. Their second and third songs concluded to extremely hearty applause from the audience. Notably, they started their final song with five minutes left on the clock, and the song picked up a frenzied tempo that seemed to drive the head-bangers wild.

Despite beginning after a four-hour delay, Rocktaves concluded only an hour and a half after its scheduled time, which could be attributed in large part to the efficiency of the organizers. It was unfortunate that the delay and skewed timing of the event resulted in a much smaller audience than the event deserved. The skill of the bands involved and their dedication was evident from the overwhelmingly positive response, from the few people that had persisted till the end of the event. Despite the time crunch, the audience response and the fact that everybody performed to their full capacity–including the judges–made this a successful event.