The auditorium witnessed a stunning performance by the Hindi rock band The Local Train yesterday. The event saw the popular band perform a collection of their original compositions from their albums “Aalas Ka Pedh” (2015) and “Vaaqif” (2018). The concert was very well received and the cheers of the audience could be heard well beyond the auditorium doors.

Although it was originally scheduled for 8:30, the concert did not start until 9:30. The crowd spent the intervening hour throwing paper airplanes constructed from pamphlets left on the auditorium chairs, as chants of “Local Plane” echoed through the auditorium. When the band finally did appear on stage, they were greeted with thunderous applause.

The band started off with a series of fast paced songs and transitioned into slower pieces later on. The vocalist had a powerful voice, and both the guitarist and drummer showed mastery over their respective instruments. The standard song format—verses with backing instruments split by a chorus—was closely adhered to, except for the occasional guitar solo. However, well-timed special effects such as smoke and multicolored strobe lighting, and adequate drum-heavy energetic tunes broke the monotony.

The audience was very receptive – people could be seen head-banging, clapping, raving and generally enjoying the atmosphere. Over the course of the show, the number of people sitting in their seats decreased as more of the audience congregated near the stage. The band also seemed to have gained a sizeable fan following amongst BITSians since their last visit two years ago – a majority of the crowd was able to sing along with most of the songs that the band performed.

Although the concert went on for nearly two hours, the energy in the auditorium barely dwindled. The band returned to fast-paced pieces and crowd favorites for the final few songs of the night. As the guitarist worked on the more advanced solos of the night, the drummer showcased his skill by tossing his sticks in the air between beats. All in all, The Local Train’s lively performance infused great energy into APOGEE on the first day of the fest.