The Unmaad among us

Line-up:

Sabbir Hossain Farukh: Vocals

Tanvir Sarwar Khan: Guitar

Muhit Rahman: Guitar

Mong Sai: Bass

Showrov Dewan: Drums

One of the bands to perform at the phenomenal 20 Years of Artcellism, Unmaad showed why they are considered one of the most promising upcoming bands with their rendition of Bhul Jonmo. The Chittagonians, having recently released their debut album Run to Bahaddarhat, talk to The Daily Star about their insurgence, future plans, and more.

You recently performed at the biggest stage in your career yet, 20 Years of Artcellism. Tell us about the experience.

Mong: It was absolutely overwhelming. As soon as we reached the event, we were stunned by the sheer size of the venue! It took us a while to process the platform we had just been given, and we are grateful to Artcell for believing in us.

Sabbir: It was our biggest performance till date. I was very nervous before the performance, and more so when the flare, which is a part of our act, did not light up. Thankfully, we pulled everything off in the end. It was the experience of a lifetime.

I’d like to call your debut album, Run to Bahaddarhat, a runaway success. When did you start recording for it?

Muhit: The compositions for the nine songs in the album were essentially done by 2016, and we finished the recording soon after that. However, we were very nitpicky about getting the sound right, and this is why the release took this long.

Tanvir: We started out as a pseudo-metal band who were adept at all genres, and gradually switched to hard rock. Even though we are inspired by bands like AC/DC, we were successful in finding our own sound.

Tell us about the music scene in Chattogram.

Muhit: In our city, there used to be a very vibrant underground scene. However, with time, those concerts started decreasing in number, as the venues started to decrease. However, we still have many shows in the form of rag days and other events, which serve as a platform for new bands and musicians to emerge.

Sabbir: Honestly, an ‘underground’ scene is not as essential as it used to be. There are a lot of platforms from which musicians can earn fame, provided that they can differentiate themselves from the crowd. We spent a lot of time familiarising our audience with the type of music that we do, to get to where we are today.

What should an upcoming band do to stand out?

Muhit: Shows, shows and shows. Nothing beats the experience of performing live. That should be mixed with a good presence on social media. Musicians today should be adept at promoting themselves, both offline and online.