You know the feeling — the moment ’90s music is played, the entire crowd gets grooving to the beat. The ’90s was the era of boy bands, and Chennai’s The Medium Rare is getting ready to perform covers of popular bands like Backstreet Boys, Boyzone, Westlife, Nsync , All4one, Boys2men, Take That, Blue and many more. This is going to be a tribute night special, curated by Quriosity. Ahead of the gig, we speak to founder and lead singer Orlando to know more about what makes ’90s songs stand out, whether covers enhance original versions and lots more. Orlando tells us why songs from that particular era were so appealing. “They were emotive, had meaningful lyrics, and were groovy,” he says.
The Medium Rare is known for its versatility and cover songs from multiple genres. Ranging from rock to reggae, jazz, pop, disco, and retro, the band regularly holds tribute shows to highlight music from yesteryears while also displaying their ability to blend into any style. We ask the lead singer if covers can enhance the features of original songs, to which he replies, “Yes, they can. It’s a way of connecting to your inner child, to nostalgia, to the things we grew up listening to, our first crush, breakup, etc.”
The band has been on the Chennai commercial music circuit for over a decade now. Having been in this space for so long, Orlando shares his vision for the city’s music scene, and focuses on the importance of supporting live gigs. “We want to see music lovers from Chennai come out and enjoy the vast talent of live music that the city has,” he says.
Since the band focuses on multiple genres, Orlando highlights the importance of experimenting. He points out that the monotony in music can be taken out by opting for multiple genres. “Different sounds of different bands teach us different techniques and help to make us better musicians, while also giving us newer perspectives,” he explains.
With much promise from the band in terms of original music, Orlando highlights that they have composed and performed original projects individually. For the time being , ‘Everybody’ can look forward to grooving and enjoying the tunes of their ‘One Love’ for the ’90s boy band era this weekend!
Tickets at Rs. 500 (full cover charge).
April 13, 7 pm onwards. At Barracuda Brew, Nungambakkam.
