Last Saturday night was a particularly cool one in the city and not just for the temperature, but also for the ‘cool’ music played on the urban-chic terrace at The Fat Pigeon in Jubilee Hills. Hyderabad’s guitarist Lokhi Pai and singer-songwriter Meghna Dundi were back live on stage, just their fourth performance since the Covid-19 induced lockdown has been lifted.

For about two-and-a-half hours, the appreciative crowd, a mix of old fans of the band and new converts sat either pulling at the lapels of their jackets or tucking into their shawls and blankets (thoughtfully provided at the venue) as Meghna and Lokhi swayed them with their many renditions.

The routine was a mix of old and new English songs that included classics by Tracy Chapman, Crowded House, and Sleeping Child by Danish soft rock band Michael Learns to Rock (MLTR). The setting of the performance, with the terrace providing a breezy, scenic backdrop of the city and the bright full moon with a clear sky supplemented to the charm of this acoustic experience.

The audience of around 50 people could not get enough of both the more popular and the lesser-known English songs that this duo performed so deftly. The crowd was so engrossed in the show that time flew and not many left despite the chill in the air. The show that started at 9 pm wrapped up at 12 am with an audience request of Perfect by Ed Sheeran. Meghna comments feeling happy: “A group of girls requested this song and they just came alive … they came right to the front, started singing along and dancing … it was a perfect finale to the night.”

The playlist for the night was a mix of English Pop and Soft Rock and comprised Feel by Robbie Williams, Thank you by Dido, Attention by Charlie Puth, Memories by Maroon 5, Someone like you by Adele, Losing My Religion by REM, Why Georgia by John Mayer, Dreams by The Cranberries, and Viva La Vida by Coldplay. “Our routine mostly comprises classic rock and strip down acoustic versions,” adds Meghna.

Relieved that the music venues are opening up, Lokhi informs that they are down from the seven gigs they did per week to only two now. “We were regular fixtures at Broadway and Fat Pigeon and hope to go up to at least four shows a week” he adds.

The duo has been performing together since 2014. Commenting on the audience to their recent show, Meghna felt they were “friendly and engaging.” Meghna along with her brother has also released an original single, So-called Angel (Brown Canary), an edgy classic rock song available on all music platforms.

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