The 15th edition of Rock in Goa was nothing short of a banging Rock concert. The audience was a sea of black and the bands on stage ensured that the sea was a raging storm. From an 8 year old child to a 71 year young retiree; from a buoyant tuba and a melodic tabla to shredding guitars, the diversity across the seven bands on stage was incredible.

As I was driving into the parking lot, I rolled down my window to hear what was playing. To my surprise, I heard the familiar drum beat from a classic Konkani song by Antonette Mendes. With haste I made it to the stage and caught half of the song. Pixem, with lyrics by Joe Rose, Antonette on Vocals, music by Mariano Rodrigues and Goan legend Abdonio Rodrigues on drums, is a regular feature in my Vinyl Selector sets.

The band belting out this number was Kantte Ani Fullam (Konkani for Thorns and Flowers). As I write this I am also halfway through writing about the music album which features the song Pixem, so this was a happy coincidence. Stay tuned for that post.

I caught up with the band after their set as I just had to know more. Kantte ani Fullam, a project and not just a band, is headed by the famed Roque Lazarus. The project has a rotating list of band members for every event and this year was their 4th performance. For 8 years before that, this project had different names – Alienufo, Flying Saucer, Flying Saucer Gypsy Kings Tribute, Solar Plexus Chakra, Eularia (named after Band percussionist and band Guru, Eulario) and rockstarmonio-alienbabauniversalmatter. The band that took to the stage at Rock in Goa 2024 had a mix of recurring band members and first timers, senior musicians and upcoming stars, modern instruments and brass instruments, music teachers and music students, college students, professionals and a retiree.

The Kantte ani Fullam band logo was designed by Aaron Teles, “it’s deeply symbolic …the creepers and thorns are restraining the gun…love overpowers violence…out of this suppression bloom the roses of peace“. On stage, every band member had a folder with sheet music and this logo was on the cover.

They kicked off Rock in Goa with two original compositions. The first song, Dolle, is going to be the title song for an upcoming Konkani film of the same name. Next up was Diamante, based on the love story of the band’s guitarist Luis Fernandes. The third song was a cover of Pixem. Band leader Roque Lazarus mentioned “I chose Pixem because I find the orchestration and musicality of it at a very high level. I just chanced upon it and I could write a book on the arrangements, and the pure voice quality of Antonette“.

Elvis talked about how the band functions and said that the band hardly meets except when they need to prepare for Rock in Goa. Luis cut in joking that they practice on Whatsapp.

Kantte ani Fullam ended their set with Kednam Tunv Melltelem, a love song set to a Reggae rock beat, with Elvis on vocals from behind the drums. With the 30 minutes they were given, this band left the audience wanting more. Watch their performance on YouTube – Songs 1 & 2 and Songs 3 & 4.

Next up was Eclipse with Zee. With renditions of Joan Jett’s I love Rock and Roll, and Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train, the concert was building up some steam for the heavier music to come as the night progressed. I was speaking with Kantte ani Fullam and missed half of their set.

Dialing the metal up for the night was Lost. Their set was a mix of originals and high adrenaline covers of classic tracks like Sepultura’s Roots bloody roots and RATM’s Killing in the name.

Up next was Roar Engine who got the loudest cheer that night. At an average age of 12, these Goan kids played their hearts out on stage with covers of Zombie, Nothing Else Matters, Sweet Child of Mine, Enter Sandman and Smells like Teen Spirit, and had the crowd singing along with them. The line-up included Emma Dias (8) on bass, Zach Teles (10) on drums, Elaine Quadros and Noah Carneiro (both 10) on vocals, Mark Carneiro (13) on lead guitar, Royston Mendes (16) on bass, and Noah Dias (17) on lead guitar. At the end of their set, Bad Blood announced that they would compose a song for these young rockstars and work with them to record it in a studio.

On the stage next was Bad Blood, a household name in the Goa rock music scene. ‘Rock in Goa’ began in 2009 and Bad Blood has been the driving force behind the event ever since. The talent in this band is incredible. There’s Anthony Fernandes and Frazer Pacheco, who you might recognize from Lynx and their hit song Konkani ‘Kedna‘. Aurville Rodrigues who has been credited for music on Konkani cassettes and CDs, and more recently with nostalgic covers of Cantaram as part of The Warehouse Studio band. Nixon Soares, an Automobile engineer and a wizard on the guitar. Prathamesh Chari who I had previously seen play Indian classical music with Pandit Ravi Chary and Funky fusion. Another surprise was running into Lenon, who I met at Echoes of the Earth festival in February, channeling Stewart Copeland as he played ‘Message in the bottle’.

I was looking forward to their cover of Abghat Kelo (Chris Perry & Lorna) from their album Tomorrow’s Yesterday. Guess I will have to wait for their next gig. Listen to it on Soundcloud.

What is a Rock concert in Goa without Kódop (Konkani for rock)? Some members of Kódop are proud parents of the young rockstars in Roar Engine.

With an original song Parasite and covers of classics like Holy Diver, Hallowed be thy name and Symptoms of the Universe, the crowd was singing along with this Goan rock band, as a flag with the band name was being waved around. With three guitars reminiscent of Iron Maiden, their rendition of Hallowed be thy name took me back to the three Iron Maiden concerts of the late 2000s.

I was hoping to hear a Konkani number from the band. Even a cover of something outside the usual Chris Perry and Alfred Rose catalog would be fantastic. Maybe in the future.

The last band on stage for the night, Electric Pulse, closed the concert with a mix of covers and original compositions. When frontman Arniban asked the audience to vote for either an original or a cover to end the night, everyone in the audience passed with flying colors and voted for an original. Rock music has come a long way in Goa.

With the stage set under clay roof tiles and families out in numbers to support the musicians on stage, this truly felt like Rock in Goa. For those that missed out on this cencert, Rocktober Fest 2024 is at the same venue on Oct 5, 2024, with Lost, Kódop and Bangalore’s Lucid Dreams completing the lineup.