Flashback - on centre stage
by Mahes Perera
Flashback zooms on to the centre
stage spotlight in Colombo once again!
This time the mesmerising night club the Leopard at the new look
Grand Oriental Hotel is their musical home weekly on Friday nights.
Their funky grooves are delivered in that “Rhythm-is-gonna-get-you”
style while their vocal vibes hit you with a lot of depth and panache.
Take a good look at the photograph. Maybe you asked the question
where have they been these past few months? I did the same too, when I
met the group at the spacious lounge of the Grand Oriental Hotel.
 “We’ve been around,” replies Asela Fernando the leader flashing that
inimitable smile of his.
“Most of the time we’ve been flying in close destinations such as
Dubai and Male, to fulfil our commitments. But we’ve been in Sri Lanka
playing at the Neptune Hotel and in Beruwala and the Royal Palms,
Kalutara. We’ve come a long way since we started off our career in 2006.
We’ve had great success and it was a great experience working together
with a lot of beautiful and understanding people. We enjoyed creative
freedom and the band members worked with an open mind,” endorses Asela.
Strangely Flashback started off their career at the then popular
night club Little Hut at the Mount Lavinia Hotel in 2000 and then moved
over to the Blue Leopard as it was known earlier at the GOH. So now its
more or less as returning home for the boys.
The band has apart from their overseas commitments been busy
performing at dances and at many corporate functions. Today the band
enjoys an advantage in that all its members are vocalists as well, and
the songs are tossed around resulting in greater variety.
Asela Fernando is an accomplished keyboardist while Ashendra Fernando
handles all the intricate bass lines. Giving guitar support is Sumeda
Bandara while Dinesh Fernando sits on the drum stool and holds the whole
group together.
The band has a wide repertoire of the hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s
with the exciting dance medleys including the catchy reggae tunes and
the hits of CCR.
Also importantly the Sinhala pop songs, the songs of Clarence, Milton
and Jothipala are given an attractive arrangement for dance groovers.
Always rhythmic and melodic in their music expression Flashbacks
performances should not be missed if you are one of those Friday night
groovers. |
