Classic Rock Night at The Manchester

Do you often find yourself crawling the live music scene of Colombo hoping and praying to hear a few tunes that will remind you of the salad days of rock n roll, when the grass was green and the water was wet, only to find yourself wanting to shoot yourself in the ears after hearing the hundredth bad rendition of ‘Sweet Child of Mine’? If the answer is no, we’re not really sure why you’ve been reading this far to be honest. But if the answer is yes, you’ll find the rest of this interesting.

Revisit the back catalogues of Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, Kansas, Aerosmith, Guns N Roses, Bon Jovi and the likes at the first Classic Rock Night at The Manchester on 30 June. The concert featuring Lasith, Lahiru and Kusal of Angel Down, Prabodhya Fernando, Chatz Fernando and Yenuka Laknow is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. with the gates announced at 5:30 p.m.

“You know as a heavy metal band, our musical roots run deep into the sounds of Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and the lot,” explains Lasith Fernando of Angel Down. “If it weren’t for them, we really wouldn’t have our craft as we know it today. So it’s just going to be a brilliant experience playing and paying tribute to the music we grew up on, the music that’s made us and the music that still gets us hard.”

Prabodhya Fernando adds: “My father Keerthi Fernando was one of the pioneers of the rock and heavy metal industry here in Sri Lanka with the bands Rattle Snake and Venom, so the sounds of classic rock were pretty much a constant in our household while I was growing up. And to be honest I can’t wait to pull out some of my childhood favorites on 30 June.”

Prabodhya will be joined on stage by his sister Chatz Fernando, who is one of the pioneering female rock vocalists of the country and a published recording artiste. “I’ve been performing professionally since the age of 15 and I’ve since laid down my roots as an entrepreneur and businesswoman,” says Chatz. “But music has always been and always will be an integral part of my life. So I can’t wait to pay tribute to the artistes that have been a huge part of my life.”

“I’ve been paying my bills as a professional musician playing the Colombo pub circuit for the past few years,” adds Yenuka Laknow. “And you have no idea what a relief it is to finally have a stage to play the music that’s closest to my heart. So I’m really hoping that this serves as a stepping stone towards a stage where we can keep playing the music that we love for people that love it and have a heck load of fun while at it.”

Tickets for the show will be available at Rs. 500 at the gate and early bird tickets are already on sale at Rs. 300. Tickets are available for purchase at The Manchester and the organisers can be reached on 0779 474 472 for details.