Nailing it

Pentagram performing live

The 1990s were an exciting period in music history because that is when the organic elements of rock music truly started being blended with the sort of glitchy, electronic embellishments that became all the rage once the digital era properly kicked in, after the turn of the millennium. And American act Nine Inch Nails (NIN) is one band that epitomised this crossing over of the past and the future, marrying a hard industrial rock ethos with electronic inputs that made front man Trent Reznor a force to be reckoned with.

Nine Inch Nails blend industrial rock with electronic elements

Pentagram will now pay tribute to them at a virtual gig this weekend where they will play covers that are a mix of hits and songs that were chosen because they are challenging. It's interesting to note here that both bands were contemporaries in the '90s - while NIN became a global phenomenon, Pentagram was playing its own role in shaping the sound of Indian independent music. There is a resultant overlap in the subject matters they fed off. Pentagram guitarist Randolph Correia tells us, "At some level, we were both making music for the same generation. In terms of the lyrical depth, we were talking to the same audience that had the same struggles. And we, too, dabbled in their kind of electronic production for a while."

Randolph Correia

It is thus apt that it is Pentagram that will be honouring NIN's legacy, as part of a series where Indian acts reimagine the work of western musicians. Correia says that the set list consists of a mixed bag. "We didn't want to do all their hits in one row. Instead, we picked a few of their best known songs and some of our own favourites regardless of whether they were hits or not," he reveals.

On: October 16, 9 pm
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Cost: Rs 99