Date:11/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/11/stories/2006051115150200.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

A whiff of fresh air

Rakesh Mehar

Air Supply all set to enthral Bangalore audience on Saturday

ALL SET TO PERFORM: Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock of the pop band Air Supply

BANGALORE: After a series of rock musicians passing through Bangalore, a couple of crooners have finally landed in the city. Come Saturday, the international pop band Air Supply will take the stage at Palace Grounds as part of its first tour of the country.

Air Supply, which consists of English-Australian duo Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock, currently backed by Jed Moss on piano, Mike Zerbe on drums and Jonni Lightfoot on bass, first came together in 1975 during the rehearsals of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar in Sydney, Australia. Success outside Australia first came to them when they opened for Rod Stewart throughout the U.S. and Canada. Since then, there has been no looking back. Today, 30 years and over two dozen albums later, the band's position at the top of the romantic charts is rock solid thanks to simple melodies, straightforward song writing and strong harmonies.

According to Russell and Hitchcock, though, this is by no means the end of things. They even describe their Indian tour as an exploration of an all-new audience, a "let's see what happens kind of a tour," as Russell describes it. And preceding the tour has been the release of a new album titled The Singer and the Song, which also tries to break new ground.

The album is a break from the usual electric sound, going back to the barebones set-up of one acoustic guitar and two voices. "It was a spur of the moment album. We were in a studio and were singing old songs, and it began from there. This was the way we started off, and so we decided to do an acoustic album," says Hitchcock. What's more, work has already begun on the next album. The secret to their longevity, says Hitchcock, is that both musicians love what they do, and there is no competition within the band. "Grahan writes the songs, and I get to sing them," he says.

Tickets priced at Rs. 1,200 and Rs. 800 are available at Reliance Web World, select Planet M outlets, Pizza Hut, select Ford outlets and Eva Mall.