The ‘new look’… gaining more attention

In the ‘new normal,’ one has got to be innovative…in the showbiz scene, if work is to come your way

Of course, work is certainly hard to come by, these days, especially for bands – unlike in the ‘old normal’ where there were weekly dances, stage shows, sing-alongs, etc., and with no restrictions on crowd gatherings.

But, surprisingly, the newer outfits are doing reasonably well, and three bands that come to mind are the new look Aquarius (less than one year in existence), Ishini and The Branch (three months) and Omega, with Marlon Amarasekera at the helm.

And, guess, what? Benjy Ranabahu (Aquarius) Ishini, and Marlon, were all, at one stage, very much a part of the group Mirage.

Aquarius now operate as a seven-piece band, with April Schokman being the new voice.

April is certainly a classy performer, with a fantastic voice, as well, and she has already made her presence felt, with Aquarius, in an awesome way.

Her dynamism seems infectious as the rest of the group members are now swaying as well, whenever April moves into action.

April has been around, for a short while, but as a solo singer, and has impressed many. She was featured at the live streaming event, ‘Arise Sri Lanka,’ held early last year, at the Nelum Pokuna outdoor theatre.

Aquarius, along with April, does the Friday night scene at Shore By O, Mount Lavinia, and Saturdays at Darley rd. Pub & Restaurant, Colombo 10.

Being innovative, leader Benjy has given the green light for two of the band members to operate as a duo – Duo by Aquarius – on Sundays, at Loon Tao.

Benjy is also looking at the possibility of Aquarius doing two nights a week, at The Rodeo, in Negombo.

The band did this scene, not too long ago, but weekend commitments, in Colombo, have made them work on a new itinerary.

According to Benjy, he is looking at, probably Wednesday and Thursday, for two nights at The Rodeo, Negombo.

Ishini and The Branch have work coming their way, regularly, while Marlon and Omega are also in the news.

Yes, it seems the ‘new look’ is gaining a lot of attention these days.

I only hope the managers of these entertainment venues strictly enforce the Covid-19 rules and regulations, laid down by the health authorities – especially wearing masks and social distancing.

What I see on social media doesn’t indicate that these rules are being adhered to; I still see lots of movement on the dance floors – sans masks and social distancing.

According to the President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science, with the detection of a person, in Sri Lanka, infected with the South African variant of SARS-CoV-2, the country is sitting on a ticking time bomb.

By our irresponsible behaviour, are we contributing towards this impending explosion?