MUMBAI: Apparently, the man upstairs is really following the #TGIFs trends, because yesterday’s event for certainly a break from our monotonous lives. Hard Rock Café, Andheri hosted the first Bacardi NH7 Weekender Pre-Party, bringing some energising progressive Hindi Rock Mania. And you know you can’t go wrong with Paradigm Shift, Ankur and the Ghalat Family, and the Raghu Dixit Project.

The evening commenced with a performance by Paradigm Shift, a Mumbai based fusion/progressive rock band, performing mellowed versions of their crowd favorites like Sapna, Dhuaan, Deedar and Kwabon Mein Teri from their 2012 Album, Coalescence. Encouraged by the audience response, they trashed the no-distortion policy and went all out their cover of A.R. Rahman’s Roja, closing track, to which the crowd sang along throughout.

Ankur and the Ghalat Family were next with their set of 14 mellow and soothing tracks. Since it was their first performance in the Andheri area, a smaller percentage of people had heard of them and their music, but few voices echoing theirs. Their trademark Sabse Peechhe Hum Khaade, Chaand Chahiye, Aaj Kyon and others gave way to their finale, Mohabbatein. The band has been is currently going through a creative spell and are writing a lot of songs. They will be performing at the Pune Weekender on Day 1.

The closing performance was, of course, by The Raghu Dixit Project, a Bangalore based folk-rock band that we all know only too well. . The lungi-clad band members had the crowd pulsing from the very first song. Their set included their all time hits like Gudi Gudiya, when I am in Mumbai, No Man Will Ever Love You interspersed with his Kannada songs. The way Raghu involved the crowd, was reason enough for the lack of space for movement in the café. They performed two new songs from their upcoming album which they plan on launching during the Bacardi NH7 Weekender Pune. They closed the evening with their signature Mysore Se Aayi Woh, with the crowd singing along and matching Raghu and the bands’s Pogo dance.