Cactus and Arnob join hands for Nepal fundraising concert

They met after three years of feuding at a terrace party. Hands were shaken, the olive branch extended and Sidhu and Rupam — the faces of the two warring Bangla bands Cactus and Fossils, respectively — put their rivalry behind and bonded like old friends.
Many joint interviews later, it seems that the old cracks in the new-found friendship are not easy to fill.
Both the bands had announced they would be part of a fundraiser concert for Nepal at Nazrul Mancha along with other Bangla bands like Lakkhichhara, Eeshan and Prithibi. But days before Friday's gig, Cactus made it clear that they would not put up a full-fledged show. Instead, the band will have its own fundraising concert — an Indo-Bangla venture featuring Cactus, Arnob and Tanmoy Bose — at the same venue on June 5.
Reason? Cactus has claimed that the sound arrangement did not fit their requirements. But there are whispers that all is not well between Cactus and Fossils.
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The idea behind Friday's concert, Kolkata for Nepal, was mooted by Rupsha Dasgupta, Rupam's wife, and is backed by the state government. At a press conference recently, all the bands declared they would make the fundraiser a success by joining hands. It was announced that donations would only comprise dry food. A few days later, Cactus member Mainak 'Bumpy' Nag Chowdhury posted on his Facebook wall: “Kolkata for Nepal is an essential concert... I, as a part of Cactus, would like to thank Rupam, Rupsha and Bangla Rock Magazine from every corner of our hearts for initiating it. We are also heavy at heart that we shall not be doing our set for this event due to technical problems. But we still are as much a part of this project as we were at initial stages."
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After this, the band was targeted online for pulling out, to which Mainak also retaliated.
The story goes that Cactus members weren't pleased with the sound arrangement at the concert and decided not to go ahead with a fulllength gig. In a text message to Rupsha, Sidhu wrote: “Unfortunately, it seems that we won't be able to put up a full-length performance due to technical reasons. But in order to express our solidarity with your endeavour and to celebrate the spirit of Bangla rock, we as a band, would definitely attend the show and would also love to go up on stage and sing a song for Nepal."
But after this, Cactus' name was dropped from all publicity material. Said Sidhu, “We backed out because of technical reasons but still wanted to go ahead with one song. Sadly 'would love to' in my message was misinterpreted as an act of indecision, after which Cactus' name was dropped from the publicity material. Even Lakkhichhara cannot do a fulllength show because they don't have a lead vocalist. But their name is retained under 'special performance'. If this had been a year back, I wouldn't have been affected, but under the current circumstances, it is indeed disheartening."
Baji, drummer of Cactus, however, added that the band would be present at the show. “A gig is all about sound and our requirements couldn't be fulfilled. But we, as a band, will be present as the cause is very close to our heart," he said. About the June 5 concert, he added, “The idea came from Cactus, but it wasn't possible for us to organize the show on our own. When we sounded out Amitava Bhattacharya of Banglanatak dotcom, he was excited and took charge. The state government has also given us the venue for free. It's a free-for-all show, where we'll have a donation box inside and we expect Kolkatans to turn up in hordes to support the cause."
Tanmoy, who goes back a long way with both Cactus and Arnob, is no less excited about the concert. “Cactus has a huge fanbase in Bengal. Arnob, on the other hand, has collaborated with me earlier. Though I haven't worked with Cactus, I know Baji and Sidhu personally for years. The artiste fraternity has always worked towards raising funds and it's an honour to be a part of this concert," he said.
Rupsha, on her part, ruled out any rivalry between Cactus and Fossils. “They had some issues with the sound and we didn't know if they would do the show when the publicity material was released. But this is not a problem. Cactus will not only be present at today's show, they will also perform a number," she said.