LRB to continue with Balam as Ayub Bachchu’s son wishes them well

The members of Love Runs Blind or LRB have decided to operate under the banner owned by Bangla rock legend Ayub Bachchu and with Kazi Md Ali Zahangir Balam in it.

After they had moved to perform as Balam and the Legacy, one of Bachchu’s heirs, his son Ahnaf Tazwar Ayub, launched a scathing attack on the people “who threatened his mother and sister for barring the other members from performing as LRB”.

Ahnaf, who is studying abroad now, wrote in a Facebook post on Monday: “My family and I only asked that the remaining members of LRB perform under a different band if they have to, so that dad’s entire life’s work could remain as it was.

“All we wanted was this, but that request was twisted into something else entirely. I’ve been seeing people give death threats towards my mother and sister. I’ve seen 1000 comments saying that my father isn’t my property, but he’s a national treasure.”

“That’s why I’m letting the remaining members of LRB (or Balam and the Legacy as they’re calling themselves now) know that they’re free to perform as LRB as they chose to initially. I wish them the very best and hope they achieve great success and keep Sollo’s music alive. I wish LRB all the success they can achieve,” Ahnaf added.

On Tuesday, an official at the Copyright Office told bdnews24.com the popular band and its logo were registered by only Bachchu, the legendary vocalist and lead guitarist, following his application in 2010.

It means only his heirs can run the band now while the others will need their permission to perform as LRB after Bachchu died last year.

 

The band’s Manager and Sound Engineer Shamim Ahmed told bdnews24.com Balam and the Legacy was a new band, not a renamed version of LRB, with Balam as the vocalist and lead guitarist.

The remaining members of LRB will wait for a call from Bachchu’s family to perform as LRB, he added.   

After seeing Ahnaf’s post, Shamim told bdnews24.com on Wednesday that they think there is no need for using a new name now as Bachchu’s family lifted the objection to use LRB.

He said they would finalise the decision once their lead guitarist Abdullah Al Masud, who was out of Dhaka to take care of his ailing mother, returned.

Shamim also said they were not leaving Balam out.

“Balam Bhai came to help us. We want him to stay with us. Now we have a vocalist cum guitarist (Balam). We also have good understanding with him,” he said.    

Bangla rock legend Ayub Bachchu is the sole owner of LRB and only his heirs can run the band, according to the Copyright Office

Bachchu formed the band in the early 90s with bassist Saidul Hasan Swapan, Habib Anwar Joy on drums, and SI Tutul on keyboard.

With Joy and Tutul having left the band, Swapan is the only living founding member now.

Shamim, Masud, and drummer Golamur Rahman Romel have been with the band for over a decade.