Karachi meets Co-VEN

Co-VEN took stage by storm at the Music Art and Dance School where they performed second concert during visit.

KARACHI: Co-VEN, the Lahore-based hard rock band, took the stage by storm on Thursday night at the Music Art and Dance (MAD) School where they performed their second concert during their visit to Karachi. With their latest album Volume 3 released last year on November 22, the Karachi tour came after five shows in Lahore and one in Islamabad.

The quartet comprises of lead singer and guitarist Hamza Jafri, bassist Sameer Ahmed, percussionist Sikandar Mufti and guitarist Omran Shafique. Initiated in 1991, what sets Co-VEN apart is that the songs are all in English.

The opening act which spurned the night in to a roller coaster ride was lead by another Lahore-based band, Poor Rich Boy whose history is intertwined with Co-VEN since both bands used to perform together. With Shehzad Noor on vocals and guitars along with Zain Ahsan, they kicked off the show with the song,“Comatose”.

Co-VEN opened the night with “Seven Years” from Volume 3, moving on to 11 other tracks from the same album. Jafri, who is also the lead guitarist for Co-VEN, synchronised his instrumental well with his strong vocals keeping the audiences thumping their feet to the very end. Sameer Ahmed, the young bassist also proved to be an equally talented partner in the performance. But the star of the evening was the drummer. Sikandar Mufti stole the show adding the much needed zing and edge to the entire programme. With sufficient command on percussions, Mufti is not just a seasoned musician but also an entrepreneur of the record company Shame On You which released the much awaited rock album.

Assessing from the overall audience response of the live show, Nida Butt, the organiser of the event said, “The performance was up to my expectations and the band played really well. The audience response was excellent.”

The band members were equally delighted by their success. “The show went really good,” Ahmed told The Express Tribune.

The dim-lit, gothic look of the venue, Co-VEN’s music blended well with the ambience. However, the audience was limited due to the space of the hall.

Although the band captivated the audience, one couldn’t help noticing the monotony of their songs and melodies which eventually seemed to flow at the same ebb.

Recorded at Ravenous Studio Lahore, the band’s latest album features their hit number “Ready to Die”.

An otherwise low key band, Co-VEN is now touring various cities aggressively to promote their recently launched album. “We’re doing the rounds in different cities to support our new album’s release,” said Ahmed.

Sharing the details of Co-VEN’s upcoming sensations, the musician said, “There are a number of other shows lined up for which we have greater expectations in terms of audience turn-out”.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2011.