Bumbu Sauce & Malang Party: Getting into the groove

Bands Bumbu Sauce and Malang Party jam in Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD: Marred by the fog, the cold and the feeling that the Governor of Punjab was assassinated nearby, Kuch Khaas was the venue for ‘a breath of fresh air’ for the negligible music scene in Islamabad. The two bands playing were the super energised Bumbu Sauce (who have managed to establish quite a cult following) and Malang Party (with seasoned musicians Zeeshan Mansoor and Shehzad Hameed).

Even though they have kept a low profile, Bumbu Sauce erupted on to the music scene in Pakistan. When the band members Colonel, Master, Zakoota and Jeevay Laal Bumbu took to the stage, there was an immediate stir in the crowd and one could sense the excitement and anticipation of the audience.

After a few jokes, the band started with their single “Jigger-naut” which links the Taliban with Pakistan and talks about ‘going in a van to fight the Taliban’ and also mentions the China-man with Jackie Chan. Next up was the bands most famous song “Mojambo”, which with its raw riffs and sarcastic Punjabi lyrics mixed with English one-liners got the crowd singing along and into the mood.

The band went on to play songs which are on Off the Bistee Proof EP and followed this with their rendition of Anwar Masood’s famous poem Bunnayn. While not many people in the crowd knew the meaning behind the words, the song was nevertheless very powerful and kept the audience interested and feeling the mood.

Bumbu Sauce was requested to do an encore after their set was complete and so “Mojambo” was performed once again. Ecstatic about the response, vocalist Shahan said, “This is what a home crowd is like, that was awesome.”

Next up was Malang Party and even though I did not get a single word the vocalist sung, because of hall acoustics and varying sound levels, I was to appreciated the music being played. The trippy riffs, the good grooves on the bass and the solid beat were brilliant and got the crowd tapping their feet.

Amongst his peers and music lovers, band member Zeeshan Mansoor is known as a skilled blues players and it was expected that Malang Party’s set would include guitar solos. The crowd was not disappointed as the band showed off their skill.

As stereotypes and norms would dictate, punk rock does not appeal to the masses but the crowd at Kuch Khaas had people from every age including older women (aka ‘aunties’) that were spotted in the audience.

Being a small city, the who ‘s who were in attendance from musician Arieb Azhar to a number of foreigners and local musicians who were spotted in the audience. When asked, Azhar said that the night was “brilliant and energetic” he believes that 2011 will be very good for Islamabad’s music scene.

It is safe to say that both bands rocked and brought with them the hope that things will change to improve the currently depressing music scene in Pakistan’s capital.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2011.