Pakistan

The night when the capital rocked

Fifth edition of annual event also included training workshops for upcoming artists

APP March 26, 2018

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ISLAMABAD: The capital, it seems, geared up for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi by rocking to a music festival.

The fifth edition of the two-day Foundation for Arts, Culture and Education (FACE) Music Mela 2018 drew droves of people, young and old to the now hallowed halls of the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA).

The festival has fast earned a reputation for being a melting pot of music, nationalities and culture. Hence, it was no surprise that several artists from around the world turned up to perform various genres of music, including folk, rock, classical and pop before an enthusiastic audience.

Artists who performed during the two-day event included Mary Macbride from the US, the local collaborative band Wild ManGoes, Senegalese music sensation Modou Toure, Roxx Remora, Wisdom Salad, Aaroh, Roots (Pepsi Battle of the Bands), Sargam kay Khiladi, RockLite, Quadram, Pataris, Sajad Ali Chakwal Group, and singers Ammar Farooki, Ejaz Sarhadi, Bashir Lohar and Bilal Khan among others.

The celebrated local and international musicians entertained the Islamabad audiences with their tremendous performances.

The primary aim of FACE Music was to boost new artists, particularly those hailing from Islamabad.

Furthermore, it was intended to inspire inexperienced artists and help them to improve their level of professionalism through performances, workshops and presentations; as well as to put the spotlight on the creative talent of the region in front of promoters, and the public in order to provide them with a chance to enhance their careers.

The festival included a diverse range of facilities for both education and entertainment such as master workshops and lectures with music teachers, followed by question and answer sessions with directors of successful music projects; panel discussions with leading advocates of the music industry in Pakistan, this includes promoters, publishers, educationists and artists.

However, the biggest draw, especially for the local artists, was that representatives of the South by Southwest Music Festival from Texas were scouring the festival to scout for fresh talent.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2018.