More of the same and no Ayesha Omer as 'Battle of the Bands' kicks off

Season four of musical reality show kicks off with five bands leaving a mark

KARACHI: 21 the band made it quite far in season three of Battle of the Bands [BoB]. For an act that didn’t evolve a yard since their 2011 debut at Uth Records, the recognition was nothing short of baffling. They were a filler act that managed to justify their place in BoB by returning to the judges with bold creative decisions.

Keeping a band intact is a huge, huge task: Strings

Yet, they were still a filler act. The irony of the show only began with a band like 21 and pressed all the clothes in Pepsi’s closet when judges continued to refer to them as punk rock. They were and have always been pop rock. Whether it was a case of a cue card gone wrong more than once or an attempt by the producers or judges to throw in a few cool genres and make our music scene more global, it didn’t work. In fact, it failed miserably.

Then came Ayesha Omer, the host who despite all the kind intentions and fashion choices, managed to leave you a cringe moment by following a question like, “Aye haye...tau aap batayen, yeh kis darjay ka kaam hai [Tell me, what level of work is this?]” with a conspicuously shady wink. I am not questioning her moves to sway the emceeing game but wondering if the eclectic mix of Bulbulay humour and sartorial finesse is better suited for the red carpet. She has thankfully been replaced by Instagrammer Hina Altaf this season.

Hina Altaf. PHOTO:SCREENGRAB

From audiences’ perspective, the only thing that makes BoB significant are the bands and everything else is just filler music - particularly after Atif Aslam left the show in the hands of an uber-talented woman, a superstar and a great live act, but not a single rockstar who still connects with the college crowd.

Despite all that is wrong with the show, there is something so deeply apt about it. Punk rock or not, 21 the band is still taken more seriously than a filler act like Mirage. The four-member act that has been around for almost a decade and is currently busy promoting their ‘retro pop song’ Befiker. They also make simple, catchy, elevator music but save for a few very dedicated fans, the audience might listen to them passively and never really look forward to them.

Mirage lacks the X factor that 21 also don’t have. But 21 was flashed on your screens for a month along with the likes of Tamasha, whose music stayed with the people. BoB makes you a part of an upper-class club which relies heavily on each other’s success with minimum chances of upward mobility otherwise. The doors are closed to the elite club where extraordinary men and women prefer Coke.

I’m trying to bring the vibe of the music I grew up with to Battle of the Bands: Fawad Khan

Season four kick started with Altaf and without Farooq Ahmed of Aaroh. The intention was clear: carry on with faces who can connect with the younger crowd and Altaf works the method. She is a fresh face for emceeing, which we stopped investing in after MTV shut down its operations in Pakistan. She doesn’t eat words and has a very sharp vocal projection.

Farooq, however, was thoroughly missed. His feedback was the most direct and practical and he also represented the show that is more nostalgic in its appeal than new age. If the decision to axe him meant dismantling that connection with the past, then nothing new was added to create a link with the K-pop and Asim Azhar audience. If the show wants to stick to the 80s/ 90s rock scene then it might as well swallow the red pill.

The bands that stood out 

Speaking of Farooq, one band that actually stood out for the judges in the audition phase was Auj. Their original song Lafz sounded exactly like Aaroh, with refined murkis. Just like Strings, Aaroh’s songwriting approach is always commercially safe but it is their arrangement and attitude that gives their music a unique personality. Auj seems to be in the right direction but I have a feeling they’ll offer more of the same. Fingers crossed.



Auj. PHOTO:SCREENGRAB

Seismic Tremors was termed intelligent by Bilal Maqsood. Amongst the largely mediocre lot that featured in the first episode, maybe. But as a whole, they are just another band trying to make the most of a classically trained vocalist and rapper at hand. What they are attempting is smart but it is more of a gimmick and less of a creative choice that’ll pay in the long run.

Neon’s Muscle Car is much better than the philosophy behind the band. Their lyrics are fun but there’s hardly anything genuinely new about the band, which makes one feel they are too uptight in their vision and might backfire in the cover songs stage.

Neon. PHOTO:SCREENGRAB

Starzone stayed with me longer than any other band. Their sound borders ambient rock and post-ambient and a vocalist of Anum Zehra’s tone form a magical combination. As Meesha Shafi and Bilal pointed out, the song is honest enough to make you relate to the emotion but requires a lot of polishing. I just hope they’re able to find new comfort zones.

Aarish is back once again with a decent melody. In order to fit the bill, they seemed to have worked on a more holistic rock sound and that’s fine. But their strength has always been a very basic sound that flows with the melodic vocals. Let’s hope they are able to deliver another hit like Aasman.

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