'Battle of the Bands' episode 3 review: Ready, set, play!

And Strings gave a powerful performance!

KARACHI: The third episode of Battle of the Bands season four opened with host Hina Altaf introducing DJ and actor Ali Safina on stage to join her as a co-host, stated a press release.

The two laid down the format of the upcoming battle, explaining to the audience that the 12 bands had been divided into two groups. Six of the them battled it out in a one-on-one competition this week, while the rest will do so in the upcoming episode.


Before anything else, Strings performed Chal Para from their latest album 30, tracing the journey back to the early days of the Pakistani music.


Then the battle began. The first round dictated that the bands perform original songs, in tradition with the show's desire to promote new music. The first face-off was between Skehlaaj and E-Sharp.

E-Sharp performed Awaami Mulazim in their signature devil-may-care attitude fused with thought-provoking lyrics.


Skehlaaj followed it up with a banger titled Motion, fusing heavy riffs and husky vocals. However, the jury eventually decided in favour of the former, citing the creative and vocal limitations in Skehlaaj’s music.


Next was Neon vs Mousiqa. Neon made the first move, performing their original Haddi Daal Do, marking their first performance before a live audience. Mousiqa returned with Dhudun Kya.


Unfortunately, the jury wasn't pleased and Fawad Khan said he didn’t feel anything because of the weak lyrics. While the judges appreciated Mousiqa’s song structure, they eventually opted for Neon.


The final showdown of the night was between Star Zone and Aarish.


Star Zone went first, with their soulful Taaron ki Roshni while Aarish answered the strike with Awaaz. They left the judges wishing they could send both the bands into the next round. But it had to be one and that was Aarish.


Lastly, the jury exercised their power to save one out of the three bands in the danger zone: Skehlaaj, Mousiqa and Star Zone. Faisal Kapadia told the contestants not to lose hope and continue their journey. The jury made the collective decision to save Star Zone in the end.

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