A night of ballads and bangers

How Mekaal Hasan Band and Auj stole the show in the first concert of Battle of the Bands tour

KARACHI: A night fueled by expectations, filled with reverence and flooding with emotions held four bands desperately waiting for their turns backstage. Members from Kashmir prepared in silence as Auj welcomed who ever came their way with open arms.

Tamaasha on the other hand couldn’t stay still while E-Sharp had already landed on stage for their performance. The Battle of the bands (BoB) tour with Mekaal Hasan Band (MHB) took place on Friday night at the Karachi Arts Council, and echoed with ballads and bangers.

With the headline act being MHB, the rest of winners from BoB had landed the venue beforehand with their instruments intact. Auj’s lead guitarist Nasir Zaka told The Express Tribune about how the event came into being and what their expectations were.



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“Mekaal Hasan plans to tour all over Pakistan and Karachi is his first stop, so all of us have been invited to perform here. We can’t explain what an honour it is to be on the same stage. Bilal Ahmad, the vocalist of Tamaasha said that Mekaal would steal the show, except, everyone was too excited for him to do so. “Everyone is really excited, especially because hazrat Mekaal Hasan will be performing!” he joked.

Lights flashed across the stage with shades of blue and white falling on the performers. The show kicked off with E-Sharp as the sound traditionally starting ruining things for the band members, and the audience. The intense feedback distracted singers listening to their own guitar tones and voice, a problem that occurred recurrently throughout all performances. Nevertheless, the band managed to pump the audience with their Punjabi sound in the end.



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This was followed by Tamaasha, who struggled with the same issues, however their Paisa Phenk managed to keep the audience engaged, regardless of Zahid Qureshi’s guitar barely being heard. Sajna, Faslay and Roshni, on the other hand provided a variety of emotions, ranging from groovy vibes to melancholic thoughts, ending off with the motivation to take over the world.

No gravity, just Tamaasha

Kashmir also landed the stage with similar fervour, however, being the young intellectuals they are, Vais Khan, their lead guitarist, managed to keep his guitar tone in place along with providing some commendable solos. Their Kaaghaz ka Jahaaz, Faaslay and a rendition of Mera Pyaar Tumhi Ho left the audience wanting for more.



 

Following this, Mekaal entered the venue and people knew that the stage was about to go down, after Auj was done performing that is. “I love classical rock, jazz, eastern music, and mostly progressive rock, but I listen to anything that grabs my attention.”

 

The guitarist went onto reveal a surprise addition to his band and the reason why he’s full of surprises all the time. “This time I’ve brought a new vocalist with me named Rasab, who’s only 19, he’s an amazing singer and he’s classically trained. I love exploring and collaborating with various talents, it’s like adding different textures to my sound which is important for anyone who wants to bring variation,” he concluded.

However, before he went on stage, came the second most notable act of the night. Auj gathered the audience in front of the stage, making sure no one remains seated once they started performing. The lead vocalist, Abdur Rahman Sajid kept conversing with the audience in an attempt to familiarise them with the songs and remaining band members. Their most engaging performances included Raat followed by an unexpected rendition of Laung Gawacha which made everyone start dancing on top of their seats.

However, all colours faded when Lafz began to play, as the audience could not help but sing along to the emotional track, in retrospect, leaving the band members wanting for more.
Following this, the finale began with a detailed inspection of the sound on stage.



 

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As Mekaal and his band brought their own set-up, making sure no string is left unheard. The band’s lineup included Kami Paul on drums, Rasab Amir on vocals, Waleed on bass, Muhammad Ahsan Papu on flute and Tipu Khan on keys.

Their performance kicked off with slow and indulging tracks which established the vocalist’s grip on his rhythm and sound including Rabba and Chal Bulleya. Followed by a rather fast and widely heard track, Sanwal, which led to quite a lot of head banging fused with contemplation.



PHOTO:PUBLICITY

Then came the tracks with more classical beats immersed in western sound, most of which followed an odd time signature. Ranging from Balma, to Jhop Ranjhan, to Maahi, one could tell the performances were not only engaging but well-rehearsed as well.

The night ended with everyone’s favourites, Andholan, Ranjha, Ghoongat and Sampooran all of which added up to the variety Mekaal spoke about endlessly and wanted to educate other about.

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