Indie musicians brew up a storm

Second edition of ‘Storm in a Teacup’ music festival showcases promising talent in the country

KARACHI: The second edition of True Brew Records’ Storm in a Teacup music festival picked up from where it left off last year. Held at Peeru’s Cafe in Lahore on April 12, the event offered a platform to promising musicians from the indie circuit in the country, according to a press release.

According to Jamal Rahman, CEO of True Brew Records, the idea to stage an event like this had been brewing in his mind since January last year, and he was already in talks with musicians and friends to bring the project to fruition. But it wasn’t until he met the “fine chaps at Lussun TV,” hoping to organise an event with Karachi-based bands in Lahore, that his plan saw the light of day. “This was the perfect opportunity to put the festival idea into motion. I gathered some more bands from Lahore and Islamabad and we held our first big festival in January last year,” Rahman told The Express Tribune.



This year’s festival brought together some of the best independent bands from Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. Among the independent musicians who performed at the festival were Red Blood Cat, Basheer and the Pied Pipers, Keeray Makoray, Shorbanoor, Slowspin, Nawksh, Rudoh, and Omar Farooq.

Although inspired by international music festivals, such as Coachella, SXSW and Glastonbury, Rahman, feels their festival stands out as it only features independent artists, all in one day. Through this venture, the organisers hope to kickstart the trend of bigger music festivals in Pakistan, something which has already taken off across the world in the form of music and arts festivals.

Storm in a Teacup, Rahman’s brainchild, is an attempt to highlight the indie genre of Pakistan and support the efforts of upcoming musicians in the country. With a line-up, mainly comprising independent musicians, there’s always a chance that the event may not be able to attract larger crowds, but Rahman holds that the festival had been specifically ‘tailored’ to cater to young audiences and promote independent talent.



“This is the music we love, the music we make and the music we want to promote. Our audience is filled with enthusiastic music-lovers and that quality brings a sincere vibe to the show. That’s where the magic lies,” said Rahman. Regarding the future of the festival, Rahman is confident that Storm in a Teacup is here to stay.

“We will make this an annual pilgrimage for the love of music. Next year will be bigger, better and have a broader spectrum of independent artists from different places,” said Rahman, while outlining his plans for future editions. The second edition of Storm in a Teacup was a collaborative effort by True Brew Records, 141 Schools Project, Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop and City FM89.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th,  2015.

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