‘Lahore Music Meet’ attracts thousands

LAHORE:Music Meet, the powerhouse team behind Pakistan’s biggest music festival, staged the fifth edition of “Lahore Music Meet” at Alhamra Art Center here Saturday and Sunday taking the city by storm with over 20,000 music enthusiasts in attendance.

The two-day event was open to the general public with no cost of admission [entry free with NIC or Student ID]. Heating up all four stages of Alhamra this weekend was a curated line-up of new artistes and fresh sounds which encapsulated various musical spectrums of Pakistan along with interactive talks, panel discussions, master classes, story-telling sessions, and documentary/film screenings to jam-packed audiences and standing ovations.

LMM5 featured mind expanding ‘Master classes’ by Haniya Aslam, Zeeshan Parwez and ProperGaanda; ‘Panel Discussions’ featuring Azeem Hamid, Mekaal Hasan, Mehreen Rana, Talha Humayun, Sehyr Mirza, Talha Ali Kushvaha, Dr Fozia Saeed, Shoaib Iqbal, Fouzia Younis Suleman, Sophiya Anjam, Ayesha Omar, Mustafa Zahid, Ali Aftab Saeed, Fasi Zaka and Dino Ali; ‘In Conversation’ sessions with LMM founders Natasha Noorani and Zahra Paracha, and Chairman IPO Mujeeb Ahmed Khan; story-telling sessions ‘Daastangoi’ featuring Zeeshan Parwez & Fasi Zaka, Hadiqa Kiani, Faris Shafi & Ahmer Naqvi, Tarannum Naaz and Zulfi; a music ‘Presentation’ by Rafay Mahmood; ‘Screenings’ of Indus Blues by Javed Sharif and Zeejah Fazli, Shehr-e-Tabassum by Shehri Pakistan, and the ‘Story Share Initiative’ by The Citizens Archive of Pakistan; ‘Khayal Gayaki’ - a performance by Sur Mandal and Tehzeeb Foundation; and special sessions presented by Pepsi featuring ‘Daastangoi’ with Auj and Aarish, and an ‘Album Launch’ for Bayaan’s ‘SUNO’. Also in attendance were musicians, actors and media personalities such as Samiya Mumtaz, Faisal Rehman, Gumby, Xulfi, Zara Peerzada, Altamash, Rubab Ali, Danyal Zafar and Imran Qureshi, to name a few.

LMM5 also featured live music performances by Punjabi folk legend Naseebo Lal, progressive folk-rock band, Saakin, electro-pop producer Talal Qureshi [featuring Maanu and Faris Shafi] and Punjabi RnB star Shamoon Ismail as a part of the indoor showcase.

The outdoor showcase presented Hassan Sheikh & Roshaan Sherwani, Farheen Raza, Towers, Madlock, Mehdi Maloof, Haniya Aslam, Natasha Humera Ejaz, Adil Omar, Karakoram, Mahak Qayyum, Iqbal, IFRA, Gentle Robot, Maanu, Fake Shamans and Mekaal Hasan Band.

Indeed, for its fifth iteration, the Lahore Music Meet received over 300 applications from across the country for the live performance sessions which were then crafted into a carefully curated list by co-founders Natasha Noorani and Zahra Paracha representing an interesting blend of pop, rock, folk, RnB, electronic and rap music from around the country.

The Lahore Music Meet is entirely women-led and consists of Festival Directors Natasha Noorani and Zahra Paracha with Sana Nasir as Art Director and Munizeh Sanai as Creative Director.

LMM5 is celebrating its fifth year as a well-established and unique platform for day-long musical performances and meaningful conversations and activities pertaining to music enterprise, education and academia.

The ultimate goals remain to create a meaningful engagement between audiences and musicians, encouraging new talents and fostering relationships between individuals within the music fraternity. By providing a platform of such scale, once every year, LMM hopes to enrich the ever growing Pakistani music ecosystem within Pakistan and abroad.