Pakistan’s evolving music scene is inhabited by a number of innovative artists who have the necessary vision and restless will to take their studio-created music to another level when they perform live. While opportunities to play music, on the whole, have taken a hit - the post 9/11 universe has created a permanent cloud of fear, death and devastation -
Ali Azmat playing his tunes at Emporium Mall in Lahore
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Sounds of Kolachi, Ali Azmat and Farhan Saeed take the stage.
Pakistan’s evolving music scene is inhabited by a number of innovative artists who have the necessary vision and restless will to take their studio-created music to another level when they perform live. While opportunities to play music, on the whole, have taken a hit - the post 9/11 universe has created a permanent cloud of fear, death and devastation - artists haven’t lost their ability to surprise the audience, both at home and abroad. When given the chance, they manage to create a kind of musical reverie that only true artists can produce. With that in mind, here’s a quick look at lively performances that made the past week very special.
Pakistan’s coolest music ensemble, Sounds of Kolachi, led by the indomitable Ahsan Bari, has begun its United States tour in spectacular style. After playing the US Tour Preview show in Karachi recently, which counted in attendance names like Tina Sani and filmmaker Jami, Bari and crew have moved on to foreign shores. Having landed in Washington D.C., SOK played at the Tropicalia Lounge and followed it up by a free public concert at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the video of which can be found online. Suffice it to say, it was dazzling display of musicianship. The tour is backed by Center Stage, a cultural exchange program initiated by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and produced by the New England Foundation for the Arts.
Farhan Saeed’s Larkana gig was very well-attended
Back at home, Ali Azmat and Farhan Saeed also took the stage albeit separately in different cities and gave fans a lot to cheer about.
Ali Azmat played his tunes at Emporium Mall in Lahore as part of Pakistan Day celebrations. Joined by Omran Shafique, Kamran ‘Mannu’ Zafar and other music cohorts, Azmat sang his big hits such as ‘Garaj Baras‘, ‘Na Re Na‘ as well as Junoon numbers like ‘Yaar Bina’ and ‘Jazba Junoon’ and had the audience singing along. According to a post-event report, the Emporium Mall gig pulled over 30,000 people.
On a similar note, singer-songwriter Farhan Saeed, whose career is on a permanent upward trajectory since he left his Jal days and bizarre sartorial choices behind, emerged in Larkana, Sindh and played to a riveted audience who came in solid numbers to see the star. After playing the show, Saeed sharing a photo from the gig wrote on Instagram: “I had a different perception of Larkana before yesterday, it surely was a crazy crowd and half of it is not even in the frame! Thank you for showering your love. You know every second of hard work is worth it, when people show you this much love.”
