When the comeback of Pepsi Battle of the Bands, sixteen years after its original incarnation, was first announced, it brought with its return both bouts of nostalgia and skepticism.
When the comeback of Pepsi Battle of the Bands, sixteen years after its original incarnation, was first announced, it brought with its return both bouts of nostalgia and skepticism.
I say nostalgia because it unleashed the long-suppressed musical side of Fawad Khan and reminded us of the times when Khan fronted the glorious group known as EP. It also brought back into the limelight the long lost shadow of Aaroh. Both bands found fame and a national profile through this very show when it arrived on our television screens, circa 2002.
Our skepticism, meanwhile, stemmed from a number of reasons including the illustrious past of the show itself and the standard of music that was set by the participating bands (Aaroh, EP and the Mekaal Hasan Band) in the inaugural edition. It was also the result of an increasing lack of faith in corporate-fueled music projects, where playing it safe is the persisting theme.
The comeback of the show, introduced in the form of a mash-up single featuring Atif Aslam, Meesha Shafi and Fawad Khan, made instant impact on listeners but the very fact that it was a cover and not an original number made its value diminish a little. But of course, the collective power of seeing Shafi, Khan and Aslam together for the very first time had us riveted. While the first two episodes featured Aaroh front-man Farooq Ahmed alongside full-time judges Meesha Shafi and Fawad Khan, Atif Aslam and Shahi Hasan joined proceedings soon enough. The space given to Aaroh, who have struggled to remain in music, despite two good albums, was a nice touch.
The good, the bad and the ugly
A lot has been said about how Shafi, Aslam, Khan and Hasan judged the show and it has to be said that judging is not the same as recording a song or performing, which is the real expertise of these artists. Also, given the material put up by most bands, the judges were more than affable whereas they could’ve been absolutely vicious. If Pepsi Battle of the Bands is back with another season or two, the quality of judging will get better.
As for the music we heard on the show from the participating bands, it seemed as if the bands played what they wanted to play - whether it was Madlock or Pindi Boys or Kashmir. The bad news is that a lot of them gave underwhelming performances, made worse by a sound that struggled to find cohesion and clarity, at least in the earlier episodes.
Things did improve tremendously as the episodes went on and credit belongs to producer Faisal Rafi and his tech team (Quaid Ahmed, Ahsan Bari, Faisal Baig) who did not tone down the texture of the songs to make it palatable. A brilliant case in point is Call’s performance of ‘Jilawatan’ in episode seven where the guitars drenched the vocals and vice versa.
Of the bands that made the cut to top six and were eliminated over the course of half a dozen episodes, Kashmir had the most potential and their victory is well-deserving.
While Roots were the most experimental act to appear on the show, the rejection of music groups Sikandar Ka Mandar and ESharp felt like an egregious error to those of us who have followed their careers. And it needs to be said that we need to see better bands in the next season. Or at minimum better renditions that showcase the real promise of the beautiful diversity that is found in underground/indie scene.
The only thing that needs to be revisited is the hosting. The inane banter by Ayesha Omar is an irritant and a respite is needed. The host can’t be so irritating that you wait for individual music videos rather than watching the episodes again.
The finale
Coming to the finale episode, Kashmir took home the crown but not before performing on the Pepsi stage one more time with another elating melody called ‘Parwana Hun’ that simply reinforced the conviction that this band has the potential to go beyond what is expected from them.
Badnaam, the runner-up band also took the stage and they too have won prize money but in my opinion, this was never a top two band. What Badnaam does from here on out remains to be seen but if they want to have a career akin to other successful bands, they must raise their vocal dexterity.
The rest of the episode was littered with so many electrifying performances that one is hard-pressed to find a favourite.
The ultimate rockstar of Pakistan, Ali Azmat, joined by the likes of Ahsan Bari, delivered a new song called ‘Pataal Sey’ that was the perfect throwback to his Social Circus days. The arrangement of this song is in complete contrast to Azmat’s recent appearances on other shows and is therefore both powerful and enduring. It is also a strong reminder that Azmat must release new material. He still has no counterpart in music.
Meesha Shafi took the stage with a blistering new tune called ‘Speaker Phaar’ that told us that she is at the top of her game. Armed with a loudspeaker in desi samurai garb, it was a rendition that comes as a strong statement from the artist, who also wrote the lyrics, about her real capabilities and is an attempt to define her own narrative in music, which is about defying restrictions, not conforming while tearing down both speakers and self-imposed walls.
Shahi Hasan, joined by Asad Ahmed, paid a rich tribute to Junaid Jamshed by singing the song, ‘Namumkin’ and stunned us all with his vocals. EP made a comeback with their thrilling rendition of ‘Hamesha’ while Atif Aslam also delivered a knockout performance in the form of ‘Mere Watan’ that is a showcase of his penchant for taking languages and experimenting with them in his own unique manner. Joined by the likes of Danish Khwaja, Zain Ali and Sameer Ahmed, it remains a superlative performance. Other acts like Josh and Aaroh too took the stage and while both were perfectly acceptable, they were eclipsed by the likes of Shafi and co.
As for Kashmir and Badnaam, their journey has just begun. With prize money of 5 million rupees and 2.5 million rupees respectively and a national profile made possible by the show, they must continue to create original music and while doing so must remember that an opportunity like this, needed by so many young, upcoming bands, is the gift of a lifetime. Here’s hoping that another season of PBOB is on the cards.
