The time for wondering whether they will or they won’t is over. Junoon did reunite earlier this year for the music video of their old time classic, ‘Khudi’. The music video featuring the trio – not their holograms as we had originally assumed – was released on Independence Day 2018. But that it seems was only the start. The original line-up featuring Ali Azmat, Salman Ahmed and Brian O’ Conell, it has been announced, will take the stage after 13 years for a live performance.
The story is confirmed since Azmat shared a post on his website followed by a press statement that states the trio will perform this December. The entire reunion is backed by Peek Freans Sooper and no dates have been announced yet but do watch out for this rare show. Will Salman Ahmed sing? Will he let Azmat do his thing? Will he co-sing? Will the band sing its old numbers or the more popular ones? The show will tell.
Since we are on the subject of Ali Azmat, it really seems like this is his year. After three fantastic performances on Coke Studio, including originals and collaborations, Azmat is set to participate in Red Bull Sound Clash for a second year. After taking on Umair Jaswal in the first edition, this time around it’s the clash of rock versus pop and Ali will clash with Strings, the pioneering pop band.
According to a poll conducted by a local paper, it emerged that Azmat is the king of rock and Strings of pop. This was followed by a video in which Ali Azmat noted that he will always defend rock. Strings, in their charming manner, released a video as well stating that if given the chance they would like to defend pop. Ergo, Red Bull Sound Clash. All this is just done to create hype but who wouldn’t want to see Ali Azmat and Strings in the same show.
Red Bull Pakistan has also released a video featuring both Azmat and Strings, adding fuel to musical fire. Fortunately, it’s a public show and is scheduled to take place on December 8 at Karachi Gymkhana and tickets can be bought through bookme.pk. Last year’s Sound Clash ended with Azmat embracing Jaswal and sharing the stage together with him to sing a song. But unlike Jaswal, both Ali Azmat and Strings have a musical discography that exists of beautiful songs, be it rock or pop. December will be a fierce musical month. Watch out. – Maheen Sabeeh
