Former band members of Akcent, Mihai Gruia and Sorin Brotnei, brought back its Romanian dance pop vibe that is so popular in Pakistan, and performed as their brand new act TWO at the opening of The Global Store in Gulberg, Lahore last weekend.
Lahore
Former band members of Akcent, Mihai Gruia and Sorin Brotnei, brought back its Romanian dance pop vibe that is so popular in Pakistan, and performed as their brand new act TWO at the opening of The Global Store in Gulberg, Lahore last weekend.
“We hired a European band to reflect the im
age of the departmental store that stocks items imported from Europe,” explained Waqas Afzal, owner of TGS.
Singing in their usual mix of Romanian, English, Polish and Spanish, the duo performed Akcent’s hit singles at the launch event, which attracted Lahore’s young and hip crowd in significant numbers.
One spotted several famous faces in attendance, including models Iffat Rahim, Natty and Meekal, designer Mehdi, actress/model Sophia Mirza and mak-up artist Babloo. Complete with cabaret lighting, lounge style seating and a centre stage for the act to perform, the set up seemed perfect. The initial hullabaloo of the red carpet died down as soon as the duo took to the stage.
Famous hits like ‘Stay with Me’, ‘Lover’s Cry’, ‘Spanish Dollar’, ‘Happy People’ and ‘Kylie’ seemed to be quite popular with the audience, who was left wanting more when the concert wound up. “I would call it an amazing event; it was very well organized,” quipped a happy Iffat Rahim, “Me and my daughter had a great time!”
As a band, TWO still rides the wave of popularity that comes with the members’ former association with Akcent and has hit it off with audiences in Pakistan. TWO frequents Pakistan regularly during tours, and was in Karachi for a
Valentine’s Day concert just last month. It’s this familiarity with the audience and of course their energetic performances that makes for a killer night every time.
Talking to Instep, Mihai Gruia reiterated the thought when he said, “The event was something special for us and it was one of our best acts. We were very happy to be singing live for all our fans who love our music. Pakistan is starting to look like a second home for us and we are happy to promote a positive image of the country.” Acknowledging that TWO has a strong fan base in the country, Gruia added that the image of Pakistan is always inaccurately portrayed in Europe, and they want to correct that misperception. “You are a resilient nation and deserve all the best in the world,” he said.
– Photography by Imran Fareed
