Unlike other musical bands, Laal’s music is known especially for its passion and political relevance. It has been promoting the culture of poetry of progressive poets like Habib Jaalib and Faiz Ahmad Faiz.
Unlike other musical bands, Laal’s music is known especially for its passion and political relevance. It has been promoting the culture of poetry of progressive poets like Habib Jaalib and Faiz Ahmad Faiz. Having based its music on leftist themes, Laal has even sung the international socialist anthem The Internationale in Urdu called Jaago. Last week, on May 27, Laal was the first Pakistani band to be headlining at The Royal Festival Hall Southbank Center, London for a peace concert. This was the first time a Pakistani band has headlined the Royal Festival Hall.
Three people, Taimur Rahman, Mahvash Waqar, Haider Rahman, are the reason behind its success. Today, we have the lead vocalist of the band, Taimur Rehman with Us. Taimur has a PhD in Political Science and is the author of “The Class Structure of Pakistan”.
What is Laal, the band, all about?
The band was created in 2008 during the heyday of the lawyers’ movement. It is a band that is dedicated to social and political causes from a progressive point of view. Laal is basically about stimulating social change through music.
So far it has released two albums and 11 singles, and toured nearly the entire world.
What were the problems you faced during your music journey?
We were told in the beginning that a band that primarily sings political and social songs may enjoy fame within a niche market, but would not be popular with the masses. However, we proved this is not the case. We showed that musical subjects can include a diverse range and still be interesting enough for listeners and audiences.
Our second big challenge was when our original vocalist left to study in the United States and we had to replace him. But, with lots of hard work, practice, and patience we have now managed to re-establish the band in a very big way. Our last music video got over three million hits.
Is it possible to bring a revolution through words and music?
A revolution is a complex phenomenon. There are many factors that cause and create a revolution in society. But, certainly literature and music can play a very important role in the development of ideas and the evolution of society.
How was your experience
at Lahooti Melo?
It was electric. It was one of the largest and most enthusiastic concerts in recent times and I think every artist who was present on the occasion felt the power and energy of the young people of Hyderabad and Sindh.
Tell Us something about the song Intsaab? What was the inspiration behind it?
It is a haunting melody from the 1980s written by Arshad Mehmood and sung beautifully by Nayyara Noor. It had a huge impact on me when I was a child and the movement for the restoration of democracy was going on in Pakistan. When we decided to pay a tribute to our dear comrade, Sabeen Mehmud, we opted to redo this melody in a new way. That was because the original song took us back to a time when there was great promise for a new society, but there was also great struggle against all the ills of society which continue to haunt us even today. It was also very challenging; it was not an easy task to redo a masterpiece. We were somewhat anxious that classical puritans may negatively compare our version to the original. However, our fears were misplaced. Our version of the song was appreciated universally.
Are you guys planning to promote other progressive poets?
Yes, we do. We are recording our third album and our audience will find a wide array of poets and their messages as well.
What are the qualities of a good musician?
I think the most important quality of any artist is to be sensitive to what is going on in the society. Of course, art is also an individualistic affair. However, our individualism must be connected in some way to the struggles of the oppressed around us. If it is not connected to such struggles, it is the individualism of an insensitive person; that ‘artist’ wouldn’t have any sense of self-reflection.
What was the inspiration behind your music?
The struggle for socialism and the emancipation of the working class has been the inspiration behind all my work.
Could you name some of your favourite singers/poets?
Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley, Tracy Chapman, Pink Floyd, those who have sung songs of freedom and songs of liberty, songs that have meant something for the poor, downtrodden, and oppressed, these are my favourite artists, musicians, singers and poets.
What are you up to these days?
We recently went to London to play at the Alchemy Festival at the Southbank Centre on May 27, 2016. For this mega event we collaborated with the Asian Dub Foundation. We went there with high expectations that it would generate massive publicity for the benefit of Pakistan and would bring all those people who stand against hatred, bigotry, and fanaticism on a joint musical platform for a new tomorrow.
Personally speaking, I got to play at The Royal Festival Hall (where Bob Marley and Pink Floyd have played) on my birthday. The audience had joined in on greeting me. It was the best way imaginable to celebrate my birthday.
Any message for the readers of Us?
It is no secret that Pakistan today is confronted by a number of challenges; foremost among them is religious extremism. It is the duty of every Pakistani to stand up to this challenge in their individual and collective capacity and through the medium that they understand best to create a pluralistic society. We hope that our generation can rise to these challenges and create a progressive Pakistan.
I want to thank Mr. Ali Suleman
for all his help.
