Instep report: The surprisingly astonishing appeal of Bilal Maqsood

Karachi: Tucked away in Karachi’s Korangi area is District19Khi, an art, culture and performing arts public space that sprang up a while back. Since emerging, it has hosted various events including live gigs. On Saturday night, it played host to Bilal Maqsood’s first major gig in Karachi with aplomb.

Since going their separate ways, Faisal Kapadia is going with the flow after the huge hit, ‘Phir Milenge’ with Young Stunners, on Coke Studio 14. Strings has called it off after 33 years.

However, there is a respect for each other that still remains. Bilal opened with appreciating and talking about Faisal’s Coke Studio 14 number and his co-collaborative number with Hadiqa Kiani and Shehzad Roy. He noted how he loved ‘Phir Milenge’ and added that while their solo journeys had begun, he wished him all the luck. Classy stuff.

Bilal Maqsood has already released an album of nursery rhymes for children. But in terms of mastering the art of performance and delivering on it, this was the night for both and he accomplished both with extraordinary appeal.

To play the part of front-man who could interact with the audience, he needed a guitarist and a whole band and it came together in in unique fashion.

With Bilal Maqsood on vocals, names such as Bradley D’ Souza, Saad Hayat, Nasir Zaka (from Auj), Bezlial Albert and Danish wholeheartedly accepted the chance to play with him in what is his second innings as a singer-songwriter, music producer and front-man (now).

This was Bilal Maqsood’s second solo show - the first one was in Lahore - and though he did play an unplugged session at an advertising awards ceremony, this was, in many ways, a first introduction to Karachi.

For a limited-people venue and an expensive ticket price, Rs. 3000 to be precise, it got sold out in three days.

Was Bilal jittery? Speaking to Instep post-gig, he admitted that there was a colossal sense of pressure. But what Bilal Maqsood walked away with was the feeling that the audience had accepted him in this new role.

In terms of songs, the gig was not filled with songs that were sung primarily by Faisal Kapadia and had his huge stamp. But even in singing his own Strings sung and co-sung material, there was a deeper question that would people accept this band and by proxy Bilal Maqsood as a lead vocalist? Given the positive reaction, they certainly did.

Bilal Maqsood smartly compiled a setlist that featured songs like ‘Anjaane’, ‘Sohniye’, ‘Chaiye Chaiye’, ‘Urr Jaoon’, ‘Sar Kiye’, ‘Dhaani’, ‘Mein Tou Dekhoonga’,’Lori’, ‘Sajni’, and ‘Hai Koi Hum Jaisa’.

Before playing ‘Mein Tou Dekhoonga’, he also had the audience in fits as he noted that given how things stand in the country, perhaps we should also call concerts “jalsa”. He furthered how today is Bilal Maqsood’s jalsa and tomorrow is Asim Azhar’s jalsa and so on before sharing what we should do as individuals and citizens.

Some audience members wanted to hear a song like ‘Duur’ but Bilal didn’t take the bait... just yet. “We’re not ready yet,” he told Instep afterwards.

“I took time to come out with my solo act because I wanted to recreate that signature Strings sound. We practiced really hard and the way people appreciated the band left me feeling that all the hard work done was worth it.”

Bilal Maqsood wanted to be the front man without dismissing the history of Strings which meant not singing every song from the band’s catalogue yet. Instead, he practiced with a newer line-up (for him) and did give the audience some of his co-sung and solo sung songs and they lapped it up.

Talking to Instep later, Bilal noted that for him this is a new journey and he wants to enjoy it. As Saturday night’ show proved, he is well on his way.