Ready, set, go. Yes, the bands are back! Let’s start off with some fangirling because seeing musical powerhouses Meesha Shafi and Fawad Khan judging the BoB Auditions Round with Farooq Ahmed from Aaroh as guest judge was the best thing we have seen on television in a long time. Getting into the groove, they showed us that they are committed to bring new talent to the forefront. They know what they are doing. Honest in their critique, this lot doesn’t waver from saying it how it is! Battle of the Bands has the star quality, musical variation and energetic live performances to become a regular fixture in honing emerging talent nationwide. It manages to breathe life into all our favorite music moments with just the right dash of nostalgia and a contemporary twist.
The first chapter of Pepsi Battle of the Bands gave us a closer look into the crazy world of auditions, the evaluation process and understanding what makes bands stand out. Featuring 15+ talented bands from diverse genres, the journey was nothing short of fun and enriching. Adding more oomph to the show than one can handle, it’s safe to say that the ravishing Ayesha Omar is our new favorite person! An utter treat to watch throughout the show amidst all the drama, tension and judging going on. And when she divulged all the delicious details on the big prizes that the BoB winner will get, it made us a little green with envy. But also definitely hopeful about the current music landscape where the underdogs will have an actual shot at showcasing their talents to an international audience and establishing their career in the long run. Now that’s called fostering new talent and giving young musicians the right platform to reach their full potential.
As the auditions have kicked off, here’s the run-down on a handful of bands that made us wanting for more:
1) Led by powerful female vocalist, ‘Naqsh’ proved to be a band with kickass attitude and hauntingly beautiful at the same time. Demonstrating a deep understanding of rhythm and musical personality, this band makes you experience a whole slew of feelings you’ve probably learned how to repress.
2) ‘Positive’ was a total breath of fresh air. Their take on Sufi Rock was a massive revelation as guest-judge Farooq Ahmed said that he found himself in a trance listening to them with Meesha admiring their music and Fawad referring to their music as a “sublime” experience in itself. He went on to add that their music had ‘soul’ in it; something that the judges have been actively searching for. Experiencing such ingenious moments unravel on stage only reassured us further that music will always be associated with a certain sense of romanticism and this is exactly what we came to watch!
3) Let’s hear it for the Pindi Boys! ‘Jasim and the Pindi Boys’ were unabashedly vivid and representative of their namesake as they proudly owned up to all that the flamboyant city of Rawalpindi had to offer. Initially Jasim Haider started off as a solo artist but after the overnight success of the track “Pindi Boys” back in 2014, they formed their band. The boys are confident that they bring something very unique to the table. We are certain that their idiosyncratic and eccentric voice is bound to stand out.
4) As expected from BoB, the show is not short of its occasional “fan” moments as the vocalist from the two-member ensemble ‘Bari – The Band’ was thrilled to perform Yaarah by Aaroh in the presence of guest judge Farooq.
5) Another one of our favorites was the band ‘Kashmir’ as we see them showcase a myriad of talents and unique inspirations. They performed EP’s song “Hamesha” on stage and proved to be very intricately layered. Deriving their name from a previously recorded track “Rani-e-Kashmir”, the band was unanimous in their opinion that their lead guitarist Wes is a total crowd puller. This received a nod from Fawad Khan as he jokingly calls Wes a quintessential Rockstar in the making and compares him to none other than hard rock guitarist Slash of Guns N’ Roses fame. Never a dull moment!
6) Remaining true to its essence of prompting young, aspiring bands; Battle of the Bands introduces us to the Lahore based alternative rock band ‘Madlock.’ Founded by Mehroze Gilani, he recalls his journey to when he was 17 and was dealing with Mutational Falsetto which was a constant struggle during his teen years. Having a distinctive voice, the band was quick to point out that the word ‘Madlock’ had no meaning to it and they simply liked how cool it sounded when the name was coined. Singing an original “Aarzoo”, the band feels that Battle of the Bands will be an incredible experience as they will be able to perform their music Live. Spoken like true musicians!
7) The last slot is shared by two bands; namely “Shajr” who are ready to embrace this opportunity to the fullest and wish to show their music prowess to the whole nation in the Battle of the Bands. Nimra, the only female member in the band, has given us some major #LifeGoals as she states she loves jamming on the regular. Then comes the band ‘Aura’ who performed an original song and was well-received by the judges. Though Meesha was quick to point out that their Coldplay influence was quite noticeable, it totally worked in their favour as they had an original vibe to them.
Whatever your favorites were from the night, there is something we can all agree on – this eclectic mix of bands guarantees that BoB will be a force to reckon with in the coming weeks. All the while making it super tough for the judges to choose the top bands given the variety and versatility on show.
A huge shout-out to the judges who gave us a little taste of their standards for critiquing a show of this magnitude. As seen on tonight’s episode, we can gauge that Fawad is all about finding that original sound and loves a band that can hold their own on the stage as they perform like there’s no tomorrow! Meesha has ears for those strong vocals, hard notes and dynamic experimental music which brings out that element of uniqueness we all crave as listeners. They did their part even when it came to evaluating bands that were mediocre by giving them the right advice to attain a certain panache needed to make it big. Bands that lacked originality, or came across as too technical while facing a proverbial identity crisis in finding their true sound were told so without any qualms.
Like it or not: the Battle of the Bands has an infectious charm that we can’t deny. Only one episode in and you get this feeling that this is not a competition, but a movement of sorts. At some point in our lives, we have all dreamed of becoming a star like our idols and now BoB makes it possible for the best that Pakistan has seen in a long time!
Watch full Pepsi Battle Of The Bands episode 1 online :