The finals of the third season of Pepsi Battle of the Bands got under way over the weekend and we are super excited to see all that unfolded. The episode featured two performances each from the stellar finalists of this season, namely Bayaan and Xarb.
The episode also featured a power packed performance of season 2 runners up Badnaam and veteran rock legends, who were also the winners of the first season of the show, Aaroh.
The show kicked off with a bang, as Badnaam took to the stage once more to show their dominance on the stage and remind the audience why they were amongst the Top 2 last year. Their riff heavy rendition of Bulleh Shah’s Daastan-e-Faqeer showed signs of the band maturing all the while as they shook the stage. Singer Ahmed Jilani once again proved to be a vocal powerhouse enchanting the audience with his powerful vocals.
This was followed by finalists Bayaan coming forth with their first performance of the night doing a stunning mash up of two classic songs, Nayaara Noor’s “Aaj Bazaar Main” and Ali Azmat’s “Na Re Na”.
This performance was a true spectacle to watch as one could clearly see the evolution of this band from a scattered lot of good musicians to a full fledge rock band, with a command over their musical capabilities on stage. After being in the danger zone twice and receiving constructive criticism provided by the judges, it does seem like Bayaan truly incorporated all those missing elements in their sound pointed out by the judges, and the result is indeed staggering.
This performance was followed up by the second finalist, Xarb, with their take on 2 classics by 2 legendary artists, namely Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Abida Parveen.
The mash up named Raqs-e-Wujood, proved to be a soulful arrangement of songs from two of the most legendary singers known to the Pakistani music scene. The band played as tight as ever, enchanting the audience with their stellar note selection and powerhouse vocals.
Both bands gave very strong first performances. However, it is both bands’ second performance that really shook us to the core. Bayaan came forth with a mind boggling original titled “Paani Aur Mitti”. Everything about this performance, from music arrangement, lyrics to stage performance and presence, Bayaan truly showed how they’ve evolved and developed as a band throughout the competition and earned themselves a rightful place in the finals. Their incorporation of the judges’ feedback and continued trips to the danger zone has certainly strengthened them and made them a formidable opponent in the final battle for the crown of Pepsi Battle of the Bands.
Xarb also came forth with an original track titled “Umeed”. This performance saw Xarb going back to their roots and incorporating blues and country music with folk-ish vocal performance that culminated into pure magic.
The episode was closed by veteran rockers and season 1 winners Aaroh, who gave an enchanting performance of their original “Ik Chah” which gave us reminder of the stunning band chemistry and vocal delivery that enchanted us all since the very beginning. This was indeed a refreshing experience from one Pakistan’s best music groups.
The finals have us clinching onto our seats and eagerly awaiting what is to come in the final episode. Will Bayaan take the crown or will Saaen Ghungroo and Xarb steal it away from them? We are eagerly waiting for next week for all our unanswered questions to be answered in fulfilling manner, and judging by how the season has been going so far, we are surely in for some great surprises.
Voting details are as follows:
Vote for your favorite Band NOW! SMS X to vote for XARB or SMS B to vote for BAYAAN & send to 8042, or visit www.pepsibattleofthebands.com
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