SOUNDCHECK: BATTLE LINES DRAWN
Maliha Rehman
Band members of Darvesh, Madlock and Badnaam
On an iridescent blue-and-black stage, a long-haired young man has his eyes closed as he sings into the microphone, fluidly modulating his voice, shifting gears from a fast-paced folk tune to hardcore, head-banging rock.
He is part of one of the last few bands contesting in this year’s Pepsi Battle of the Bands (BOTB) — the show may have only begun airing on television but most of the later episodes have already been filmed — and his ease on stage and powerful vocals are remarkable. The audience — a jostling, enthusiastic crowd of young boys and girls — appears to agree as they scream during the song’s catchy chorus. The performance is high on energy and it is almost as if these musicians are pros rather than fledgling contenders in search of their big break.
The BOTB judges are impressed. “You may or may not eventually win this contest but that shouldn’t be your ultimate goal,” observes Atif Aslam who sits on a raised platform opposite the stage along with fellow judges Meesha Shafi, Fawad Khan and Shahi Hasan. “You should be enjoying yourself, loving what you are doing and making music that will be memorable not just right now but also a decade later. Should you manage to do this, it may be something that helps enhance your career.”
Pepsi Battle of the Bands can provide the impetus that the local music industry direly needs
This is the kind of solid, well thought-out advice that has defined BOTB as the show has sifted through hundreds of auditions to shortlist eight finalists and then proceeded to eliminate them one after the other. Pepsi, in its endeavour to swing back into a youthful musical groove by reviving the BOTB montage that it had discontinued back in 2002, has pleasantly refrained from steering the show towards commercial territory. The music has veered from gritty rock to softer fusion, and it doesn’t seem as if it has paid much heed to what would work better for the show’s ratings.
Instead, the judges say that they have been given carte blanche to eliminate whoever they choose. Unlike most reality show formats, the BOTB judges are pleasant with no one turning nasty for the sake of shock value. This could be an indication that the show is truly just about promoting music.
Meesha Shafi
There has also been a surprising absence of overt gimmickry. None of the bands have been made to hold soft drink bottles as they sing, which is a relief. No one has been singing Pepsi, Pepsi Pakistan. Ayesha Omar, the host, may occasionally tell you to take a break and have a drink but that tiny bit of referencing is still acceptable. So far, so good.
Here’s where new talent is going to get highlighted, new songs — as well as revamped older ones — will be played out and only the best will weather the battle. Claiming to eschew favouritism, negate commercial concerns and focus solely on music, BoB is aiming to highlight the hitherto neglected Gen-X.
“All eight finalists are very talented and they have improved as the show has progressed,” says Shahi Hasan who, as the most experienced amongst the judges, brings a wealth of knowledge to the show. As a judge, he offers constructive advice and behind the scenes one has seen him making the effort to help the bands out with technical nitty-gritties. Shahi may be best known for being part of the pop band Vital Signs but following this, he turned producer and has worked on the albums of almost every well-known Pakistani musician. It is this irreplaceable know-how that makes him a significant addition to BOTB. He continues, “Not only is the show highlighting young upcoming bands but it also requires them to sing original songs. In this way, new original content is being created and this is fundamentally important for moving the music industry forwards.”
The way we were
Shahi Hasan
The local ‘music industry’ has barely been surviving for nearly a decade now, struggling with the help of a few hit-and-miss platforms and a single consistent one: Coke Studio. But over time, CS’ raison d’etre has become fixated on lauding musical icons and paying ode to old hits. Very little new content and only a smattering of young artists have come to the fore via CS which is increasingly following a formulaic pattern.
BOTB, then, has swooped in at just the right time. Here’s where new talent is going to get highlighted, new songs — as well as revamped older ones — will be played out and only the best will weather the battle. With the absence of sustaining record labels, full-blown concerts and the enforcement of copyright laws, aspiring musicians lacking insider contacts have hardly been able to get themselves noticed. BOTB, claiming to eschew favouritism, negate commercial concerns and focus solely on music, is aiming to highlight this hitherto neglected Gen-X.
“Fawad, Atif and I have experienced how vicious social media can be,” professes Meesha Shafi. “One has to weather a lot of professional and unnecessary personal negative feedback and it can get difficult for creativity to thrive. I have developed a thick skin over time but as a judge, I would never want newcomers with fragile egos to be thwarted just for the sake of TV sensationalism and ratings. This is what all four of us as judges have kept in mind. We want to give back to the industry, scout for new talent and promote them. From personal experience, I know that big-budget projects can really help build an artist’s career and BoB offers that opportunity to all of its finalists.”
Fawad Khan
Should the show consistently stay true to these altruistic aims, it could serve to be the impetus that local music direly needs.
Farooq Ahmed of Aaroh, winner of the last BOTB, recalls how his musical career had skyrocketed only to fade out in 2009. “The country was going through a political upheaval and the government at the time wasn’t bothered about supporting the arts. NOC [No Objection Certificate] rates were raised and it suddenly became too expensive for organisers to hold concerts. There were also a few times when our shows would suddenly get bomb threats. The bomb squads would come and scan the area and we would wait for their go-ahead before we started performing. It scared the audience and after some time, their interest in attending concerts waned. For me and my bassist Khalid it was tragic. Music had been our sole means of earning our bread and butter and we had to search for alternate careers.”
Farooq ended up moving to the US and is now running a dollar store there. With BOTB this year, he returned to the limelight as the judge for the initial two episodes when the bands were still auditioning. Subsequently, he was replaced by Atif Aslam who had initially been unable to be part of the auditions due to a hectic concert schedule.
Even while judging the show, Atif’s breakneck trek across the US has continued. In the few days between BOTB’s filming, he has been returning to the US to fulfill his concert commitments and then rushing back to Karachi to judge the next few episodes. “It is exhausting but it feels good to be part of this show, guiding talented newcomers into the field,” he says. “I remember when I started out I got no help at all from my seniors. I had to find my way on my own. Now, given the chance, I want to be able to help these newcomers. Some of them are very talented and can really make it big in the future.”
Of course, the judges bring a lot of star power to the show. They are also performing occasionally on the BOTB stage, introducing new compositions. The ‘guest’ judges, including Ali Azmat, Josh and Zoe Viccaji, are also going to be singing. The emphasis, though, is that this show is ‘about the bands.’
The way we could be
Atif Aslam
“Winning at BOTB could be part of a band’s dream but it does not determine its future career path,” says Fawad Khan. “I was part of the last BOTB and even though there was only one winner, every band amongst the finalists went on to do tours, make new music and get recognised. Regardless of who wins, this show offers a massive platform. Performing on this stage puts out the band’s calling card to the world. Schools and colleges can’t really afford to hire superstars to perform on their premises and, instead, they will turn to these new musicians. That’s how young bands used to start out in the past and I think that same concert culture is going to come back very quickly now.”
According to Salman Butt, the Marketing Director at Pepsico, the company is looking forward to bringing back the concert culture of yore. “We have been pleasantly surprised by the responses that all eight bands have got from the audience and once the show is over, we hope to work with all of them. We have plans in the pipeline for organising concert tours across the country, on our own as well as in association with Patari.
“We are really not looking at short-term goals here. Our goals are more centred on long-term image-building which is why we are not interested in blatant marketing. We are also going to be facilitating the winning band and the runner-up by bringing out their albums. We want to promote original music and BOTB is going to be a multi-year project. Five years from now, there could be a number of bands working in the music industry with two or three that have become superstars. And we could have provided the platform that started off their careers.”
It’s a dream that has possibilities but like all dreams, it may just shatter. Political inconsistencies have historically been instrumental in putting an end to musical cultures. Also, corporate strategies tend to get inclined towards commercialism and discourage creativity. Judges turn nasty, ratings begin to matter, shows come to an end, bands dismantle, dreams remain dreams.
Let’s hope that the Battle of the Bands dream lives on.
