Season three of Pepsi Battle of the Bands to begin from July 15

[ghazi52]

Season three of Pepsi Battle of the Bands to begin from July 15

Shahi Hasan has taken on the role of producer while Meesha Shafi and Fawad Khan will be joined by Strings as co-judges in the upcoming season.

A great deal has happened since the conclusion of Pepsi Battle of the Bands that returned after more than a decade last year with its second season.

As reported earlier, of the three judges, only Meesha Shafi and Fawad Khan will return in the upcoming third season. They will be joined by Strings (Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia) who are entering the production this year as co-judges. The group has replaced Ali Zafar, who was originally set to replace Atif Aslam but was, according to reports, dropped as allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct surfaced against him even as Pepsi Battle of the Bands team never did make an official statement on the matter.

Moving on, Farooq Ahmed of Aaroh will also return as guest judge while Shahi Hasan, who joined the three judges after the audition episodes last year as co-judge, has replaced Faisal Rafi as producer for this upcoming season.

In the present, Pepsi has also delivered on its promise somewhat as last year’s winning band, Kashmir, and runner-up music outfit, Badnaam, have released their respective albums.

This brings us to the present season that will mark its arrival through a new TVC that features, in the first sequence, Kashmir and Fawad Khan singing the former’s hit original track, ‘Kaghaz Ka Jahaz’ and later on Meesha Shafi joining Badnaam on a new rendition of ‘Kala Jora’; the story doesn’t end there as Strings make their presence felt with ‘Hai Koi Hum Jaisa’ before all artists unite for a final sequence.

The official announcement of the third season was made through an event in Lahore that was attended by media reps, Pepsi reps and most of all, a number of artists. The TVC, that is set to hit airwaves, was also screened exclusively. Several bands who participated in the last season also made it to the Lahore event including Jasim Haider and the Pindi Boys, Madlock, Kashmir and Badnaam.

Beyond the advertisement, the upcoming season for which more than 400 bands applied this year, will kick off on July 15 and will be followed by a new episode, scheduled to be aired every Sunday.

The first season of Pepsi Battle of the Bands appeared in the 2000s and ushered in a new era of music. The original season counted Rohail Hyatt, Fifi Haroon and Shahi Hasan as judges and also led to the emergence of acts like Aaroh, EP and Mekaal Hasan Band.

As for the present season, it remains to be seen who will be performing on the show but one does expect to see the judges in performance mode like last year when Meesha Shafi sang the song, ‘Speaker Phaar’ and Fawad Khan reunited with EP to perform their famous track, ‘Hamesha’. Shahi Hasan also performed during the finale episode and paid tribute to the late Junaid Jamshed with an electrifying performance. Aaroh, Zeb Bangash, Ali Azmat, Call the band were some of the other artists who made an appearance on Pepsi last year. Who will make a mark this year? Watch and find out.

 

[ghazi52]

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5 highlights from Pepsi Battle of the Bands' Episode 2

From a new bride trying her luck in auditions to the cutest victory dance, here's what you missed in episode 2


The second episode of Pepsi Battle of the Bands is out and we now know which bands have made it to the top 8.

Episode 2 featured more auditions and we saw some amazing bands that even the judges couldn't get enough of. It's too early to declare our favourites, so here are the moments we enjoyed the most in episode 2.



Kaghaz's lead singer came to audition right after her wedding

Nope, the henna on the lead singer's hands was no artsy style statement. Kaghaz's vocalist had taken the next flight to Battle of the Bands right after her valima! Even Meesha couldn't resist saying, "That's something to salute."

Kaghaz did a rendition of Junoon's 'Taara Jala', which all the judges enjoyed, with Farooq pointing out how the charm was that the band neither copied Junoon's style nor Ali Azmat's vocals. Slay, Kaghaz!

In fact, Meesha was so impressed by the singer's drive that she gave her a token of appreciation; a badge with 'Girl Boss' written on it.


Fawad showed his creative chops when he asked this band to change their name

Band Deja Vu had some serious philosophy regarding their name.

"Deja Vu is a state where all feels too familiar," explained the lead vocalist. "It's when you think something has happened before but it's actually happening for the first time. Music overall is that sense. There are so many before us who did music, and that music is what we're carrying forward but it's something new."

Okay, Deja Vu we see what you're doing.

They performed 'Bolo Bolo' by Sajjad Ali and they brought a jazzy blues twist to the track. The judges agreed that the band stands out on their own but Fawad has one important suggestion to make.

Fawad suggested the band change their name to Deja Blues and the rest agreed... and so did we! The name not only encapsulates the band's vibe and style of music, it also carries their own ideology forward.

Good going, Fawad! Time to make T-shirts!


Band 21 reminded the judges of what they want from BotB

Band 21 performed an original track 'Taare' and they won the judges' hearts.

The band identifies as a poprock punk band and they delivered just that. As Meesha said, "Many bands define themselves in one way but perform differently. You guys called yourself a punk band and that's exactly what we got."

Farooq was ecstatic to the point that he rose from his seat and exclaimed, "This is what we wanna see."

Many bands give the judges a great entertainer but few connect with them to the point that they're reminded of why they're here in the first place. And 21 did that.

Can we just say, we loved the song as well and want it on our playlist!

Season 2 winners Kashmir paid a visit to the short listed contestants

Looks like last year's winners know how stressful the final selection is for the shortlisted bands, so they decided to show up for support.

"Getting till here [the shortlist] is a milestone in itself," said the Kashmir frontman Bilal.

"This is all healthy competition, and it's all a learning curve so it's best to learn from one another rather than fighting with each other."

He added, "Just enjoy yourself on the stage, that's the most important thing."

Words of wisdom, Kashmir! The band then hung out with all the others, making the judges deliberation period less daunting for them all.


Tamasha's victory dance

It's no surprise that Tamasha was selected for top 8. Their cover of 'Raag Neela' slayed.

But we didn't expect the band members to burst into the cutest dance upon being selected. Don't believe us? See for yourself!

We were already happy they got selected but we were even happier when we saw this. Please include some dance in your next performance, guys!

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[ghazi52]

Pepsi Battle of the Bands' Episode 3: 8 bands, 3 standing ovations and 2 eliminations later

PHOTO: SCREENGRAB

KARACHI: With the top eight bands already selected, the time has come for them to battle it out on the ‘Pepsi Battle of the Bands’ stage. The third episode, which aired this weekend, saw Strings finally band join Fawad Khan and Meesha Shafi as part of the jury.

SCREENGRAB

But before that, they performed two of their great hits: Na Janay Kyunand Mera Bichra Yaar early on. The band, which has been mesmerising Pakistan and the world for 30 years now, are still going strong and not to be left behind. They have also been releasing tracks from their latest album 30, which marks three decades of success.

Further, comedian-actor and former EP band-member Ahmed Ali Butt joined Ayesha Omar as the co-host of the show from this episode onward. The chosen theme was ‘retro’ which urged the participants to perform old songs in a new manner.

SCREENGRAB

With two bands set to be eliminated by the end, the episode began with a performance by Sarmasta.

1. Sarmasta performed ‘Kuch Ladkiyan’ by Sajjad Ali

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

Overall, the jury enjoyed the performance but thought it fell flat and didn’t have enough energy. Khan aptly stated that the sound could have been more innovative.

2. Déjà vu performed ‘Purani Jeans’ by Ali Haider

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

The same issue plagued this performance too as the judges were of the view that the band’s presence and energy was not there. Faisal Kapadia even went as far as to say they enjoyed the performances more with their eyes closed because there wasn’t much activity on the stage. However, they appreciated the sound and band-mate Aamir’s innovative trumpet playing.

3. Tamaasha performed ‘Sajna’ by Junoon

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

Remember Tamaasha received a standing ovation in the auditions rounds? Yeah, they received another one on Saturday night. The performance left Khan speechless. In fact, he told vocalist Bilal that he hadn’t heard a better vocalist in terms of voice and performance, since Ali Azmat. With their massive presence, pitch perfect sound and blow-the-roof-off energy, is it too early to proclaim Tamaasha as possibly the unofficial winners of this season?

4. Khamaaj performed ‘Dekha Na Tha’ by Alamgir

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

The judges believed the song structure lacked a natural progression and thus, felt forced, leaving much more to be desired.

5. 21 the band performed ‘In Se Nain’ by Najam Sheraz

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

21 The Band left the jury with mixed opinions. Overall, they felt disappointed as they thought the band had potential but couldn’t do justice to the song by slightly changing the words, and not projecting their signature punk rock feel correctly.

 

[ghazi52]

Pepsi Battle of the Bands' Episode 4: Tamaasha continues to ace the act

KARACHI: After double eliminations in last week’s episode of Pepsi Battle of the Bands, only six bands survived. With only four more to go ahead in the competition, the most recent episode featured some power-packed performances while a few were a major let down.

With judges Fawad Khan, Meesha Shafi and Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood from Strings, the evening witnessed the top six musical groups battle it out with their original compositions. However, before the contenders took the stage, Pepsi Battle of the Bands season two winners, Kashmir, made their comeback. Returning to the platform after taking the title home last year, Kashmir introduced fans to their latest track Darbadar. Performing a very EP-esque melody, Kashmir delivered themselves to their full potential proving that they completely deserved last season’s win.

The first band to perform their original track on the Pepsi Battle of the Bands stage was 21 The Band.

1. 21 The Band performed ‘Main Bolun’

The band performed the title track from their album Main Bolun. Aiming to be more drum-oriented than vocal, 21 The Band received mixed reviews from the judges. While they showed perfect chemistry on stage with amazing composition, Maqsood felt the music to resemble that of Noori. Khan suggested 21 The Band to bring variety to their flavour while Shafi argued that the vocals could have been improvised as well.

2. Bayaan performed ‘Tau Kya Hua’

Bayaan performed a soft, original track which the judges seemed to like. Khan and Shafi agreed that the music structure was better than the band’s last performances. However, Strings felt that Tau Kya Hualacked on vocals and song-writing. Kapadia even stated that the band would be lucky if they made it to the next round increasing the pressure on Bayaan.

3. Xarb performed ‘Dewaar’

With a rock-hard performance, Xarb managed to wow the judges. Bringing forth versatility while remaining true to their signature style, they delivered the strongest music in the episode. Strings appreciated that the band brought a new ingredient to their compositions that gelled well with the lyrics. However, Shafi felt that Dewaar could have a more powerful end to it.

4. Deja Vu performed ‘Bas Kar Jee’

None of the judges were impressed with Deja Vu’s performance in the fourth episode of the season. They commented that Bas Kar Jee lacked soul that was needed for the song. The weak composition and technical mistakes could easily land the band in trouble and probably get them eliminated before the next episode.

5. Tamaasha performed ‘Roshni’

After receiving two standing ovations in the season already, Tamaasha managed to score themselves another one in the latest episode. Their original track Roshni was evidently enjoyed by all the judges making Khan jump on the table to laud Tamaasha. Shafi felt honoured to have witnessed Tamaasha prove their mettle as musicians on the Pepsi Battle of the Bands stage. The judges collectively stated that Tamaasha can very easily make it to the next round.

6. Kaghaz performed ‘Gunahgaro’

After receiving a standing ovation in the last episode following their rendition of Nazia Hasan’s Disco Deewane, Kaghaz fell short with Gunahgaro. Strings felt that the vocals were all over the place and that the composition lacked intensity. Khan and Shafi too agreed stating that the song did not do much for them.

ith double eliminations in episode three, Kaghaz, Bayaan and Deja Vu delivered the weakest performances. After Kaghaz failed to reach the judges’ expectations, they were eliminated, leaving it up to Bayaana and Deja Vu to battle it out once more. Much like last week’s episode, Bayaan managed to get back in the game, knocking out Deja Vu from the competition.

 

[ghazi52]

Pepsi Battle of the Bands | Season 3

 

[Kambojaric]

Tamasha deserved to go through to the final at least. The other two bands (xarb and bayaan) whilst very good have no x factor. Rock bands are more than just good musicians. They need to have stage presence. Tamasha managed to sing well and entertain, something which for some reason was and is completely underrated by the judges. They simply treated this ability as a side joke when in fact it's a real skill.