Pepsi BOB episode 4: The battle of the 'originals'
The fourth episode of the Pepsi Battle of The Bands that aired on Sunday saw bands perform originals
(WebDesk) – Episode four of the Pepsi Battle of The Bands that aired on Sunday, saw the bands light up the stage once more but this time impressing the judges with their very own, original compositions. The episode featured some very exciting songs, compositions that were unfortunately not upto the mark and of course, yet another standing ovation for one of the bands.
The episode kicked off with Kashmir performing on the Battle of the Bands stage for the first time ever since they won the competition a year back. The band performed one of the originals “Darbadar” for the very first time live on stage. The song displayed shades of Classic Kashmir and managed to win hearts of their fans from all over the country.
Let’s breakdown the fourth episode with reference to the top 6 bands that took to stage to impress the judges.
21 The Band
21 The Band were the first to set the stage alight when they performed “Mein Bolun”; their original composition. The song that was exclusively drum-oriented, also had beautifully written lyrics that reminded everyone of the times they loved a certain someone in their lives. The fast paced performance packed a punch and since it was a blend of rock and pop, managed to impress all four of the judges. “We can term this band as the ‘reincarnation’ of Noori” said Bilal Maqsood.
Bayaan
The next band to hit the stage were Bayaan who sung “Tou Kya Hua”; a relatively slow romantic ballad. The lyrics of the song are somewhat subtly dark in a way that the song is not overpowered by the darkness at all. The vocally heavily original created mixed feelings amongst the judges. “The song personality seemed very ‘dated’ to me, especially in the chorus. For future references I would humbly advise you guys to revisit and revamp the chorus of the song”, criticised Misha Shafi.
Xarb
Prior to the latest performance the judges were of the collective view that Qamar and his band, although brilliant, were becoming really predictable with their music. The Sufi-Rock band had to try something different this time round to impress the judges and so they chose to go with “Dewaar”; the band’s versatile original. The song initially had a dark feel to it but as the song, progressed it, along with the lyrics, became lighter and lighter. The end-product was brilliant and greatly loved by the judges. “This is by far the strongest wall of sound I’ve experienced in this episode. I felt the music here (in the heart)” exclaimed a jubilant Fawad Khan.
Déjà vu
The fourth band to feature in the episode was Déjà vu who sung their original “Bass Kar Jee” inspired by the words of the world-renowned Punjabi poet, Baba Bulla Shah. The unique thing about the composition was that the drummer also sang some parts of the song. But did the experiment work out? Clearly not. “Boss. I was confused. The song didn’t gel together at all. Maybe I am wrong, but frankly I didn’t enjoy the composition”, pointed out Bilal Maqsood.
Tamaasha
The only band that got two consecutive standing ovations, Tamasha, set a very high standard for their competition as well as for themselves. So, imitating the past two performances was to be an uphill task. Right? Well, as it turned out, Tamasha’s “Roshni” was perfect to the T and one that forced the judges to stand up and applaud in sheer pleasure for the third time in a row! Judge Fawad Khan was so blown away by Tamasha that he stepped onto the judging desk to applaud the young individuals. “I literally have no words. Fawad said that you’re going to the next round, well I think you’re definitely one of the finalists of the competition. You guys are Wow!!” shrieked an overwhelmed Faisal Kapadia.
Kaghaz
The last performance of the night featured Kaghaz who sang “Gunahgaaro”, a goth themed dark single that had the potential of winning over the judges easily. But what matters is how the band performed on the night. Unfortunately, for their fans Kaghaz lacked the wow factor and cooked up a stew that disappointed the judges. “The performance lacked intensity. I felt that the vocalist was also suffering at some points. Clearly the performance was not upto the mark” claimed a disappointed Faisal Kapadia.
The performances saw four bands advance onto the next round. Two of the unlucky groups were rightly eliminated. Amongst the ones being kicked out of the competition were Kaghaz and Déjà vu.
By: Raacikh Asghar
