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The café affair
Good food and groovy music is a lethal combination. This point was aptly illustrated at a recent concert held by the band Noori at Café M Live, a new fixture on the Karachi gastronomic scene that seeks to meld mean cuisine with hip live entertainment. The Noori\M Live nexus seems to be one that has grown in leaps and bounds, as the eatery has held various events related to the band over the past few months. The most recent show was a two-part affair – a celebrity soaked concert followed up with a press conference to launch the band’s debut record, Suno kai mai hoon jawan spread over a span of two days.
Ali Noor and his cohorts put on a good show with their bare bones acoustic set sans the quavering rumble of distortion or the Voodoo Chile wail of a wah-pedal. It was an unplugged performance in the extremely cramped venue, which was dripping with stars, starlets and anybody else who could sneak in. But who was there for celebrity bird watching? There was music to be heard!
As Noori videos flashed across several screens, the band made its way on stage with the eccentric Noor announcing that he “was feeling a little nervous.” As the band kicked into Dil ki qasam, the videos were muted, yet continued to bombard the senses. The effect was a bit similar to watching a movie in an airplane without having the required headphones to listen in to the audio track. But who needed an audio track? Ali Noor – with a little help from his friends – was providing the requisite modern noise.
A new cafe seeks to blend live entertainment and food on the Karachi cultural landscape
The band displayed good coordination as they launched into the title track of the album, following it up with the tune little girls all over Pakistan surely hold dear – Tum hans diye. Doobara phir say even contained a little reggae breakdown before the solo. Bol, the ballad, was based on airy chords and was surprisingly easy to digest – a far cry from the diabolically soapy delivery that most bands choose to employ when they venture into ballad-land.
Manwa re was totally reconstructed (they like doing that to the song at their live gigs). It took people completely by surprise and naturally had the entire room singing, clapping and meditatively droning the melody (that’s the famous song, remember). Near the tail end of their set, they performed Sari raat jaaga, a B-side that was surprisingly good. Since the food was not ready at that time, and certainly due to popular demand, Ali Hamza, Noor’s brother and rhythm guitarist, was almost forced to perform the BC song, the foul-mouthed, curse-filled little number that had even Hamza floundering. One is sure he washed his mouth out with soap before dining that evening.
Gumby, the band’s drummer, was mind blowing behind the kit. He maneuvered through tune after tune of Cure and U2 inspired chords with his blitzkrieg drumming that reminded one of Jack Iron’s take-no-prisoners style assault on the skins.
Following the performance, on the second day, Noori formally launched their debut record at a press conference at the same venue. Will this band be at the forefront of heralding a new age of mature, sensible and undoubtedly catchy Pakistani power pop, bidding adieu to the world of powderpuff popsters? Only time – and maybe a sponsorship deal – will tell.—QAM
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