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Back into the groove
After a lengthy lull, for the most part, in concerts and other entertainment related activities during the month of Ramazan, things are back in full swing. And with Christmas and the New Year just around the corner, the social calendar is sure to be chock-full of events, with one set of organizers trying to outdo the others in terms of extravagance, size and star power.
But things got off to quite a humble start as Kara Gig, featuring the combined talents of Fuzon, Aaroh and Mizmaar, went by, thankfully, without much incident (lathi-charges, arson, rioting etc,) and unfortunately, without much pizzazz either. Though the line-up was largely a winning one, sound trouble and an element of disorderliness did punctuate the evening’s proceedings.
Held at the incredibly serene venue of the Pakistan Naval Maritime Museum at Karsaz, Karachi, with an artificial rivulet flowing, ducks-a-dabbling and a chilly December wind blowing across the beautiful, well-manicured lawns, one felt that if nothing else, the stunning aesthetics of the place should be appreciated. In the background stood a lighthouse and the museum, but the stage was quite innovative in itself, set in front of a small Pak Navy cruiser, the guns of which had long fallen silent. Spread across the venue were bombs, torpedoes and other assorted munitions, which made for interesting background scenery at a pop concert.
Mani and Anoushey, both video jocks for a local satellite channel, served as hosts, introducing Dino, one of their own, with his band Sunn. Now this was definitely a surprise for the crowd. Considering that the concert had started customarily late, people expected openers Mizmaar to take the stage. But that was not to be as Dino and his friends made their Karachi concert debut to a hail of expletives, slurs and other unmentionable abuses, testing the already peeved crowd’s patience. He might be a rather popular VJ, but his singing talents, at least on that night, left a lot to be desired as his voice quavered and the band’s instruments randomly gave the players headaches. Among other things, he performed Pari, which is supposed to be his debut video, along with a mutilated version of Brian Adams’ Cuts Like a Knife. As the crowd began flashing various colourful gestures, this writer is almost sure he saw even the waterfowl join in the protests. If these guys are serious about becoming live performers, they need to polish their act pronto.
Finally, the crowd’s thirst was quenched, somewhat, by Mizmaar, as they opened with their lead single, Saday Nal. Their set got many of the youngsters in the crowd to form something of a cross between a mosh pit and a bhangra line, whilst most of the rest of the crowd, which consisted of much more sedate folks, preferred to have their derrières planted firmly on their seats.
Mizmaar was followed by Aaroh, undoubtedly one of the hottest young bands in the land, with their riff-heavy mix of hard guitars and lovelorn balladry. One had high hopes as the foursome, plus their drummer, took the stage, while Farook sang a little a cappella version of Jalan. But poor sound placement dampened their performance, as the band launched into Sawaal, their driving, hammer of a tune. Strange things started happening as Aaroh performed their Vital Signs’ cover Ajnabi, as it appeared a fifth person was jumping about on stage providing off-key background vocals. One is not sure who the character was, but one thing was crystal clear: his tomfoolery had wrecked the tune. As the band progressed through their standard set, it was clear that something was amiss that night. Soon enough, lead singer Farook’s vocals gave way, and it was mostly downhill from there. Towards the tail end of their set, Aaroh did the U2 standard, With or Without You, the song that every Pakistani band must learn to play if they are ever to perform live.
Fuzon, the headliners of the night, received a warm reception, as they thrashed out Deewaney, the video of which will supposedly feature Indian actress Urmila Matondkar, who was recently in Pakistan for its filming. This was Fuzon’s first gig in the country after a while, as they had been busy cavorting around the UK playing shows. One after the other they piled on hit after sugary hit, as the crowd boogied down to Pyar Na Raha, Ankhon key Sagar and Akhian¸ among others, despite poor mixing on the sound decks.
Though this gig needed lots more polish, at least the venue was a sight for sore eyes, with the green grass, tidy premises and pretty little ducks.
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