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Overboard with Overload
What was notable about the performance other than the lack of a vocalist was the attempt at creating an ambience for the audience. Keeping people engaged for an hour on instrumentals alone is no small feat, and Overload managed to do more than just that. They left an audience hungry for more
The concept of enjoying purely instrumental music is still relatively new in Pakistan. In a country where most of the music listening population relates more to the lyrics than to the music, Overload, primarily a drums and percussion band, decided to host an all-instrumental gig in Karachi’s Bahria Auditorium. The performance also featured the ever popular Puppo Sain and his student, Jhoora Sain.
Coming to the performance with only a hazy idea of Puppo Sain’s dhol-swinging stunt, and not knowing what to expect, one was confronted by a dimly lit stage on which separate platforms had been set for each musician to perform on. The arrangement was such that every musician on stage was clearly visible.
The gig started roughly around an hour late, much to the annoyance of the band who waited until the people had filled up the auditorium seats. Coming one by one, each band member settled into his desired position with light-works accentuating their arrival. With images of different seasons and places being projected in the background, Overload started off with a mellow number, Days Gone By, which eventually merged into the more upbeat Only to the deafeningly energetic Storm. One must mention here that once the band starts performing, they do not stop after every song and continue playing till the end of the performance. Each song transitions into the next smoothly and without any interruptions.
The light work and the scenes projected would alternate and change according to the beat and the mood of the song being played. The sound quality was delightfully deafening. Every beat could be heard clearly and every chord from each instrument could be deciphered singularly. The coordination within the band members was flawless: Farhad (drums) would nod to Puppo and in turn Puppo would nod to Jhoora, and lastly Farhad would exchange muted looks with Hasan (tumkinari – Egyptian drums) whenever a slight change in the beat being played was needed. Sheraz, who was on keyboards, did not seem to be bound by any such confirmations. Overload closed their performance with Dhamaal, which incidentally will also be their next video on television. In this track, Puppo swung his dhol around in the middle of the stage and continued playing while at it — a feat he is famous for. After performing Dhamaal, the band left rather abruptly. The audience was left seated in their chairs with several demanding an encore. And so, the band members reappeared a few minutes later to render their performance of Dhamaal.
At the end of it all, Farhad introduced the band members, speaking on popular request in Punjabi, but switched back to Urdu since not all present could understand Punjabi well. At the mention of his name, Puppo got a standing ovation and it was amusing to watch him wave back.
What was notable about the performance other than the lack of a vocalist was the attempt at creating an ambience for the audience. Keeping people engaged for an hour on instrumentals alone is no small feat, and Overload managed to do more than just that. They left an audience hungry for more.
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