Everything around us is green and white since we’re almost at choda August. It was only fitting that this week’s episode of Pepsi Battle of the Bands was ‘Azaadi’ themed.
All the bands selected some of Pakistan’s most loved and classic milli naghmay and added their own modern flairs to it.
21 The Band chose, at first, to sing ‘Hum Hain Pakistani’.
This song means SO much to so many people. It reminds us all of cricket, coming together and being part of something larger than ourselves. ’21 The Band’s performance started off pretty well, however, somewhere along the line it became too much ‘rock’ and the song did begin to lose its touch. The band was in the danger zone for this performance so had another shot at redemption.
Their second performance was ‘Jazba-e-Junoon’ and boy oh boy did they redeem themselves. It seemed like they were in their element, and it translated into their music. Dil khush hogaya tha ye sunn kar!
Xarb initially performed the ever classic ‘Watan Ki Mitti’
This is one of those songs that always manages to touch a nerve, emotionally. Xarb definitely played it safe, innovation-wise and were also unable to transfer the emotional parts of the songs all too well. They definitely had their moments, but overall the song wasn’t received all too well. They too were placed in the danger zone.
The came back with a bang as they won our hearts with ‘Sohni Darti’. They slowed the song down a bit and let their vocals shine and uff Allah, it was such a pleasure to listen to! These sorts of comebacks in the danger zone is what makes Pepsi Battle of the Bands all the more exciting!
Tamaasha chose to cover ‘Is parcham ke saye talay’ and they didn’t shy away from their style of music. Safe to say, that risk paid off for them.
They were one of the only bands who really ventured OUT in terms of reinventing the song. They definitely added their own style to this classic and it honestly wasn’t all bad. There were parts of the song where it felt like they were pushing their creative limits a bit too far, but all in all, their performance was pretty good and, of course, their use of the flag and their dramatics with it helped out a lot.
Lastly, Bayaan is a band that has been in trouble more often than not, but this week, their performance just blew everyone’s minds!
They sang Mehdi Hasan’s iconic ‘Ye Watan’, and in keeping with the feeling and beat that the original song had, they were still able to add more modern touches to it. The song still felt heavy on the heart to hear, which is a mark of great music! Bayaan truly won this week’s episode!
The judges had a surprise up their sleeves; no bands were being eliminated this week. Everyone took a sigh of relief; Azaadi ke din tou woh elimination tou nahin kar sakte thay na! The judges also all felt the patriotic spirit in the air, with each one sharing their favorite patriotic song. Meesha and Fawad agreed that the national anthem is their fav for life, Bilal chose ‘Khayal Rakhna’ and Faisal chose ‘Ae Rah e Haq Shaheedon’ and ‘Ye Des Humara Hai’.
‘Pepsi Battle Of The Bands’ is moving fast, next week we’ll know who the finalists. It’s going to be a tough battle for these bands to fight out!
What milli naghma is your absolute favorite, and what band won your heart this week? Let us know in the comments 🙂