Overseas musicians are always given the 'red carpet treatment' in Pakistan but the much-loved city of colours, Lahore, always seems to have its arms open wide in welcome for anything to do with art and culture.That being said, it is hard to imagine that years ago, Pakistan's acknowledgment regarding the international fashion and music arena was excessively hazy. But thanks to the preponderance of local television channels and the ever-booming growth of Pakistani media (at large), Pakistan is truly making its way on the international map of arts and cross-cultural artist exchange.
And regarding cross-cultural exchange (both in terms of music and fashion), two brilliant overseas musicians recently graced Lahore with an enthralling bhangra-funk evening. The famed Canadian band, Josh, rocked the stage at Warid's Summer Bash which was put together by JB and JAWS Productions (an event management company), at Sozo World (Fortress Stadium).
The Summer Bash took off brilliantly after its inauguration on its very first day, with the screening of the movie 300, the performance of a band called Zauk and of course the hip-shaking performance put up by the boys – Rup and Q – of Josh.
The impatient crowd (who mind you was going absolutely bonkers with excitement) greeted the band with thunderous clapping and roaring hoots – and it took no time at all for the zealous band members to entrap their audience with their hit number 'Mausam'.
The lighting, which consisted of strobes and spotlights, aided in creating the perfect vibrant ambience for the show, as Josh really is all about a little bit of funk and pizzazz. And the huge projector screen, which was situated at the back of the stage, screened various Josh music videos – it was no doubt a different approach which kept the audience's interest deeply-rooted, lest they got bored considering the fact that it was an indoor concert!
However it would have helped if the hall was full of music enthusiasts (which it surprisingly wasn't) as the absence of a horde of youngsters would have just added to the excitement of the entire evening.
Also, lip-syncing is what's usually the 'done thing' at small gigs and/or concerts these days but Josh were true to their fans and gave them value for their money by pulling off a live performance with pre-recorded music! You can't blame them for the pre-recorded music bit since at all 100 per cent 'live' concerts a band faces an excessive amount of technical hiccups.
Josh's second album, entitled Mausam, was released at the end of 2006 and is still somehow managing to go strong due to its intelligent and eclectic collection of songs that range from Hip Hop, ballads and Josh's signature style - energetic Bhangra!
Interestingly enough, it is rumoured that Lahore will get a bit of Nelly Furtado as the boys are due to bring her to Pakistan! Nothing concrete can be said in this regard however as the boys left immediately back for Canada the very next day and it was impossible to get through to them.
The Warid Summer Bash truly took off with an awesome first day. It runs from August 6 to 10 where all music and performance acts will take place at Sozo World in Fortress Stadium. Lahoris can catch acts that are not regulars in the city. Today, Black Fish the improvisational comedy troupe from Karachi will be followed by Sajid and Zeeshan from Peshawar. And day after tomorrow the show will end with Lahore's biggest band of the moment that is Call. A screening of the mega hit film Transformers will also feature.
If you're keen to go, visit: www.jbnjaws.com for further information on the 'Summer Bash' schedule.
source : http://thenews.com.pk/instep_today.asp
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