URL: http://e.thenews.com.pk/mag_details.asp?id=4465

Friday, November 13, 2009
By Abid Hussain

Karachi

When Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP) Oral History Project Coordinator Sanam Maher reached Imperial Garden, the venue of the Shanaakht Festival, at 8am on Wednesday, she was stunned to see the entire back marquee set up by CAP ruined due to strong winds earlier that morning. Within a few hours, however, the resilience and fortitude of CAP volunteers and their “little helpers” ensured that not only was the CAP exhibition salvaged but better arrangements put in place.

“When I reached here in the morning, it was complete chaos as our all exhibition halls were blown away due to the strong wind. The first thought in my mind was to save the precious photographs and the exhibits,” Maher told The News.

Wednesday was the last day of the festival, and it seemed that the organisers were unwilling to breathe easy till the eventual conclusion of the festival, given the controversy that embroiled the opening day of the festival in April. While any event can be disrupted for the most trivial reason in a volatile city such as Karachi, what the CAP certainly didn’t anticipate was that Mother Nature could wreck havoc with the arrangements.

Like the first two days of the festival, the morning sessions were open for exclusively for school-going children. The responsibility of managing over 800 inquisitive minds, along trying to salvage the exhibition, posed a rigorous test of character.

“While we held discussion with our interns and volunteers, the thought of giving up never once crossed our mind. Instead, we decided put up all the exhibitions inside the main auditorium while conducting a show-and-tell session with the children. It was a phenomenal experience as it enabled us to interact with children closely, and see their excitement as they got to learn about the history of Pakistan and learn about it through videos, audio clips and photographs,” Maher said.

What truly made her a believer was the compassion and willingness of students to help. “Despite having over 50 volunteers and our dedicated teams, the task at hand was huge as we had to put the exhibition back up at such a short notice. The children became our volunteers, and offered their help and support to us. It only helped in lifting our spirit and motivated us more.”

CAP board member and Treasurer Fahad Asadullah said that it was merely a matter of dusting off the disappointment, and standing tall once again. “The show must go on. We shook off our disappointment after the last event in April, and we will not let anything deter us again. The important thing was to keep aside all the differences and egos, and work towards a unanimous goal of making this festival a memorable success,” Asadullah opined.

CAP President Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy shared similar sentiments. “The idea of Shanaakht was to unite people from all walks and sections of society, and have them enjoy this exhibitions without any egos, prejudices or biases. The response was fabulous, as over the course of the three days, we had over 6,000 people visiting our exhibition halls and attending our evening events.”

Due to the prevalent situation in the country and the April incident fresh in the mind, the organisers were extremely cautious in making the event as secure as possible. “We had a four-tier security arrangement with assistance from provincial government, city government, Rangers and police officials, who provided us with immense support and encouragement,” said a grateful Asadullah.

Despite small glitches and complaints by visitors who bemoaned the lack of advertisement for the festival and the choice of location, the organisers heaved a sigh of relief at the eventual turnout and eager response provided by the audience.

For Sharmeen Obaid, the lasting impression of this event was the unflinching spirit and commitment shown by everybody involved. “The fact that we managed to return back within span of six months, and make it as big a success as it turned out to be, it is only because of the great dedication of the people involved and testament to their courage to achieve their goal, come what may, because this is our Shanaakht.”

Meanwhile, Asadullah revealed that planning for next year’s event has already begun, with the aim of making the festival three times bigger than this year. “We also aim to take this festival across Pakistan and bring together as many people under one banner, and create harmony amongst us.”

URL: http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=208203

Shot from the video

The enlightened Noori?

By Abid Hussain

Karachi

With the month of Ramazan in full swing, most of the media industry usually takes a break while recharging their batteries and preparing for the packed Eid schedule.

However, a surprise was in store for the unsuspecting.With constant tweeting by brothers Ali Noor and Ali Hamza over the course of last two weeks, the first hint came when Hamza updated his status to “Recorded a naat that Nano taught me. Extremely rusty. Recorded at Raza’s studio. A new learning experience altogether”, back in late August.

Though this update itself did not create the kind of buzz and anticipation one expects with Noori, the band launched the video of a naat ‘Madinay Main’ recited by Ali Hamza, on the noori website along with host of other social media networks this week, ensuring that even casual fans would sit up and take note.

Boy becomes a man

The year 2009 has been nothing but remarkable for Ali Hamza. For too long, he was under the shadow of his more illustrious brother. However, he truly made his mark for the work he did on the Coke Studio earlier this year and his cult like status since LUMS days – for singing some famously catchy yet controversial songs – has blossomed fully to establish himself as a true star in his own right.

For somebody who had begun his musical journey by reciting ‘naat’, ‘nauha and marsiya’ from a young age, this particular performance was a throwback to the bygone era. From a rock star image to the drastic makeover, the video shows Hamza in a completely different light. With the most serene, fascinatingly beautiful verses recited in his trademark baritone voice, the audience is completely captivated with the power of those verses delivered with passion. From walking through the streets of old Lahore to praying at the Badshahi Mosque, the video only helps in accentuating the spiritual experience.

Western influence?

For mainstream musical acts to dabble in the spiritual, faith based performance there has been a precedent in the western contemporary music. Johnny Cash was the biggest name who sang some of the most memorable gospels in his glitteringly long career, ‘The Wanderer’ being one. U2, arguably world’s most popular rock act, has often written songs questioning faith such as ‘40’ and ‘Tomorrow’ among others. In recent years, ‘Hallelujah’ by the incomparable, late Jeff Buckley remains one of the most popular of hymns of all time.

However, what must also be noted here is that many of these faith based songs weren’t overly sentimental, but they often posed questions and narrated symbolic, spiritual allegories which bordered on controversy, such as Elvis Presely’s ‘He Touched Me’.

The advent of Sufi rock and Islamisation

Keeping in mind the recent history of Pakistani music when there has been a clear influence of islamisation amongst artists, particularly Junaid Jamshed and Najam Sheraz, the question arises what was the idea behind this particular performance?

The band itself gives no answer. The announcement on noori website focuses more on the technology used to record the video, claiming this to be part of a series of experimentation with latest DSLR and handheld cameras, without elaborating much about the ‘naat’ itself except saying ‘This is our Ramazan gift for you’.

In Pakistan, mainstream musicians have primarily stayed away from performing any hardcore religious numbers like their western counterparts. Junoon broke out with their brand of Sufi Rock which catapulted them to unprecedented success, the closest any Pakistani mainstream band went to spiritual side.

However, performing such a recitation can come with a lot of stereotyping. One may expect critics terming this video as a ploy to exploit religious sentiments by releasing it in the month of Ramazan. Because religion is such a divisive topic, collaboration of mainstream musicians is bound to have its fair share of criticism, accusation of hypocrisy or questions whether the band is taking the JJ/Najam route.

Where does Noori go from here?

All of these doubts and accusations can only be dispelled by the band itself. Although it must be emphasised that this was only a solo performance by Ali Hamza in collaboration with Sanjan Nagar Institute of Philosophy and Arts, the association with Noori will automatically lead to queries if this is a path the band wants to traverse?

Ali Noor was quoted post coke studio that after performing with Saeein Zahoor on ‘Aik Alif’, it opened a new world of spiritual, mystic music to him which he certainly wanted to explore.

For Noori to get involved in something as drastic can only be a good thing. Instead of confining themselves to a core genre of music they enjoy, branching out into an alternative path as this shows their adventurous side. If they dare take the risk without actually falling prey to the stereotyping, which happens when music and religion is combined, it can definitely raise their profile in a largely religious nation, to an exalted level.

The fact that both brothers are prolific song writers and phenomenal composers, one can also hope that they will bring a fresh approach to song writing in this genre. Instead of penning the usual dose of flowery verses and cliché infused religious imagery, the band can come up with profound, probing lyrics.

Noori has the opportunity, and the quality, to dare venture into an unchartered territory of a genre of music which can be quite pertinent for the youth of this country which is so confused about religion. Who says music and religion are mutually exclusive?

The enlightened noori?

Thursday, August 20, 2009
By Abid Hussain

Karachi

The city of Karachi is home to some of the most delightfully delicious offering by various eateries operating in the city since past 50 years or so. From the famous Javed Nihari to the wonderful Waheed Kabab House on Burnes Road, choices are aplenty for those who want to indulge in some food that satiates the soul.

However, Kaiser Restaurant – operating for more than five decades at the corner of Light House signal – could possibly be the jewel in the crown among all the restaurants in Karachi. This claim might sound audacious, over-the-top even, considering the kind of competition available in the city, but rest assured anybody visiting the place once will come out promising to return again at earliest.

This is the kind of quality that has been maintained by the entrepreneurs and their team of chefs, which has ensured that this highly underrated, mostly unknown restaurant retain its aura among the loyal customers.

Hands downs, the best mutton leg in all of Karachi is served at this place. The tender yet juicy meat, which is perfectly bar-be-queued [B1]with just the right amount of spice, makes for quite literally a one-dish show which steals the thunder from all the other dishes on offer.

‘Seekh Kababs’ are served piping hot and are of perfect size and texture and taste equally good. ‘Brain Masala’ might gross out quite a few people but for the connoisseurs, it is a divine treat with specialised in-house spices used to cook this delicacy.

For the cholesterol conscious, the restaurant offers variety of chicken and sea-food dishes such as ‘Chicken Tikka’, ‘Chicken Ginger’, ‘Prawn Masala’ and various others. Different kinds of ‘Rotis’, such as Kandahari Naan and ‘Roghni Naan’, only help in accentuating the taste of the main course. For those with sweet-tooth, the restaurant offers the good old ‘Kulfi’.

Comparatively, the prices are slightly lower than the competition as well as the quantity served per dish is more or less adequate for the customers.

Kaiser Restaurant has managed to ensure that the quality of service and food remains of the highest standard, without compromising on aesthetics and interior of the restaurant. Nothing fancy, but an elegantly done family hall upstairs and a wide sitting area for gents on the ground floor provides ample space for customers to visit and gorge on some fantastic local specialties, knowing full well that their money spent will be well worth.

URL: http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=193901

God's gift to mankind

Monday, August 17, 2009
By Abid Hussain

Karachi

Two major topics of “national interest” in Pakistan — cricket and politics — were brought together on Friday, during an exhibition cricket match to commemorate the 62nd Independence Day at the National Stadium, Karachi.

The one-off match, titled Azadi Cup 2009, featured an eclectic mix of professional politicians and professional cricketers. Political rivals were made to work together, while some allies were pitted against each other during the course of the evening.

Off-field rivals, such as Sindh Governor Ishratul Ebad Khan and Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, played for the Governor-Chief Minister Combined-XI (G.CM-XI). The two men were even involved in a small partnership while batting together.

Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani made his presence felt with a prolonged stay on the crease, but in the end, he was probably the only one laughing, since he managed to get only four runs, thus slowing the run-rate to a crawl.

When the match finally began at 9:30 p.m. — two and a half hours after its scheduled time — Pakistan-XI Captain Younus Khan won the toss and invited the politicians to have the first go. G.CM-XI Captain Dr M.A Shah opened the innings along with Salman Butt, and went on to score 15 runs — aided in no small part by some generosity from the national team — after being recalled when he got out in the first over.

The most entertaining partnership of the evening was the one between Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan and Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza. The duo had to face some sledging from the keeper-slip combination of Rauf Siddiqui and Faisal Subzwari, but managed to score 10 and 12 runs respectively. Dr Mirza was the most technically-adept politician player on the pitch.

At the end of 20 overs, the G.CM-XI managed a modest total of 133. Salman Butt was the top scorer with 44 runs, and the butter-fingered wicket-keeping of Rauf Siddiqui provided entertainment and extra runs in equal measure.

When the Pakistan-XI came out to bat, their openers, Saeed Ajmal and Rao Iftikhar, blazed the trail to 85 runs for no loss within seven overs. Even Governor Ebad’s bowling was not spared. This onslaught ceased, however, when the openers retired, giving Faisal Subzwari and Rauf Siddiqui the opportunity to shine in front of the massive crowd.

Dignitaries such as City Nazim Mustafa Kamal, National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza, abd legendary cricketer Javed Miandad were among the more than 10,000 cricket lovers who had thronged the stadium to watch cricket getting politicised — in a good way of course.

The Siddiqui-Subzwari combination was pitted against Agha Siraj Durrani and Zulfiqar Mirza, who employed economical, yet innocuous spells of spin bowling. Despite stout defending, Subzwari lost his middle stump to a low full-toss after scoring seven runs. Eventually, Durrani snared a wicket as well.

Fittingly, Younus Khan scored the winning runs when he hit a boundary to finish the match as Pakistan-XI achieved the required target in 17 overs, at the loss of only two wickets.

Pakistan team:            Governor-CM combined XI

Younus Khan               Dr Shah [capt]

Kamran Akmal             Ishrat ul Ebad

Sohail Tanvir                Agha Siraj

Misbah                             Zulfiqar Mirza

Abdul Razzzak              Muhammad Ali

Shahzeb Hasan              Zubair Khan

Rao Iftikhar                    Manzar Imam

Muhammad Aamir      Salman Butt

Saeed Ajmal                    Khalid Ahmed

Rauf Siddiqi
Faisal Subzwari

Munawwar Abbasi

Ahmed Shehzad

* Some players in the G.CM XI were inducted on the spot because Umar Gul, Shoaib Malik, Fawad Alam and Nishar Khuhro did not play.

URL: http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=193432

Some ten years ago, when napster was the rage and having 540mb hdd meant you`re a uber-techie … I saw noori’s manwa re on tv and found myself hooked. This was soon followed by their appearance on PTV on a show called Rockin`2000 where they performed Mujhe Roko unplugged and aired the video of Khalla. All of this had the then still infant internet buzzing among pakistanis and noori were in demand. That is when on one of the greatest defunct website of all, I found a treasure trove of rare noori songs, allegedly hacked from Ali Noor’s PC.

Among those, was a song called Saari Raat Jagaa [SRJ], a brilliant song with fascinatingly dark lyrics, powerful yet complex composition with some phenomenal guitar work and drum solos. Since that moment, this song became one that I used to swear by, and in my opinion remains possibly among the greatest rock number from the land of pure.

Over the years, as my association with the band grew and I got to know them, and people closely related to the band, my love for this song kept growing. Particularly when I saw the original, handwritten notes of the first lyrics penned about this song, the intensely violent nature of them, the ideology behind the name, and ofcourse that initial audiogalaxy version of SRJ – all of them created this aura, this mystique about this song which had me drooling and anybody who`d talk about noori – would proclaim this number as among their favourite noori track.

From 2002 onwards, when the noori mania truly blossomed into a full fledged cult, people would clamour to noori concerts and implore the band to perform this song. One of the finest performance that I saw was at IBA concert at now defunct hotel metropole, followed by Noorifantaix concert at Lahore. Both times, the power of this song reverberated throughout the venue and brought the roof down like no other. When noori released their 2^nd album in 2005 – SRJ was considered as the jewel in the crown, the true Pièce de résistance of their record.

Fast forward to 2009 – with coke studio project, noori had an opportunity to perform a few of their best songs and rework them as a completely new entity and show their experimental side. Collaborating with the genius of Rohail Hyatt, and a collection of finest musicians in the country, this was the platform where possibly the most difficult, the most complex noori song, SRJ, would be reincarnated as something magnificent, something extraordinary.

With the house band and noori deciding to break the song into three distinct parts, Vocal and the Drums were the most critical elements as they were the bridge on this the whole transition between parts would take place. The fate of ‘flagship’ song of Coke Studio II, as declared by Rohail Hyatt, depended upon two men who have had their share of ups and down with each other.

As the band prepared to record the final song in their set at the studio, there was this keen sense of anticipation,  this buzz around the arena where everybody was looking forward to how the song will unfold in front of their eyes and if it is going to be an epic fail, or a masterpiece.

To the surprise of audience, Rakae Jamil, began the song with a mellow sitar solo, which caused the first ripple within the audience. The curiosity built as slowly yet surely, a fast paced, intense song took a completely new shape as the sitar solo was followed by traditional eastern instruments, fused with some violin; it created a surreal atmosphere, before actual singing began.

It is quite clear, once you hear the whole song, that Gumby is the rock on which this magnum opus is built. Gumby provided the foundation on which all the other artists could stand on and deliver what could possibly be described as the zenith of Coke Studio. Quite literally, this was the jewel in a very glittering crown of Coke Studio. The very performance  was testament to the skills of musicians involved, it paid tribute to the quality of all the in-house band who were putting on a show for us audience. This song, in words of the producer Rohail Hyatt himself, is the flagship song of the show and undoubtedly, speaks volumes about the genius that Rohail Hyatt is.

From the first transition, starting at 3.40, the journey began towards showcasing the luminosity of all the performers, the wonderful fusion with violin, rhythm guitar and sitar being the most outstanding of all, till the last part beginning at 6.25, where the entourage shifted a gear towards a rollicking final delivery which was based on the original song, this entire performance was a winner by a long distance.

The manner in which every single musician was allowed to contribute was most remarkable feature of this song. All the other songs on Coke Studio II had one standout/guest performer and rest of the house band had a bit and part contribution. On SRJ, the composition was done in such a manner that each and every artist was allowed space to deliver their best, and that is exactly what they did, giving SRJ a completely different identity, for which the entire team deserves a big round of applause.

P.S: One of the observation I made during these coke studio performances, is that the addition of Sitar particularly, and banjo and violin add immense value and quality to noori songs, something the band must consider about during their feature ventures such as albums and live performances.

Every once in a while, there comes a song that takes your breath away. There have been numerous examples where one single that came out and shook the world and created an image which is bound to last forever. Thriller in `82 , With or without you in `87, Smells Like Teen Spirit in `91 , Wonderwall in `95 are some examples.

Having said that, our  Pakistani pop music too  have had its share of instant classics which are never to be forgotten and certain to last generations. Dil Dil Pakistan was the original biggie, followed by Aietbaar, Neend Ati Nahin, Purani Jeans, Duur, Manwa Re, Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar and so many others.

Keeping up with that same tradition, June 14th 2009 saw the latest and arguably among the greatest piece of music from Pakistan see light of the day. Rohail Hyatt, the maestro, yet again delivered what he started off last year with the brilliant Coke Studio, by combining the unique abilities of two most diverse practitioners of music and giving birth to something which is completely, truly, and absolutely MESMERISING.

‘Aik Alif’, the famous kaafi by Bulleh Shah was performed by creating a fusion between contemporary guitar driven sound, vintage banjo, the mystical sufi instrument Ek Tara, and an assorted collection of unique instruments that provided the serene, sublime quality to the music and sung by the enigmatic  Sufi virtuouso, Saaein Zahoor and my FAVOURITE Pakistani band, Noori.

I have been exceedingly vocal about my partiality towards the noori brothers and their music. I have been religious following them since `99 and God knows how i miss the original line up and wish them to come back.

But here i want to set the record straight about my love for this singular performance.

I was fortunate enough to be invited by Ali Hamza, and ended up attending the recording session for noori in March earlier this year at Coke Studio. I honestly feel privileged in the hindsight, that i was witness to the live performance of one of the greatest single music performance with some of the most fantastic musicians in Pakistan.

I saw Aik Alif happening right in front of me, and believe me when i say; it was truly an out of world experience. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime moment when everybody in the room KNEW it that very instant they witnessed something ground breaking.

Although it took a while for the house band, and the main performers to gel together and decide on the arrangement and timings. Repeatedly starts faltered and retakes were done. But once the timing was sorted, and Rohail gave thumbs up for the first full take – the gang just elevated themselves to an entirely another planet. In one fluid motion, the entire place was swept over by the haunting chants of Allah Sayyan, the crashing cymbals, the violins, the rhythm, and ofcourse, Hamza’s banjo.

Believe me when i say, it was nothing short of divine. That single take, that 10 minute long performance, it was straight from heart. You can even see it in the video. By the end of the song, from 5:11 onwards, the smile on the faces of Noor, Gumby, Hamza … and the joyful final chant by Saeein, you could just feel the sensation, the hair raising tingle, that welling up of emotions, you could just feel that it was nothing but divine wizardry from men who were on absolute peak of their powers, who knew exactly that they attained the zenith of perfection in this single performance.

Saeein Zahoor has always been living under the shadow of some very famous sufi music practitioners in Pakistan but thanks to Rohail Hyatt, he has been brought forth in the mainstream media where more and more people are becoming aware of the unbelievable powers of the 72 year old grandmaster who has complete command and ability to maximise his abilities. He literally makes his Ektara weep and sing, his dervish like whirling, his black turban and those deep, intense intimidating eyes, they completely captivate the audience and once he starts singing – that magical voice with power like no other – completely mesmerizes those listening him. I repeat, he was the one who laid the foundation for a great performance with his brilliant opening part where he sang the kaafi, which enabled noori brothers to carry on the good work and take the song to next, an unprecedentedly high level.

Nobody doubted Saeein’s capability, however, when the second part of the song began with Hamza showing his nimble skills on a Banjo, the spotlight was well and truly on Ali Noor, the man with most to prove. Noor have always been accused of being the second best vocalist in his band, and he had the enviable task of ensuring he stands up to the scrutiny by critics, stands up to his own sky high expectations, stands up to Rohail Hyatt’s expectations – and by God, stand up he did.

With that superb performance, where he had to unleash all his vocal might and touch the highest octave and not let his voice break, Noor accomplished perhaps the most difficult task he was given, with flying colors. I`d like to slap them silly if anybody ever, ever dare questions Noor’s capability as a vocalist after his incredible performance on an incredibly difficult part of the song.

And now we come to ‘The Professor’, Ali Hamza – who had the ultimate job to give this song as rousing climax as possible, to deliver the most perfect ending, and Lord, Hamza delivered like he never did before. The Haq, the Taqat, Nayya, Manjhdar … it all just seamlessly melted together, with Hamza’s intense, deeply rich, throaty voice, which provided the perfect closing to this magic called ‘Aik Alif’.

There was this stunned silence in the hall. People had this bewildered look on their faces, knowing full well this was not an ordinary performance, and once it dawned upon them, the magnitude of it all, there was nothing but a standing ovation, which lasted for a good while, for the performers.

Since the first season of Coke Studio, I have been harping about Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar and how it is the single best Paki Pop Song, as well as the best song done on Coke Studio, despite some brilliant performances by Ali Azmat, Ali Zafar and others. ‘Aik Alif’, however, has simply destroyed the competition and set the bar way too high. It didnt matter one bit that Javed Bashir, Zeb and Haniya, Shafqat, Atif, they all performed some beautiful tracks but this one was simply far beyond anything ever done on Coke Studio.

I have nothing, but absolute respect for Rohail Hyatt, for words can’t do even remotest justice to what he has done, or what he is doing with this project. And i won’t even bother with confining the musical genius of the man in mere words – rather would suffice with a bow and another round of applause for bringing together the best of Pakistan Music, and giving them entirely different direction to explore and work some wonder for us deprived souls.

At times i wonder why the hell have i named my blog U2ism when i hardly ever write something on them. This, despite their new album released and two singles already out. 

Nonetheless, i will rectify the wrong today and start off on something that i have planned for a fairly long time, but just never got around to do it.

The most underrated songs in the U2 discography that people need to hear, and appreciate what they have been missing out by focussing more on the popular, crowd pleasing numbers and forget the gems that are hidden in their impressive song collection. 

So in first part – i will start off album wise, what in my opinion can be considered as a GREAT SONG, yet not many people have heard it often enough to realise the beauty, the context, and need to pay more attention to that song, as well as check out the real effect when that song is performed live, giving a whole new meaning. 

I will only consider songs from their studio albums and no singles. So here is the list. 

BOY

October

• Rejoice
• Tomorrow

War

• Drowning Man
• The Refugee
• Surrender

Unforgettable Fire

• A Sort of Homecoming
• Bad
• MLK

The Joshua Tree

• Running to standstill
• Exit
• In God’s Country
• Mothers of the Disappeared

Rattle & Hum

• Van Demien’s Land
• Heartland

Achtung Baby

• Whos’s Gonna Ride your Wild Horses
• So Cruel
• Trying to Throw Your Arms around the world
• Ultraviolet (light my way)

Zooropa

• Zooropa
• Lemon
• Daddys gonna pay for your crashed car

Pop

• Do You Feel Loved
• If you wear that velvet dress

All That You Cant Leave Behind

• New York
• When I Look at the World

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

• Love, Peace or Else
• Crumbs from your Table
• Original of the Species

So that is what i think is generally, compilation of most underrated, underappreciated U2 songs from all the albums they have released and those who havent heard, or paid close attention to, they must go back and hear these golden numbers to truly understand the beauty of why U2 is, well, U2. 

And now, for MY favourite songs among those that i ve listed. MY List of the top 10 greatest U2 songs, that do not get the respect they deserve , the songs which actually are part of my all time favourite U2 tracks, they come from this list of hidden treasures of the U2 discography. 

1. Bad
2. So Cruel
3. Running to Standstill
4. A Sort of Homecoming
5. Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World
6. Whos Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
7. Tomorrow
8. Lemon
9. Do You Feel Loved
10. Surrender 

OH. MY. GOD ! 

What a night. what a crowd. what a band. what a show !!!!

I have been trying to reign in my over-the-top excitement and the overflowing adernaline since i came home last night, i have failed. Simply because, noori performed a show which could easily rank as among the best live show they have done in their entire career. The set list, the crowd, the sound, and the overall band performance was nearly spot on, making it a most perfect concert. 

The show itself was quite a surprise, considering i was messaged only at 1pm by Hamza asking me to “attend and shoot our gig tonight at 9, hot poondi  there”. Quite clearly, he made me an offer i couldnt possibly refuse  

The venue was Royal Rodale, the show was organised by some students of AKU medical college, just one particular batch, with apparently NO sponsors ! Once i got there, it turned out the audience – students of AKU – hadnt reached there as yet. That time was killed by watching Shoaib Akhtar delivering a quite lethal spell of fast bowling, though which didnt fetch him any wickets. 

Anyhow, around 10ish reached the Royal Rodaly audiotrium where the students finally started coming in. Apparently there was some dinner or something due to which the students were quite dressed up and what not. Although i disagree with the poondi factor as there were hardly half a dozen girls who i really liked, but those 6 girls truly kicked some ass [Hamza may or may not disagree with the count] 

This was the first noori show i was attending after the last one at hotel ramada in november 2008,  and i was really looking forward to how noori will deal with the smallish venue and a very small crowd, with just 50 odd people. I though wonder whats up with noori, small crowds and violence ! even the last concert at Ramada, very few people came because of violence in the city and last night too there was some chaos in city.

Kher, as usual, noori fiddled with their lineup with their former durmmer Salman Albert making a return,  lead guitarist Aamir [ who hamza thinks is like Stewie from family guy ] and a DJ whos name i dont remember. 

The show started off with noor singing a karoeke version of manwa re to a student who got engaged a day before,  the band just suddenly shifted gears and opened up with a mighty version of Tum Hans Diye followed by their classic numbers. The set list goes something like this.

1. Manwa Re [Kareoke]
2. Tum Hans Diye
3. Neend Aye na
4. Ooncha
5. Do Dil
6. Kuttay
7. Nishaan
8. Mere Log
9. With or Without You
10. Ghazab ka hai Din / Twist and Shout
11. Yeh Jawani Yeh Deewani
12. Suno Ke Mein Hoon Jawan
13. Manwa Re [full version
14. Gana no. 1
15. Dil ki Qasam

P.s: i think they followed this order, with maybe a few songs agay peechay. 

Now then, as for the performance itself  ….. i dont think i `ll be able to do justice, besides my partiality is too strong which will not allow me to do an objective review. Nor do i really intend to do a review here. This time, i attended this concert primarily to ENJOY the noori experience and let loose and yell out, sing with the band as loud as i could. And i sure did that. With an intimate venue such as this, one can always expect the performers to link up more with the audience and when you have Noori, possibly the most entertaining of live acts in the country, this was meant to be a fiery affair. The boys head banged, the girls swayed and swung to the music, and the band unleashed a performance which was absolutely magnificent ! 

I never ever thought that i`d attend a concert where the performance of  ’With or Without You’ will be overshadowed by somethign else but last night – the impossible happened. Noori’s version of Ghazab ka hai din has always had quite a following but the surprise they pulled out last night was by closing that lovely bollywood song by adding a snippet of Twist & Shout, the beatle classic which i first saw on the movie Ferris Bueller’s day out. My lord, but that performance BLEW MY BREATH AWAY !!! I dont have words to explain how i felt when the band deliverd the most lethal combination of songs, starting off with Mere Log and finishing with Twist and Shout. 

That particular phase, for me, was the TRUE highlight of the show. The brothers were clearly enjoying the performance and with light banter going on between Hamza, who was evoking alot of gay love for the boys of AKU, and the audience. Thankfully, Noor didnt butcher ‘with or without you’ despite all my apprehensions and eventually, pulled off a fantastic version which had the crowd crooning for more, and left me almost in tears and with goosebumps ! . Priceless moment ! cant thank the guys enough for that ! 

The gig was concluded with a superlative performance of Dil Ki Qasam, one song which i am not too big a fan of, that was started off in a semi acoustic mode with slightly altered music, but later climaxed with a powerful rock version which literally brought the roof down.

By Abid Hussain

Karachi

Carrying on the legacy of their famous ancestors, the Qavval Bacchoun ka Gharana and their father, the incomparable Munshi Raziuddn, the duo of Brothers Farid Ayaz and Abu Muhammad along with their ensemble provided a night of mystical nirvana to an enthralled audience.

They were performing on Saturday night at a local art school under The Second Floor’s (t2f) fund raising series ‘T2f:Renaissance’.

Although the event was not greatly advertised, the audience kept trickling in before the starting time and after 10pm, the show began as Fareed Ayaz started off with a Raag Bhopali. The ensemble has only recently started to garner popularity as their frequency of performing shows has increased. They still retain a core group of followers who religiously attend most of their shows and this one was no different. With a learned crowd which knew the nuances of the traditional Raags and Taans, the brothers created a fantastical atmosphere where they seamlessly linked the intricate poetry of Amir Khusrau, Bulley Shah, Jalal-ud-Din Rumi and many others.

Providing interpretation of the Kalaams which ranged from Arabic, Hindi, Persian and Punjabi, the Qavvals gave a brief history of the famous ‘Qaul’ of Amir Khusrau, before breaking into a thunderous rendition, with booming chants of ‘Munn Kuntu Maula’ ringing throughout the venue. This was followed by the evergreen, and perhaps the most famous of all Naats, Hazrat Imam Buseri’s Qaseedah Burdah Shareef which created a trance-like atmosphere, with the crowd swaying in unison.

As the clock ticked past midnight, there was no sign of slowing down for the duo which next broke into the rarely performed, but a most powerful Kalaam by Maulana Jalal Rumi, and Hazrat Kamil Shuttari’s ‘Mere Bannay ki Baat na Puchoo’. After a small interval, the crowd regrouped again as the performers then delved into the archives of Khusrau’s masterpieces such as Khabram Raseedam, the classic Chaap Tillak and various others, mesmerizing a crowd which was by that time, completely under a trance-like state.

The night was brought to a close with a rendition of ‘Lal Meri Pat’ and Dhamaal where the Qavvals were joined by an amateur yet supremely talented musician Yasir Qureshi, who played Darbuka (Goblet Drum) with them to give a rousing finale for the enchanted audience and bring curtains to a memorable night.

URL : http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=169909

The Qavvals perform Lal Meri Pat, with Yasir Qureshi at the back with Darbuka