Dawn News About Sweetleaf City Jam

Underground bands go into a swoon

ISLAMABAD: Underground bands not only sound like no other bands — they give concerts like no other bands and specially in settings rarely used by other groups.

Saturday night’s performances were the latest in a series of open-air concerts where artistically inclined youngsters allured their audiences with their unconventional and contemporary numbers.

The Sweet Leaf City Jam marked the opening of the new The Rock Musicarium restaurant across the water front behind Rawal Lake – and now a place that offers young artists a space to reveal their musical qualities.

Boys and girls enjoyed a quixotic evening under the stars lying on cushions, standing under trees, sipping on red bulls or treating their taste buds to Khiva’s delectable tikka’s and Naan, while some of the coolest avant-garde, heavy metal and light-rock groups performed for their listening pleasure.

Even though music started some two and a half hours late, the show picked on the tempo with fans inundating the concert lawns marking their attendance by occupying every nook and corner available to fit in and syncing to the rumbling of the beats, heavy electric sounds and some reasonably good vocals.

Taking on the pop king Michael Jackson, Ali Hamdani, sang Billy Jean that some reckoned was a better job than Atif Aslam did on Coke Studio.

Natasha Ejaz followed with her tracks – soft and mellow on her acoustic guitar. Arieb leaped to prominence, singing Bullah Shah’s Kalam, and then regaling listeners with Bob Marley’s Get up stand up for your rights and his famous Husan Haqiqui.

And then Zeejah Fazli a respected guitarist among underground musicians and Coven hit the stage impressing listeners with harmony rich skilled guitar distortions that were appealing in virtuosity and aggressive in energy.

Shehzad Hameed, Simt, and Qiyaas, to name a few were among musicians who performed the night away.

Source: Dawn News