It is almost an irony and an insult to the main act when the band whose name wasn’t mentioned on the invite steals the show, hands down. The Cheapmunks concert, held at Ali Auditorium organized by Origami, was at best a mixed affair, the rise of some and the downfall of others, including I believe of the management,
who were able to take the ‘manage’ out of management. The show started off late, I’ll write that off to being Pakistani. But, how and why on earth did you get those goddamned awful speakers for a concert? The speakers gave way completely, unable to sustain Quandrum’s fantastic performance. In a concert that is unjustifiable, almost a mortal sin.
The opening act of the show, ‘The others’, Pakistan’s youngest rock band, almost had me gasping in surprise as they made their way to stage, the youngest, was hardly visible above the drums he was able to so easily manipulate. While they did not sing any originals and the ones they did sing weren’t the best covers I’ve heard, Summer of 69, Kiss the rain, Knocking on Heavens door, I admire them for the grit and courage that they, as kids, showed. Coming up on stage, when you’re 9 or 10 and singing to a full house is no mean achievement. They certainly had the talent and I hope and pray that they continue what they have begun with some seriousness, for I see Pakistan’s future rock band in them. Respect for ‘The Others’
Next up were ‘Quandrum’, a quartet of percussionists, Umer Saud, Saad Sarfaraz, Daud Randle and Atif Saeed. It was a no-brainer, ‘Quandrum’ stole the show, the whole eight yards of it (leave one for the others). The only complaint I had was the rather short duration of their performance. Other than that, they were fantastic. Just seeing all those drums and percussion instruments had us rustic Lahoris excited and giddy, what to talk of the real deal. From start to finish, ‘Quandrum’ had the crowd, despite being uninspired by any sort of intoxicants, tapping their feet and clapping their hands. The band used a variety of instruments, including an empty vodka bottle (wonder who or what, for that matter, emptied that in this Islamic Republic of ours! FATWA!) bongos, dhols and other drums I know nothing about.
With this variety of instruments, the quartet went through four of their songs, including one that sounded uncannily like one of Overload. Without fail, the end of every song was greeted with rapturous applause and by the end of their performance, the audience was on its feet, clapping, shouting, hooting, a sight to behold. Kudos to the absolutely amazing and mind-blowing performance by the quartet. Till now, I was not aware of the disappointment that lay in store for us, the crowd. Enter, ‘The Cheapmunks’, again a quartette, two on the guitars, Hamza Quddusi and Daniyal Pervaiz and two vocalists, Suhana Baloch and Mahek Taherani, whom I could barely hear.
The ‘Cheapmunks’ made an entry alright, trying to chat up the crowd, fooled around a bit and in all honesty, that is all I will remember them for. I’d rather forget their PTSD inspiring performance. Save for the first two songs, which propelled them to stardom, the rest of the show was nothing but badly done covers, incoherent and crudely thought out. Their lack of practice and involvement was writ large in their performance. By the end of their first two, it was all downhill, eventually spiraling into an atmosphere of absolute boredom, with more than a few people checking their facebook some half an hour into the ‘Cheapmunks’ performance. The ‘Cheapmunks’ should not rest on their laurels, they have the talent, especially the vocals, but without slogging it out, talent counts for nothing. Had it not been for ‘Quandrum’, the concert would have been a complete disappointment, but they saved the day. Overall, 6/10 for the concert. Origami, please, remember the speakers next time.
