LAHORE: Lahoris on Saturday headed to the Al Hamra Arts Council to be a part of the annual Lahore Music Meet (LMM).
The fourth edition of the event received an amazing reception with a large turnout that at times, ran ragged the volunteers and core committee members of the management.
However, the attendance was less than it was last year. One of the probable factors that affected the number of attendees was names such as Ali Azmat, Momina Mustehsan, Umair Jaswal and Sajjad Ali – who had then been freshened off following a successful Coke Studio season, missing this year.
Music enthusiasts were let into Al Hamra after stringent security checking and were welcomed to the sight of it being converted into a sitting area, with ethnic rugs and straw stools.
The main stage was also set in the central courtyard, where bands and performers including Sunny Khan Durrani, Fazal Jatt, Sami Amiri, Alien Panda Jury, Wisdom Salad/Roots, and Mauj performed. The headliners for the event were the bands Sikander ka Mandar and Akhtar Channal.
A number of discussions were also held simultaneously. The guest speakers participating in the talks ranged from the violin maestro Javed Iqbal to percussion as well as composition experts. Other speakers included Aziz Kazi, Mobeen Ansari, and Asim Raza.
While the main attraction for the audience remained the underground and emerging artists who performed at the LMM, another interesting side-event was the gallery set up by the Citizens Archive Foundation. The collection featured pictures of musicians from different eras performing, teaching and involving in candid activities.
Set-up in the centre of the event was another fascinating experiment called “Mosiki Mulakat.” The idea was to promote interaction among people of different generations who would sit together and share their music with each other. After every seven minutes, the people in the first row would switch their seats and the activity would continue. The interaction between the old and the young as they discussed their musical tastes, laughed and bonded, was an amazing sight.
With people interacting with the bands, and discussing the music that was being performed, the event also proved to be an excellent socialising opportunity for music enthusiasts.
Sunday’s events are expected to witness an increase in the number of visitors with the performances by popular bands and artists including the Pepsi Battle of Bands winner Kashmir and the qawwali maestro Fareed Ayaz Qawal due.