Casting a purple haze

Sajid Ghafoor and Zeeshan Parwez recently performed in Karachi and had the audience mesmerised.

By Maheen Sabeeh

There are some things in life one can never get enough of… fresh air, unpolluted water and live music to name a few. And when it comes to live music, it is imperative to realize that live music requires a mix of genres and styles. Perhaps it is this reason that Sajid Ghafoor and Zeeshan Parwez are a delight to watch live. Not only are they exceptional performers but the fact is their music is a cut above the rock/pop fiesta one witnesses in the city on a regular basis. Add that to the fact that Sajid and Zeeshan gigs are few and far in between. They aren’t featured in those ‘rock night’ type of shows where six bands are performing till wee hours of the morning. Hence, watching them live is an opportunity for music lovers who have a taste for turntables, acoustic guitar and keyboard nuances.

Last week, Sajid and Zeeshan performed at Purple Haze and impressed all attendees. For once, the concert started just a few minutes after the given time and as it was a weeknight, one was grateful. The most interesting thing about this concert was the crowd. This was a full-on boys show with a few girls here and there. In the small, compact basement that makes up the venue (Purple Haze), it was boys, teenagers and grown men sitting on the floor watching the Peshawari duo. Zeeshan Parwez with his keyboards in front of him and turntables on the side was juggling between the two instruments effortlessly. Sajid, with his acoustic guitar, was playing notes right out of the album. The amazing thing about Sajid and Zeeshan is they can replicate the entire album without a glitch. Barring Mekaal Hasan Band and Aaroh, there is no one in the industry who can do that with such precision. Coming back to that night, it was interesting to see S&Z do their thing. Whether it was the soft, slow ‘Close to You’ or the upbeat ‘Have to Let Go Sometime’, Sajid Ghafoor was having a ball with his instrument, the guitar. Zeeshan, meanwhile formed the background support with his keyboards and the beats that kept on coming throughout the night, thanks to his command at the turntables. After every track, people clapped and cheered on. As per concert norm, shouts were audible but they were in Pushto. Most people in the crowd didn’t know the album very well; they weren’t singing along, a few were chatting away but most guys and the given few chicks sat on nonetheless, appreciating the music being played for them. Few people had walked in late and as the gig came to its middle, many had left, most of whom were on their way to Shallum Xavier, Gumby, Omran Shafique and Manu gig (The House of Blues and Funk) taking place at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. The biggest crowd puller was easily the 2004 debut hit of the duo, King of Self’ that Sajid and Zeeshan performed to a perfect scale. The sound, beat, rhythm, vocals – it was all top notch. Zeeshan extended the track and kept on adding techno beats that compounded the effect even further. It was amusing to see one guy in the back trying to dance in a hip-hopish manner. While this track was playing, two guys stood up, one doing bhangra to ‘King of Self’ and the other, dressed in a white shalwar kameez and waistcoat was doing a Pushto dance. As soon as this track finished, a huge round of applause resonated from the crowd, perhaps the biggest one that night. There were shouts of once more but the guys had decided to call it a night. Even the lighting done for the show was very funky, it moved around in different shades and rotated from the crowd to the performers. Aaroh vocalist, Farooq Ahmed and bassist, Khalid Khan had come to see these guys as had VJs Faizan and Dino, Overload percussionist Hasan Mohyeddin among others. The only glitch in this otherwise, well-done gig was the vocals. Sajid Ghafoor sang with conviction and versatility. But at times, the sound of the music was overpowering his sound and it became difficult to understand what he was singing. Sajid and Zeeshan played back-to-back tracks with minimum stops in between, keeping the show tight and fun. In a nutshell, Sajid Ghafoor and Zeeshan Parwez may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they certainly are excellent live performers. With time, one can only hope that they do more live shows and that, too on a consistent scale.

The sound of the underground

Co-Ven enthralled a party of musicians, models and high profile fans – all gathered at the Basement Cafe for a vital dose of rock.

By Maheen Sabeeh.

Basement Cafe rocks. Quite literally, as every other week the underground cafe pulsates with groundbreaking sounds, rumbling out to the streets overhead. Sometimes, it’s in the form of a DJ night and at others, gigs that feature relatively new bands coming into the music scene.Recently, Rola (the venture of Uns Mufti) organized a gig of the Lahore-based band Co-Ven at the Basement Cafe and gave Karachiites their first formal introduction to this incredibly talented band. But this wasn’t an ordinary concert by any means. It was a night that musicians, models and celebrities came to show their support to this young band. And it was a night when music was served, shaken not stirred, with the chatter of old friends and the hum of Co-Ven’s music…
Ali Azmat, Zeeshan Parwez, Fasi Zaka, Fariha and Shariq Chapra, Mohammed Ali Jafri VJs Natasha, Dino and Anoushey, Munib Nawaz, Ayesha Toor, models Rubya Chaudry, Nadir Feroze Khan and Taimur Khan and Joey (Yousuf Paracha)…the list of music’s who’s who streaming in that night was endless. Uns Mufti was acting as the perfect host for the evening, pushing others to go forward to catch the band as soon as they came on, greeting guests and taking care of the sound. After all, the Basement isn’t an ideal concert venue and fitting drums in that compact lounge-like area was not an easy task. But they pulled it off superbly.Soon, Co-Ven comprising of Hamza Ali Jafri (vocals, lead guitars), Sikander Mufti (drums), Sameer Ahmed (of Mekaal Hasan Band fame on bass) and Omran Shafiq (of Mauj on guitars) began their jam session. Laughter and appreciation seeped through the air, as people moved around from one end to the other, humming, shaking their heads or simply lounging out and watching the guys play.
As a band, Co-Ven is indeed impressive. They began with a series of instrumentals that were not only a lot of fun but gelled well with the ambience of the night. Sameer Ahmed was subtle with bass; Sikander Mufti held the fort for drums superbly, Omran provided full support to both of them and vocalist Hamza Jafri seriously impressed with his husky vocals. It was a welcome sight to see Co-Ven on acoustic guitars as opposed to electric ones that are all the rage. Co-Ven’s music is eclectic, it’s moody yet fun and mostly it’s melodic. When Co-Ven launched into ‘Sailing Fast’, most people there were singing along. This is a band that was facing some of the most talented musicians around – Zeeshan Parwez, Rola man Uns Mufti, old veteran Ali Azmat among others – but they did not lose their temperament. They played track after track, showing versatility on instruments, emotions in vocals, synergy as a band and the result was people stayed on, watching and mingling all the way.These events are very important for the growth of the scene. Big concerts cater to masses but they don’t make for the best place for musicians to hang out and experience the scene in a new city, such as was the case of Co-Ven. All in all, Co-Ven proved to the selected invitees that even though they maybe an English language band, they know their music well. The fact that the right people showed up was a leap of faith, one that will encourage this band to go forward. And that is not a bad way to start off in the industry at all. Kudos to Shahbaz Sumar and Uns Mufti for putting together this event. One hopes to see more of these gigs in the future!