After weeks of an incredible journey, Pakistan’s biggest music battle has reached to the top four contenders who are eager to claim the title of Pepsi Battle of the Bands season 4 winner. The four finalists competed in two massive one-on-one battles in this episode.
However, we begin the episode with an exciting surprise. Battle of the Bands’ one of the most fantastic acts which reached the top four in season three, Tamaasha returned to entertain the audience with their latest hit, Paisa Phenk. They were happy to be back and commended Pepsi on putting their money on the bands who weren’t getting a platform to showcase their talents.
Paisa Phenk is all about that: putting money on and encouraging Pakistani artists. The track made waves on social media in the last few weeks, owing to the band’s electric sound which breaks the walls down. Their performance on this episode was equally electric and started the episode with what was undoubtedly a ‘tamaasha’.
Then it was time for the competition. This week, bands had to perform a mashup, connecting an original and a cover song. Last week’s ‘performer of the day’ winner E-Sharp were given a choice to choose their opponents. They had chosen Aarish. The first battle of the episode, therefore, revolved around the two bands who have had a fascinating journey: E-Sharp always hitting the mark, while Aarish rose through the ranks as an underdog with their hard work.
E-Sharp performed their original ‘Ek Nayi Subah’ fused with ’Tu Hai Kahan’ by Various Artists, while Aarish answered with their original ‘Muntazir’ and a rendition of Alamgir’s Dekha Na Tha. The jury commended both acts on their performance and pointed out the minor flaws too. However, they said although E-Sharp have consistently showed they are incredible musicians, they had expected the band to blow their minds like they always do. On the other hand, Aarish impressed the jury with their original song more, and the impeccable vocals. Both the acts made it difficult for the judges to make a final decision.
The next battle was between Black Hour and Auj. Black Hour fired first with their original ‘Tanhaiyaan’ and a cover of Fringe Benefits’ Tanhai, and Auj responded with an original ‘Engraziyan’ and a mind-blowing hard-rock rendition of Musarrat Nazir’s Punjabi folk classic ‘Laung Gawacha’. The judges found Black Hour’s performance highly energetic and well-executed but pointed out the strained vocals, whereas Meesha Shafi considered Auj’s mashup disconnected thematically, Fawad Khan loved the contrast and understood the band’s motivation and the connected story of the two songs. Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood even said if they tweaked the lyrics a bit, Auj’s original could easily be a Strings song and they would have loved to have created this song.
After the battles, it was the most dreaded time for everyone, especially judges who had the responsibility to select the top two bands of the show. In a huge surprise, the jury chose Aarish over E-Sharp, marking the always-consistent band’s elimination from the competition. E-Sharp gracefully accepted the result. Meanwhile, Auj won the battle against Black Hour. The jury praised all four bands, encouraging them to keep making music after the show and that all bands are ready to go out and perform and lead the industry into the future.
Aarish’s hard work also paid off when they won the’ Performer Of The Day’. After the dust settled, we saw the two finalists of Pepsi Battle of the Bands season 4. From next week onward, the mega battle ensues between the beastly Auj and the underdog Aarish to decide who will sit on the Pepsi Battle of the Bands throne.
