Pepsi Battle of the Bands season 3 came to an end with a spectacular finale featuring Bayaan and Xarb. Hopes were high and so were our spirits since all the performances we witnessed in the last seven weeks had led to this moment.
The grand finale had some interesting performances lined up with Strings, Meesha Shafi and Fawad Khan taking to stage and enthralling the audience. Not to forget, episode 8 even witnessed Shahi Hassan’s return to the show, even though it was just for a performance.
Strings kicked off the show with their popular song ‘Zinda’. The song didn’t sound any different to the ears, as we thought it would be a never-heard-before version, like both the singers claimed. Having said that, we enjoyed the performance and the electrifying rhythm of the guitars which has been kept neutral in the original track.
Next to perform was Meesha Shafi with her soulful track ‘Mein’ that took us on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. The treatment was different in terms of all the musical instruments that had been used to create an aura that would spiritually draw you into the song. The melody gave us goosebumps and the impact of cello and violin really made us think of the song ‘My Immortal’ by Evanescence. That too is a female driven band with bone-chilling vocals and melody that is bound to leave an impact long after you’ve heard it. This was one such song we came across in a long time. Kudos to Meesha Shafi!
Shahi Hassan returned to to episode 8 with his own rendition of the song ‘Maula’ which was originally sung by Junaid Jamshed.
Fourth came rock star Fawad Khan who’s performance was the most anticipated one on the show, at least for us. He performed to one of his original tracks penned in 2008 titled ‘Satrangi.’ The song was an interesting fusion of in-tuned human sounds created by mouth, which was a refreshing addition. It started with a bang and foot-tapping beat but the tune went in several directions, one we could not keep pace of. The song had a very ‘Mitwa’ type feel – a track that was featured in Indian film Lagaan with a fusion of sarangi and dhol. This one however, had an electrifying presence of the guitar, strong vocals by Fawad accompanied by the beat of drums and soulful melody of flute giving it a traditional blend. Suffice to say ‘Satrangi’ can qualify as one of our national songs shedding light on oneness and unity.
Then came the very endearing journey of Bayaan followed by a performance to one of their original tracks ‘Nahein Milta.’ The lyrics and the tune were quite intense given the band’s personality that harbours more on this nature compared to light-hearted, romantic ballads. The song won them many accolades by the judges who encouraged them to keep at it despite the results which were soon to be announced. Their performances ended with a fun question and answer session with the judges where they got to hear some great advice by the maestros to keep them going as a band.
Last to perform was Xarb who came up with a track of their own titled ‘Kashmakash.’ The melody of the song had a very jazz like feel to it, that was very unlike the band’s personality but that only showed diversity on their part, which is always heartening for a band to embrace. Given they were exploring their strengths came out as a strong point for the band. Similar question answer session continued with the judges and like before they had some interesting anecdotes to share from their own experiences.
Finally, Bayaan was announced as the winner of Pepsi Battle of the Bands Season 3. The trophy was handed over to them by Salman Butt – Director Marketing, Pepsico and a whooping amount of Rs5 million as prize and a year-long contract with Pepsi for their music album. Xarb too won a prize worth Rs2.5 million. It all summed to be a grand end to the Pepsi Battles of Bands’ journey and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Watch the full episode:
