Pepsi Battle of the Bands episode 5 aired as an Independence Day special with Jasim & the Pindi Boys performing to the classic Pepsi track ‘Tu Hai Kahan’ which originally featured Junaid Jamshed, Strings and Haroon in the collaboration. The track was accompanied by the lead vocalists of top 4 bands i.e. Bayaan, Xarb, 21 the Band and Tamasha. The song was sung in great spirits bur we felt the pace was a bit rushed compared to the original. But having said that, all voices combined made for an impactful performance to kick start the episode.
Also read: Pepsi Battle of the Bands: Roshini lights up the stage and Top 4 bands get shortlistedÂ
First in line came Bayaan with their soulful rendition of ‘Yeh Watan Tumhara Hai,’ which won them many praises from the judges who said they finally witnessed Bayaan’s true strength in this one track. Donning a traditional look, the vocals were impactful and the magic of the melody really left a mark for the band to be in safe shores compared to their earlier performances.
Second to perform was 21 – the band with their version of JJ’s iconic ‘Hum Hain Pakistani’ which till today is among our favourite patriotic songs. Their styling was interesting given it was an Independence Day celebration; the lead vocalist paired a bottle green waistcoat with a white kurta that looked crisp and perfect given the occasion. Their version of the iconic song, on the other hand, left much to be desired. They tried adding the punk rock-ish feel to the track, which didn’t work this time, and as the judges believed they were capable of much more, their performance failed to leave the impact the band thought it would.
Third to perform was the band Xarb who sang Nayyara Noor’s melodic ‘Watan Ki Mitti’Â but unfortunately their rendition wasn’t as moving enough as the judges had hoped. Even though the vocals were strong the overall treatment couldn’t even come close to the original track, which has so much soul in it that it could make one teary eyed.
Last to perform was Tamasha who did their own rock version of ‘Iss Parcham‘ which surprisingly failed to create the kind of magic witnessed in their previous performances. Fawad Khan had a pertinent observation regarding the lead singers’ accent, which sounded more westernised for a national song. The judges have so far been generous with their praises when it comes to their performance but this one, according to them, was their weakest performance on the show.
Episode 5 was the Top 4 Knockout Round out of which Xarb and 21 – the band landed in the danger zone with their weak performances…but both the bands were given their chance at redemption. Xarb sang ‘Sonhi Dharti’ while 21 – the band redeemed themselves with Junoon’s hit track ‘Hai Jazba Junoon’ and performed with great energy.
The Independence Day surprise however, came at the end after both the bands were done performing and panicking at the same time for being eliminated. The 14th August special episode saw no eliminations and all 4 brands secured their original positions.
Watch the full episode here:
