Inconcert: Strings lights up the City of Lights- Images, Dawn.

With the ubiquitous catastrophic law and order situation in Pakistan and the menace of loadshedding that has put the organisers of musical events under a great deal of stress, Karachi too has been quite inactive in hosting entertainment dos.

A much-awaited gig featuring Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood of Strings was recently held at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) on the occasion of its annual carnival function organised by the students’ society. The host, VJ Waqar Zaka, in his signature witty and funky style entertained the audience until the band stepped in. One thing Strings must be accredited with is punctuality. The floor literally vibrated as the crowd welcomed the duo on stage amid massive applause. Faisal immediately ignited the proceedings with a rocked up version of Koi Aanay Wala Hai while Bilal strummed an extended guitar intro to set the mood right. Undoubtedly Faisal is a powerhouse performer and in Najane Kyun, the combination of Bilal’s sky-scraping guitar riffs and Faisal’s captivating vocals was a lethal combination.

Faisal has a knack of reaching out to the audience and this was prominent in Chaaye Chaaye where he urged the young crowd to join in. Before the next track, he had the stage lights turned off and asked the audience to raise their cellphones/cameras. What followed was a spellbinding rendition of Zinda which had a different feel altogether when performed live. For the soulful Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar, Bilal took over the microphone as Faisal took a respite. The energy was pumped back into the crowd with an immaculate performance of Duur. Bilal Maqsood rocked the crowd with a combination of thumping and mellow guitar riffs.

With Akhri Alvida the evening hit its mellowest note. Bilal’s opening soothing guitar chords and Faisal’s mesmerising vocal delivery touched the soft side of listeners who hummed along. The gig came to a halt with Bilal’s electrifying performances of Sohniye and Anjane. In a post-concert chat Faisal said, “Before I went out for the performance, I didn’t know what the crowd would be like, but while performing, they seemed like family. It was a wonderful experience.” The event was sponsored by Warid.