Alamgir has arrived!
[ comeback ]

The Godfather of Pop music in Pakistan, Alamgir recently performed a gig in Karachi. Courtesy of The Musik with a set designed by Omar Amanullah —inspired by Andy Warhaul’s Pop Art— Alamgir came and rocked all those present off their feet. Otherwise known as The French Kissers, a name coined by Gumby during one of their gigs at the Alliance Francaise, the band backing Alamgir included Immu, Khalid Khan, Gumby and Shallum Xavier.

The concert was opened by Aaroh who began with Sawal, and went on to perform Yaara. They dedicated Na Kaho to Alamgir and pumped up the excitement in their audience by concluding their performance with a rocked-up version of Yaad Gadoli by Abida Parveen.

In direct contrast to the high-powered performance Aaroh left with, Alamgir launched into a soft harmonica solo which launched off his first song for the evening: Shaam sey pehlay.

The concert was dominated by brilliant performances by everyone who performed: the Aaroh gang which included Farooq, Haider, Jason and Khalid along with Alamgir and The French Kissers. Each musician held their own and stood out despite having Alamgir amongst them.

On the other hand, Alamgir’s high-powered, energetic rendition of his rocked-up songs pulled the crowd back into the seventies and the eighties while still staying in the present. It was a night in which the young and the old came together and celebrated the arrival of a king that had been missing for way too long.

Note:
— photos will be uploaded soon.
— this is the un-edited version.
— th edited version is not what i would call 'me'
— written under the pseudo/pen-name Band Baji

First Published:
World Music Magazine
Sept/Oct 2006