It may come as a surprise to a lot of you but for me, 21 were the clear winners of Episode 3 of Pepsi Battle of the Bands. Confused? Let me share why!
However, before that, let me congratulate all the top 8 bands for their artful performances on such a huge platform. They deserve every bit of it and I see a bright future ahead of them.
Now coming back to 21's "In Say Nain" – the comfort with which their vocalist (Yahya Farid), pulled off the song is very commendable. Choosing and transforming such an iconic and evergreen song into a completely different bluesy genre is not something ordinary. It was a challenge in its own and full marks to the band for pulling it off with sheer grace. While we were still hooked up to their original "Taaray" in the audition with pure punk rock, their rendition of the song was completely surprising as Meesha said "Jab Mjhy Aap Ki Aaj Song Choice Pata Chali, I got very excited I applied the sound that you brought in the auditions." As per her, it would have been BAM BAM had the band performed it in their own genre. However, versatility is the key to success and I was completely spellbound with this rejuvenating rendition.
The transformation in their sound shows that the band has got versatility which matters the most at this stage of the competition and seems to be lacking in other bands.
One more noteworthy thing about this performance was the opinion of the judges. All 4 had different opinions about it and it made the song confusing for the audience. On the positive side, this shows that how judges have high expectation from the band in their own bubble.
Nevertheless, after "Taaray" and "In Say Nain" we can't wait to see what 21 have up their sleeves for Episode 4 of Pepsi Battle of The Bands. Will they play safe in their comfort zone or will they experiment just like they did in this episode? We'll be to find it later today.