Pepsi Battle of the Bands is synonymous with giving budding underground musicians a chance to sprout into mainstream music — especially after the success of eP and Aaroh in the past cycles and the very trippy Kashmir in the last season. Struggling musicians who were previously trying to play odd gigs or sharing their music on Soundcloud and such, finally made it to the centerstage and the music, oh my God, the music. After the top four were announced, the competition got more and more intense.

21 the band performed an old Mehdi Hasan classic “Kabhi Mein Sochta Houn” with a punk rock twist

Source: Pepsi Battle of the Bands

 

Tamasha chose to go with “Tumhain Kese Bata Doon” by Ahmed Rushdi but with a 80s rework which didn’t quite impress the judges.

Source: Pepsi Battle of the Bands

 

To no surprise (because of the early fandom these guys garnered), Xarb came on with a groovy disco number “Jhanjhar Di Pawan Chankar” that was an instant hit.

 

We’re HERE FOR IT.

Shout-out to the lead singer Qamar’s equally groovy jacket.

#fashionforward

 

On the other end, Bayaan’s performance was equally stellar with Naheed Akhtar’s well-known classic “Tha Yakeen”

 

It was soulful, especially with the rubab

 

And it’s always nice to see this yummy face ~

#sorrynotsorry

 

 

So, here we have our two finalists for the coveted competition: Xarb and Bayaan

Pepsi Battle of the Bands will now be renamed to Xarb vs Bayaan, at least until one becomes victorious. Pakistanis are equally divided about who to place their bets on.

https://twitter.com/abdullahmajeed_/status/1030864773913751555

 

Team Xarb just can’t wait…

 

Team Bayaan also not coming in slow…

https://twitter.com/unlovablefuck/status/1030837545746223110

 

 

Legit crying happy tears

How will we ever pick between the two???

https://twitter.com/saadullah121/status/1030906746435526657

 

SAME BRUH, SAME.

https://twitter.com/Terapiyoo/status/1030902125562347521

Xarb has been consistently performing, pleasing the judges and earning a sweet spot in their fans hearts with their east meets west fusion. Bayaan, however, has shown promising growth throughout the season, incorporating feedback from the industry gurus, mixing things up and showing us how badly they want this. Who will you be voting for? Let us know in the comments section below.


This post has been sponsored by Pepsi Pakistan.