Sweet sound of success

Anisa Mustafa catches the Junooni spirit in the UK

It’s taken five long years to arrive but now that success is finally knocking at Junoon’s door, there is no stopping the talented trio. After conquering India with sell-out shows and rave reviews the band was poised for a British invasion, armed with their exclusive spiritual rock groove. A successful gig at London’s Wembley Conference Centre was the first stop in the band’s rapid advance towards international fame.

The show that is now the talk of the town was organised by the European arm of Zee TV’s operation. Through a double act featuring Asian Dub Foundation (ADF) and Junoon, the channel set out to redefine the experience of music concerts. ADF is a local bandmaking a breakthrough on the British music circuit, while Junoon is a lesser known commodity in the UK. The former hits a totally alternative nerve, with its hard jungle beat and raw lyrical attack, while the latter strikes a hypnotic chord with its traditional rhythm and spiritually charged poetry. Two totally different sounds and attitudes under one roof. With the air thick with the smell of expectancy, ADF opened the show. After the initial shock of a sudden, unbridled rush of adrenalin the crowd settled down to enjoy the band’s powerful performance. The brilliance of ADF’s music was matched only by their impassioned stage act.

Yet, by the end of their act, most people in the audience had started shifting uncomfortably in their seats, and eyes were turned furtively to watches. "When is Junoon coming on," was the whispered question weaving its way through the audience. Even though ADF’s mainstream credentials are growing by the minute and their popularity is now a Europe-wide phenomenon, that night they had to take a back seat to Junoon. Following a short break between the two acts, Salman Ahmed, Ali Azmat and Brian O’Connell emerged to spread their magic.

Kicking off with Lal Meri was the perfect gambit and brought the audience to its feet in thrilled gratitude. This was followed by a quick succession of hits like Dosti, Sayonee and Mahi – all lapped up by an audience that seemed to know all the lyrics by heart. As Junoon’s musical repertoire was unravelled, excitement levels soared in the concert hall. A common voice rose to greet Khudi – a song from the new album which has taken the most inspirational verses from Allama Iqbal’s poems and packaged them in the most evocative composition.

They say age heightens the taste and quality of wine – the same may be said of Junoon’s music. It all began five years ago when Salman Ahmed split up with Vital Signs, after launching a highly successful debut album with the band. Salman’s decision to go solo was seen by many as a foolish leap of faith which would soon see him sink into oblivion. Vital Signs, dubbed the Beatles of the East, were at the time being hailed as the forerunners in the dawn of Pakistani pop. But to Salman it wasn’t all about quick success measured by the number of fans and album sales – he hadn’t given up a career in medicine for such minor stakes. His ambition was to express his boundless passion for life and music. So he formed Junoon as a vehicle for making experimental music and stretching the boundaries of Pakistan’s music scene.

Junoon’s first album was an interesting mix of musical genres – it had elements of everything from soft pop and ballads to heavy metal. It also began experimenting in an area that would, in time, define the band’s distinctive style. In songs like Heer and Jogia, Salman began discovering an endless source of inspiration flowing from culture and tradition. In both songs Salman used his skill as a modern guitar player to explore the rich and melancholic timbre of Sindhi and Punjabi folk songs. He wasn’t the first to look in this direction, but his interpretation of folk and Eastern classical music immediately set him apart from others who had tried to borrow some of the enduring greatness of the subcontinent’s tradition. What Salman didn’t do was flog tradition in a modern medium – instead he used the modern medium to project the enchanting heritage of subcontinental music.

Over the years, the folksy accent of Junoon’s music has matured, culminating in this years smash hit Sayonee, which comes with an equally earthy-looking video. With lyrics that are reminiscent of Sufi poetry and its dual connotations, the song captures the devotional atmosphere prevailing in shrines all over the subcontinent. The video, filmed in the city of shrines, Multan, was an instant success on Asian MTV and Channel [V]. Something about the song and its video struck a sensitive chord with people on a wide scale and in massive numbers across the region. The song took Junoon straight to the top of the charts in Asia. Salman’s relationship with folk music and traditional icons is a form of nationalism few have been able to appreciate – least of all the conservative elements in Pakistan that have slammed the band for all sorts of offences. Junoon’s use of lyrics from Allama Iqbal’s most well-known and loved poems has been called irreverent by milder critics and blasphemous by the more outraged.

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