Pulling the right Strings

Strings have travelled a long way since their first UAE concert in 1992, when they performed at the Sharjah Expo Centre for 2,500 screaming fans – quite a turnout at the time. Now, 16 years later, the Pakistani pop-rock band's cult status almost guarantees a sold-out show. Some 10,000 fans are expected at their gig tonight at the Dubai Aviation Club, where they share a bill with Shaan and Overload.

The band – now comprising singer Faisal Kapadia and guitarist Bilal Maqsood – is the quintessential rock fairytale of four college friends who jammed together in 1988 to make music.

Fame was around the corner, but instead the quartet decided to finish college and walked away from the spotlight. "It wasn't like we argued or had some big blowout," Kapadia tells Emirates Business. "The timing just wasn't right. We disbanded after the Sharjah concert."

But while they chased their dreams, a music revolution was grabbing headlines across the subcontinent with the launch of MTV Asia, which unleashed a whole slew of new musicians. And while many failed, two-album-old Strings hit the jackpot. "I was flying to Houston, Texas for my business degree and dropped off a demo video of Sar Kiye Yeh Pahaar at the MTV Asia headquarters in Hong Kong," he says. Tucked away in Texas, Kapadia didn't know that their song was soon topping the charts. "Suddenly, I was getting calls from friends with the news."

He returned to Pakistan in 2000 and invited the band to regroup. While Maqsood jumped at the chance, partners Rafiq and Kareem felt "too settled in to their lives to stage a comeback", he says.

The pair put out Duur that year, an album that shook up the industry in both Pakistan and India. "It was amazing to find Indian clubs playing our songs. In a country dominated by film music, our sound found us a niche."

In 2001, they toured India with television station Channel V and the crowds went wild. "I think our success across the border was due to the fact that in India, all existing bands at the time sang in English – and here we were, singing their language."

Strings' success also paved the way for other Pakistani acts – but Kapadia won't take the credit. "We are no pioneers. That credit goes to Vital Signs or Junoon." However, with Vital Signs disbanded and Junoon's sufi style only reaching a tiny market, Strings surged ahead with a series of hits, including Duur, Anjaane and Jeet Lo Dil.

Their biggest break, admits Kapadia, was Spider-Man 2, for the dubbed Hindi version of which the band laid down a track. "Bilal and I thought it was a joke when Columbia TriStar called – I mean, Spider-Man! Even after recording Na Janey Kyun, we didn't tell our families until the day before the album released."

The film brought many Bollywood offers in its wake, but rather than follow compatriot Atif Aslam, who now sings in every other Indian film, Strings chose to stay selective. "We wanted to compose for a film we could relate to and bring the Strings brand the music," he says.

Film director Sanjay Gupta gave them that freedom, even shooting a video with actors Sanjay Dutt and John Abraham jamming in the studio. Kapadia, who celebrated Eid performing sound checks for tonight's concert, says he hasn't given much thought to the band's future, but composing music for a Bollywood film may not be far off.

"Maybe the original four will even jam together one day; we can never say never."



Sangam Featuring Strings, Shaan and Overload. Tonight at the Aviation Club. Tickets start at Dh150. Call: 050 550 2019



Pakistan's top boy bands 

  - Vital Signs (1987-95): The original boy band made it with Dil Dil Pakistan, voted the third most popular song ever.

  - Junoon (1990 to date): Vital Signs guitarist Salman Ahmad pioneered the sufi rock genre with Ali Azmat and Brian O'Connell.

  - Awaaz (1990-2000): With little success, Haroon, Fakhir Mehmood and Assad spilt up to launch solo careers.

  - Jal (2002 to present): The original line-up featured lead singer Atif Aslam. While the band is still active, Aslam is now a Bollywood singer.

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