The Pepsi Battle of The Bands proved to be a breeding ground for many upcoming rock bands. Whilst some bands came to the scene for the very first time, others proved their mettle by cementing their place in the hearts of their pre-existing and new fans collectively. One such band that was not only winning the hearts of the judges in the event but had been rocking their way to the top even before, was none other than Madlock.
Mehroze Gilani, who caught the attention of the crowd with his unique yet extremely impressive vocals, took us to the good old Nirvana days. Awais Ali Jaffrey, the long haired, extremely talented bassist along with Asad Farooq, the drummer who made his chops do the talking, set the stage on fire and impressed one and all. The other very important member of the band is their extremely hardworking manager, Hasan Qazi. Also known as “Teddy”, he has been the main man behind the scenes..
Our team decided to catch up with the band members in order to explore the entire band more personally.
How did Madlock come to be?
It was pretty spontaneous, I figured I wanted to play rock music and have it be my primary form of expression, rather than the heavier style of music we were playing before, of course, this had to be done with a brand new identity. I brought the idea to Awais, and he agreed to it and saw through to my vision, and the band was born. I coined the name, Madlock.
How did you guys meet? How long have you known each other?
Awais has been my senior ever since I was in 8th grade; we bonded over a one off meet up at my place because he needed help with an assignment. He saw I was watching a Megadeth concert on my PC; we’re both huge Megadeth fans. Hassan, our manager, has basically been a friend since forever, we’ve been in the same class since 5th grade all the way till the last year of O levels, and we were also next door neighbors.
What has been a major influence/inspiration on your genre?
It’s simply impossible to name all the bands, because there are just so many, but if we have to name some, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Noori, Call, EP and Kings of Leon.
What unique attributes separate you from the others?
I’d say that we’re honest with the way we express ourselves, sometimes to the point where it lands us in trouble.
From Madlock’s collection of songs which is your favorite?
Right now, the next one that’s about to release.
What has been your biggest challenge as a band and how have you been able to overcome this challenge
To be able to eat more paratha rolls than the other member, it’s a constant struggle, but I’m persistent. (Mehroze)
On a serious note though, many challenges combined come our way as a band. Writing new songs is always difficult since it requires a lot of creativity and it has to match our standards as well. The process is fairly time consuming and requires a lot of attention.
What is the highest compliment Madlock has received?
That Awais has hair that’s more gorgeous and fuller than a lot of these other women around us. He talks about it to me with immense pride.
What is the most rock star thing the whole band has done?
We all scored a 4.0 CGPA once, at the same time, ‘Teddy’ included.
Strangest venue or gig you’ve played?
Khanpur Dam.
Are you planning to come with any new songs in the future for your fans?
Loads. It’s all in the pipeline.
What’s next for Madlock?
Songs, gigs, some more songs.
