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Bahrain’s music scene took the international stage in two of the top regional events over the National Day weekend.
The kingdom’s very own Majaz band performed at the MDLBEAST SOUNDSTORM festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre as part of Expo 2020 in the UAE.
The quartet, including guitarist Hameed AlSaeed, percussionist Abdulla Faisal, bassist Salah Sharakhat and Jehad Al Halal on cello, had a hectic weekend as they embarked on a road trip from Bahrain to Riyadh, before flying out to Dubai.
“Between Covid-19 tests and the road trip, the entire weekend was ‘go-go-go’ but it was so worth it,” Salah told GulfWeekly.
“The response was phenomenal especially in Riyadh, where the MDLBEAST festival was attended by more than 180,000 music lovers.”
On National Day, the band performed a 45-minute set on the DWN stage at Riyadh’s venerated music festival.
Their songs, Rivers of Valhalla and Mashujaa Wa Jangwa were instant hits with the crowd, many of whom had heard them before and had been looking forward to the show.
After their performance, Bahraini duo Arabstract, comprising Maram Abdulaal and Abdulla, took the stage, serenading the crowd with electronic-Arab melodies for the soul.
The next day, Majaz flew out to Expo 2020 and on Saturday, they performed at the Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre, located in Al Forsan Zone for a slightly smaller but just as lively crowd.
“Wherever we perform, people believe they are in for very Khaleeji music, but we like to challenge those presumptions,” Salah added, with a grin.
“We bring a neo-traditional touch to music and we love to make our shows as interactive as possible. That makes every show unique because no two audiences are alike.”
The band has been active throughout the pandemic, albeit the crowds have been relatively smaller due to Covid-19 guidelines.
At the onset of the pandemic, they were performing in Kuwait before rushing back and hunkering down during the first wave.
They then performed in Jeddah twice, and recently at the opening of a dedicated music space in the city.
As they spread their wings, taking their tunes across the Middle East, they have witnessed first-hand the uniting power of music, realising that there are more commonalities, than differences, which unite the region.
“Music lovers of all kinds across the region really appreciate what we are trying to do with our modern reimagining of tribal beats, and in turn, we stay casual and connected, instead of being very formal, which has become associated with contemporary Khaleeji music,” Salah added.
“We like to be with the people, and we want the people to be Majaz.”
The quartet is already gearing up to perform in Jeddah for New Year’s Eve and is also looking forward to returning to Wasla, the biggest Arab alternative music festival.
For details, follow @majaz_music on Instagram.
