Islamabad is finally beginning to buzz with activity. Theatre has revolutionized the local entertainment landscape. First, it was the Islamabad Club and, now gradually (and finally) the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) has started playing its due role in the promotion of amateur plays.

Every time Islamabad’s streets are plastered with theatre advertisements, sponsors and families alike make it a point to attend in numbers. Moreover, since the job of the sponsors is other than artistic, the interest that major telecom companies are taking with the support of the Capital Development Authority Chairman Kamran Lashari in these ventures ensures that amateur theatre is here to stay and its popularity is soaring. It has become a cultural force to the exclusion of other arts.

Music concerts are there of course but the problem is that these are hardly ever advertised. It is very rare that even a concert of professional musicians receives as much radio, print and virtual hype as a local amateur play.

As wonderful as it is for the capital to find one activity that the locals feel they can culturally identify with, it is equally worrying that the popularity of theatre is crushing the art of music.

So, is theatre truly rising in popularity over concerts, or is it because the locals do not have the option to go to a concert? And if the locals do have the option of attending a concert, is there a problem with the quality of music? Or are musicians no longer receiving sponsors’ support? Taking the example of only the local bands of Islamabad, it seems that the answer is a mix of all the issues illustrated above.

Going almost eight years back, Islamabad was a different city. The silent city boasted an avid music culture. For the youth then, the entertainment culture revolved around music. Identities were established against the type of music enjoyed. Islamabad, unlike the other cities of the country, found itself compared to the city of Seattle. Seattle is a city that has produced a number of revolutionary musicians dating from sixties rock & roll to the nineties grunge. From Jimi Hendrix to Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), these musicians were idolised by the ‘serious’ music listeners of the city.

There were a good number of musicians idolising the quality and cause of their musical icons. Though none managed to break into the mainstream, mostly due to the fact that commercial success meant to move to Karachi and compromise their art, concerts were still held in the city. The Underground band scene was an established entertainment for the youth. An underground concert was the ‘thing’ to be at. And best of all, there was quality music.

Sadly, today the underground music is fading. The pioneers of underground music are now busy with their adult worlds, whether it is professional mainstream music or, the white-collar world. Tragically, the predecessors of the underground world do not hold the same passion. And, even if they do, they are resigned to a doomed musical fate.

When speaking to the underground musicians, they seem to have no identity. Many are young boys who desperately want to become popular first. Egos are hindering the quality of their music. Rather than finding their identity, they are stuck replicating styles. When attending jam concerts such as the Sweet Leaf, the musical experience is noisy and turbulent.

Sponsors are just as sceptical of promoting bands for a good reason. That is not to say that the sponsor’s apathy is well founded. The musicians should be given a chance, not just for the sake of music but also for the sake of diverse choice of entertainment in the capital.

The theatre world has already usurped some musicians and singers. The theatre world has popularity and money. For all those musicians and singers who love this art, it is important now to recognize that “your art is quickly fading from the capital’s landscape. If you want it back, then it’s time to convince everyone that there is quality and that theatre and music can coexist.”

The writer teaches sociology and a freelance contributor. She can be reached at

beenisch_bb@hotmail.com