Pubs wake up to Sufi nights

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The scuffles of pub goers while being high may decrease if soothing Sufi nights are allowed at the watering holes.

It is not an assumption of the police, but a claim made in humour by Sabri Brothers, who performed at a pub in Gurgaon recently. “The good response of the audience made us perform for two and a half hours,” said the veteran artistes, who performed at a pub for the first time. With not just their vote, but also of artistes such as Niazi & Nizami Brothers, Band Nasha, Suhail Yusuf Khan (of Advaita) and Adi, and a mature audience, pubs now are getting high on Sufi. A fine cocktail of spirituality and entertainment, the two-day fest by Sufi bands and qawwals at Lemp Brewpub & Kitchen, Gurgaon saw over 1,000 guests — many attending with their spouse and grown-up kids — in two successive evenings. The offerings included Kun Faaya Kun by Niazi & Nizami Brothers, Sufi rock by Band Nasha, soulful Sufi numbers by Suhail Ensemble and Sabri Brothers. For Akshay Luthria, director, Lemp Brewpub & Kitchen, the two evenings were among the many firsts the pub will see. “The stress is on classical music. We are trying to invite big names such as Wadali Brothers and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan,” he says.
But aren’t Sufi numbers already being played at nightclubs and pubs? “The emphasis is on live performances, and that too on the old school singers. Their charm is much elevated, different from a DJ playing Sufi numbers,” he reasons.