Yet again, Lebanese alternative rock band Mashrou Leila showed their fans just why they're at the top of their game!
Fans from all over the world were treated to an electric performance by the rockers on Sunday night in Dubai.
Concertgoers jumped up and down to songs from Mashrou Leila's new album, as well as to some of their classic hits, such as the nostalgic “Shim al-Yasmine” (smell the Jasmines).
The band is so successful in the independent music movement that they've just returned from sold-out concerts in Istanbul, Cairo and London, among other world major cities.
“I’ve never heard a sound like this before, because they’re modern. Their lyrics are like poetry,” said Vana Borghosizian, a university student from the neighboring emirate of Sharjah.
Although their fans agree on the beauty of their music and lyrics, there's still debate over whether their name translates into "one night’s project" or "Leila’s project."
Nonetheless, the band's music is about “problems that could happen in any strata of society, which they present in a colloquial language while maintaining a poetic meaning, which resonates really well with their audience,” said Haia Machfij, a Dubai-based expat.
“They are using a language everyone speaks,” while maintaining their skill in Arabic poetry, Machfij told Al Arabiya News.
The band is one of 17 groups to receive funding from organizer the Arab Funds of Arts and Culture (AFAC), a institute that aims to support Arab culture and independent art, reported Al Arabiya News.
AFAC bases its decision to give grants on the findings of an independent jury whose members are usually “specialists in their field,” its executive director Oussama Rifai told Al Arabiya News.
“We have funded projects across arts, literature and music,” Rifai said.
One fan, Zain Masri, a Dubai-based media executive said that this was her third time to see Mashrou Leila.
“Their music broke cultural barriers,” she said.
