SOUNDCHECK: COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE.

One summer afternoon, many, many years ago, I was visiting Lahore and ended up at Hamza Jafri's house. He was very casually playing the AC/DC track Thunder on his electric guitar, a rather difficult riff, and I was blown away.

Watching him play, I became convinced that Hamza was one of the most talented guitarists in the country. When I saw his band Co-VEN perform live in-person, my belief was solidified. But Pakistan isn't exactly the kind of environment where talent is nurtured and blossoms. Co-VEN, like so many other great bands that have since come and gone, didn't get the appreciation it deserved. It would certainly have got it in many other countries.

Later, Hamza married Nida Butt, who directed musicals such as Chicago, Mamma Mia! etc. Their first collaboration was Karachi: The Musical, which was pretty awesome, and also should have done a lot better than it did.

Then, after they had a couple of kids, they saw the dearth of local entertainment for children, and put together The Bobbles, a musical primarily for younger audiences. The Bobbles has been playing for small, very young crowds and not only do my kids love it, but my wife and I love it too.

Hamza Jafri's Rickshaw is not just a song for kids. It has a universal age appeal

Rickshaw, one of the songs from the first season, is our favourite, and a brilliant display of Hamza's genius. It's also the only song that they have uploaded on YouTube, and plan on hosting on Spotify as well.

The first thing you hear is the motif of 'rick-rick-rick-rick-rickshaw', inspired by the sound made due to the difficulty with which rickshaws kickstart. In fact, a lot of the...