5 highlights from Pepsi Battle of the Bands' Episode 2

The second episode of Pepsi Battle of the Bands is out and we now know which bands have made it to the top 8.

Episode 2 featured more auditions and we saw some amazing bands that even the judges couldn't get enough of. It's too early to declare our favourites, so here are the moments we enjoyed the most in episode 2.

Kaghaz's lead singer came to audition right after her wedding

Nope, the henna on the lead singer's hands was no artsy style statement. Kaghaz's vocalist had taken the next flight to Battle of the Bands right after her valima! Even Meesha couldn't resist saying, "That's something to salute."

Kaghaz did a rendition of Junoon's 'Taara Jala', which all the judges enjoyed, with Farooq pointing out how the charm was that the band neither copied Junoon's style nor Ali Azmat's vocals. Slay, Kaghaz!

In fact, Meesha was so impressed by the singer's drive that she gave her a token of appreciation; a badge with 'Girl Boss' written on it.

Fawad showed his creative chops when he asked this band to change their name

Band Deja Vu had some serious philosophy regarding their name.

"Deja Vu is a state where all feels too familiar," explained the lead vocalist. "It's when you think something has happened before but it's actually happening for the first time. Music overall is that sense. There are so many before us who did music, and that music is what we're carrying forward but it's something new."

Okay, Deja Vu we see what you're doing.

They performed 'Bolo Bolo' by Sajjad Ali and they brought a jazzy blues twist to the track. The judges agreed that the band stands out on their own but Fawad has one important suggestion to make.

Fawad suggested the band change their name to Deja Blues and the rest agreed... and so did we! The name not only encapsulates the band's vibe and style of music, it also carries their own ideology forward.

Good going, Fawad! Time to make T-shirts!

Band 21 reminded the judges of what they want from BotB

Band 21 performed an original track 'Taare' and they won the judges' hearts.

The band identifies as a poprock punk band and they delivered just that. As Meesha said, "Many bands define themselves in one way but perform differently. You guys called yourself a punk band and that's exactly what we got."

Farooq was ecstatic to the point that he rose from his seat and exclaimed, "This is what we wanna see."

Many bands give the judges a great entertainer but few connect with them to the point that they're reminded of why they're here in the first place. And 21 did that.

Can we just say, we loved the song as well and want it on our playlist!

Season 2 winners Kashmir paid a visit to the short listed contestants

Looks like last year's winners know how stressful the final selection is for the shortlisted bands, so they decided to show up for support.

"Getting till here [the shortlist] is a milestone in itself," said the Kashmir frontman Bilal.

"This is all healthy competition, and it's all a learning curve so it's best to learn from one another rather than fighting with each other."

He added, "Just enjoy yourself on the stage, that's the most important thing."

Words of wisdom, Kashmir! The band then hung out with all the others, making the judges deliberation period less daunting for them all.

Tamasha's victory dance

It's no surprise that Tamasha was selected for top 8. Their cover of 'Raag Neela' slayed.

But we didn't expect the band members to burst into the cutest dance upon being selected. Don't believe us? See for yourself!

We were already happy they got selected but we were even happier when we saw this. Please include some dance in your next performance, guys!