JO Magazine

JO profiles the third of four hastily-assembled 'supergroups' competing live onstage in Jordan's first rock-themed talent contest.

Words by John Lillywhite.

Cactus certainly have a distinctive style, both onstage and off. You could say they're a bit prickly.

“We’re here to kick some ass,” says fast-talking bass player Nizar Saqqar.

Most of the musicians who make up Cactus heard about Crash of the Titans through the internet, or in the case of guitarist Abd Atari, through friends. But it's clear from the interview, shortly before the first night of competition, that Cactus see themselves as different from some of the other bands put together for the competition -- and they're not afraid to let you know it. For one thing, members all seem to have quite a bit more experience than other competitors.

“We have nothing to worry about,” Saqqar says. Before the first show, they'd only practiced twice, in three-hour intensive sessions. Like most of the group, he's been playing “forever,” and was last seen jamming at the Roman Theater alongside the American rock band Avowed, led by Emad Alaeddin, on the day of the Amman marathon.

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“We’re professionals,” explains Mazan Ayyoub, the rather laconic drummer, with businesslike certitude. Having played drums for thirteen of his eighteen years, he's gifted and confident, and he watches a rival group sound-test with a hint of derision in his eye.

Atari got into guitar because his older brother plays; he lists Dream Theater, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Opeth and Symphony X as his main influences, to nods of approval and cheers from the other members. The other guitarist, Eyad Saqqa,* is nowhere to be found, but the others in the group describe him as a kindred spirit.

“Don’t forget Edgar Lorenzo,” says Saqqar, smacking the soft-spoken vocalist on the back.  “He’s the front-man of the band, our Filipino friend. ... Probably the best vocalist in the competition.”

“Quick, say habibi,” jokes one of the band members, as Edgar rolls his eyes. Edgar is a 42-year-old animator, who works for Rubicon. He learned to sing in his church choir, and now puts his angelic training to a darker purpose, lending his vocals to the band's chosen renditions of Iron Maiden's “Children of the Damned” and Black Sabbath's “Paranoid.”

So how are they all getting along with suddenly being in a band together? The banter between the musicians is healthy; the conversation fluid and free. “Although the judges chose us according to our styles, we’ve become friends,” says Atari.

And they're definitely thinking of recording together in the future, depending on how the competition goes.

“Rock music is taking off in Amman,” Saqqar says. “There were like 5,000 people who attended the [Amman] marathon gig.”

“It’s beginning to move up from the underground,” Atari adds, citing the success of the local Arabic Rock band Jadal, which recently released its first CD of original music.

The group members add that they're happy with the judges, and with the organization of the competition as a whole. But of course one question remained: why are they called Cactus?

“Well, we were standing next to a cactus when we first met, so rather than wasting time we thought we’d just go with that,” explains Saqqar.

Clearly, Cactus are the loveable jocks of the competition -- but do they really have it in the bag? In the first night of performing, they put on a very good show, but were at least matched in judicial and audience acclaim by the band Cerberus. And there's still another night of performing to go before the first cut.

Perhaps Cactus will find the competition thornier than they imagined.

As the battle rages, JO will be following the shows and profiling the four competitors. You can follow the stories here, and go to Crash of the Titans to vote for your favorite band.

* Correction: The original text of this article misspelled Eyad Saqqa's name.