Making music in the store

Inside designer store Paul Smith, nestled between menswear and groups of teenagers rampaging through neatly folded T-shirts, was a small area full of musical apparatus, and a banner resting off a drum-kit with the accompanying words: & The Centurions.

Music soon started blasting out to entertain customers in a unique collaboration between the popular former high school indie band & The Centurions at the Bahrain City Centre outlet.

Originally a quartet, & The Centurions only gigged with two of its founder members on a flying visit home – Mazen Almaskati, 19, a Bahraini singer and guitarist now living in London, and Indian drummer and synth player, Vish Mhatre, 18, currently residing a few miles away from the English capital in the historic cathedral city of Canterbury.

Dressed in animated Paul Smith T-shirts, they added their own twist onto the clothing, throwing denim over the top and accompanying it with a pair of skinny jeans.

Spend five minutes in their company and it’s clear that Vish, a shoe fanatic, is the more confident of the two adding a green Nike blazer to emphasise his ‘swag’ demeanour, as he put it. By contrast, Mazen seems to have a softer edge, sweeter perhaps, adding pointy brown shoes to accentuate a classic look.

“We don’t try to associate with a specific band image. Each of us is different,” Mazen explained. “I mean come on, if you see our bassist, he has a huge afro.”

Sir Paul Smith is an English fashion designer, whose business and reputation is founded upon his menswear. He is both commercially successful and highly respected within the fashion industry. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000, after nearly three decades as a menswear icon. His collections of clothing and accessories for both men and women are usually identified by the presence of Smith’s multi-stripe signature somewhere on each item.

The event in Bahrain highlighted the company’s desire to support local art and create new ways to promote its brand. Manager Ali Alawainati said: “We want to inform people we do exist; we want to target people who appreciate art.

“Paul Smith himself is a big appreciator of art. Not only does & The Centurions introduce our new collection to the public, but when our Autumn/Winter Collection is available, the store will finally offer women’s clothing.”

Student Joe Dossary, 18, explained: “It’s my first time in the store, quite mesmerising to be honest. I might start shopping here.”

Deafened by screams from teenage girls in the crowd, Faris Kerriou, a 26-year-old Canadian student at the University College Bahrain, thought the band were a perfect fit for Paul Smith. “Their fashion stands out and makes you wonder where they bought what they’re wearing,” he added.

 & The Centurions was formed by pupils at St Christopher’s School and its members are now studying and regularly performing in the UK. They have already released their first EP, Animalism, and are currently working on a second. It is available for BD5 and can be ordered by emailing andthecenturions@gmail.com. Fans can also buy a T-shirt for BD7.

Visit the act’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/andthecenturions for more information.