Khumariyaan, an instrumental folk music group whose roots are found in the province of KPK and who remain one of the most exciting acts to have emerged from the music scene in recent years, is heading to foreign shores. The four-man outfit is gearing up to perform at the South Bank Centre in London this month.
MusicMix
The instrumental folk music group from Peshawar and Islamabad will perform at the South Bank Centre in London later this month.
Khumariyaan, an instrumental folk music group whose roots are found in the province of KPK and who remain one of the most exciting acts to have emerged from the music scene in recent years, is heading to foreign shores. The four-man outfit is gearing up to perform at the South Bank Centre in London this month.
Counting Farhan Bogra, Aamer Shafiq, Shiraz Khan and Sparlay Rawail as members, the band has plenty of gorgeous music to their credit including the breakthrough ‘Tamasha’ that earned them a Lux Style Award nomination in 2016.
Their performance is being presented by Funoon London which is “a website guide and events platform celebrating the best of South Asian arts and culture in London.”
Sparlay Rawail from the band, speaking about the upcoming performance said in a press statement: “We have always thought of ourselves as a world music band, and are extremely proud and happy to be taking our music internationally again. We want all our Pashtun/Pakistani fans to attend the gig and are also looking forward to the response from British audiences.”
Nadia Rahman co-founder of Funoon London said “one of Funoon’s goals is to represent the richness and diversity of Pakistani music in London. We get a lot of qawwali here – which is great – but there’s so much other exciting and original work happening. So we’re thrilled to be bringing the brilliant Khumariyaan, and with them a bit of Peshawar to London!”
In the past, Khumariyaan have toured the United States as part of a tour funded by the U.S State Department and courtesy of Center Stage. They also played the prestigious SXSW (South by South West) Festival as a part of the official SXSW showcase in 2015. This upcoming performance at the Alchemy Festival will mark their UK debut.
Having seen Khumariyaan captivate the audience with their beautiful folk-rock instrumental songs during Caravanserai, a regional music festival that took place in Karachi last year, we can honestly say that this music outfit is not just a solid studio act; they are just as brilliant live. Another example of their ability to impress listeners with their live sets was seen at the iflix launch last month where the band’s performance was deemed the highlight of the event.
Bottom line: check them out if you’re in the vicinity.
