The story of Khumariyaan, one of the most exciting bands to exist in Pakistan, is one of perseverance and courage. Though they are an ‘instrumental’ music group (who hail from the province of KPK), they remain cherished primarily because they have the ability to deliver as a captivating live act and as an intelligent act in the studio. It’s like finding the holy grail of music.

Featuring Aamer Shafiq, Farhan Bogra, Shiraz Khan and Sparlay Rawail, Khumariyaan have been creating a musical storm for a few years now and their live shows have attained the status of legendary.

Having witnessed this group in their element at the Caravanserai festival (which took place in Karachi earlier this year), I can honestly say that all the acclaim that follows their live shows does not do enough justice to them.

They have the same magnetic pull that was once created by a band like Junoon (in their heydays). They sing with their instruments and share electric chemistry onstage. What’s more, they have a presence on stage, one that pulls people from their not-so-comfortable chairs to in-front of the stage as was the case at Caravanserai.

 From performing at SXSW in Austin Texas to stealing hearts all over the country with their 2015 single, ‘Tamasha’ Khumariyaan are quietly and deliberately giving Pakistani music an edge that is both unmistakable and unbeatable.  More to the point, they are not a one-hit wonder act; a band that has both soul and substance, one that doesn’t rely on gimmicks and shimmer.

Look them up on Soundcloud or Patari and you will learn very quickly that they have several tunes worth exploring.

Picking up their first Lux Style Award nomination in the category of Song of the Year, Khumariyaan remain humble as ever as was palpable in the demeanour of one Sparlay Rawail, who was representing the band at the LSA nominee reveal event in Karachi this past Monday.

Speaking to Instep on the sidelines of this star-studded event, Sparlay noted how the band was honoured with the recognition. Talking to Instep, he noted, "It’s heartwarming to see an instrumental band nominated alongside extremely popular artists."

Noting how ‘Tamasha’ made a mark last year, Sparlay told Instep that the song was in the top three on the charts for a month on Patari when it first released right alongside Atif Aslam’s ‘Tajdar-e-Haram’ and Ali Zafar’s ‘Rockstar Romeo’.

With half a dozen songs released already, Khumariyaan, who count Peshawar, the city of flowers, as their hometown, remain resilient in the face of daunting odds. While three members of the band live in Peshawar, Sparlay who was born in KPK and currently lives in Islamabad noted how despite perception, Peshawar is home to filmmakers, engineers and cannot be taken back to the stone-age.

"We represent the youth of KPK; it is not possible to take us back to the stone-age," said Sparlay and added thoughtfully, "Obviously, it is difficult because there is a constant threat that anything can happen and live gig culture has suffered in Peshawar but we try and perform as much as we can. We performed after APS attack and if we can provide five minutes of solace and hope to people who attend our shows, it’s worth it."

Discussing their now-legendary concerts, Sparlay told Instep about how they operate.

"We have a fifth rolling member in every gig," he explained before adding, "Anyone who is a folk artist who’s not getting gigs, who can’t afford to make a slick video and upload it on YouTube is welcome to play with us. It can be a flute player, it can be a sitar player, it can be a sarod player, anything – that’s how we work."

From their shows, they save and divide the revenue in several ways such as donating to a needy artist and paying for studio sessions since they don’t rely on corporate sponsorship to create.

It’s no secret that corporate brands tend to invest in established, seasoned popular names or spend on their own unique platforms rather than funding an artist who is undiscovered or lesser known – on most occasions.

While several mainstream artists maintain that releasing full-length records is simply not viable, Sparlay maintains that a Khumariyaan album is in the works. Continuing the conversation with Instep from Islamabad, Sparlay noted that the importance of a record cannot be diminished.

"We are musicians, and musicians make records," said Sparlay. "An album can tell you about the range of an artist. When you attend a music festival, having a record is sort of a prerequisite. Whether it sells or not is a separate issue."

In the coming months ahead, a Khumariyaan album is bound to surface since work on it has begun already. "We have some interesting collaborations such as one with Mekaal Hasan and another with Taimur Rahman (Laal). We’re trying to do another collaboration; we have one or two tracks left and the album art. We’re almost there."

This means you can expect, at minimum, a six to seven track EP. And while you wait on it, you can look out for some of Khumariyaan’s recent releases including the track ‘Peshawarin’ and their Pakistan Super League anthem for Peshawari Zalmi tune, ‘Zwangeer’. Music just doesn’t get better than this.