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Nabis and the Anarchies
by PRATIK KARKI
| FROM ISSUE # 174 (June 2010) | IN THIS ISSUE | |||
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When Nabis Karki goes out for a stroll around town, people see his unassuming, seemingly customary side as one that conforms to adolescent ways. Most of the time, he's dressed up indifferently in black jeans, a shirt and a pair of Converse shoes. But behind the nondescript facade lies someone else. His alter ego as the frontman of Nabis and the Anarchies belts out angry tunes against everything the band thinks is worthy of their hatred.
Anyone who has listened to Nabis and the Anarchies will agree with the anguish and the non-conformism that they sing about. "We feel that people should know what is happening around them and make some sense out of it through our music," says Nabis.
As far as band history goes, Nabis and the Anarchies has had a similar fate to that of other Nepali non-mainstream bands. From being called Zeitgeist to League of Anarchy and finally Nabis and the Anarchies, they went through what most bands normally go through: lack of appreciation, lack of funds and a lack of a proper platform from which they could launch themselves. This year, too, the band is undergoing a major change. "You approached us at a difficult time," shrugs Nabis, "the entire line up is changing." But he is quick to add that their music has and will always remain the same even though the members change. Now Nabis alone bears the legacy of the band.
Modesty is not Nabis's virtue. But his head is not filled with smugness. He hardly sounds pompous even when he makes statements like "we have around 7,000 fans on Facebook." With the release of their debut album Sipahi, Nabis is on a roll with, in his own words, the overwhelming response. "The album tries to reflect the voice of the common and the ordinary," he says.
Walking down the muggy streets of Putalisadak after the interview, he points down a narrow lane. "That is where we recorded our album," he says, indicating a shabby little corner house. "The place is small but it gets things done."
People hardly notice the electric buzz and drone that resonates in that little galli. But, little do they know that these sounds are not of a regular garage band, but of a group of socially aware boys set to make certain statements through their provocative music.