Night / Kathmandu, Nepal

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Night is a folk band from Kathmandu, founded in 2006. Its members come from various musical circles, some of them previously played in a heavy metal band. The idea of the group is the revival and restoration to concert practice of traditional Nepali instruments – forgotten ones, or those threatened with being forgotten.

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And further: creating new sounds rooted in Nepal’s heritage and, finally, reintroducing the music and instruments to the stages of the world and presenting them to both local and international audiences. They compose in different local languages and dialects.

As the artists themselves admit: “The people, places and culture of Nepal are our greatest inspiration”.

Most of their works are created “in the field”, while wandering around the villages in search of inspiration and sources of traditional creativity. They visit various parts of Nepal and collect folk melodies and instruments. They promote them with the “Know Your Instruments” short series of documentaries on their YouTube channel and live during concerts. 

Initially, they released singles, which brought them a lot of popularity in Nepal. The band released their debut LP Ani Ukali Sangai Orali in 2014. Three years later, the second album Jhalka Raya Buka was released, expanding the group’s fan base. The band members also composed music for Nepalese films such as Chhadke, Jhola and Suntali. 

Outside of Nepal, the group has performed in many other countries. Among the most important were concerts at the Shambala Festival in August 2015, at BBC Radio 3 in April 2016 and in Poland at WOMEX in October 2017. Night also cooperated with Indian artist A.R. Rahman, preparing music together for the International Day of Peace. 
 
Jason Kunwar – vocals, sarangi, piwancha, tungna, bamboo flute, Nepali banjo
Niraj Shakya – tungna, mahali 
Sudhir Acharya – madal, dhimay, nagara, tyamko, chatkauli
Shiva Kumar Khatri – paluwa

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The concert took place in 2018.