Kominas post-UK celebration with Pakistan’s Finest in NYC this Thursday night

In fine Kominas’ style, we barely caught our flight home. Can’t say we would have been too upset had we been stranded a few more days, however it feels nice to finally be back in NYC before we even had time to recover from the Latitude Festival. Our main show was mindblowing, an incredible moment that has forever solidified our determination to go as far as we can in music…There will be some live videos up soon as well as our session for BBC Asian Network at Maida Vale Studios (we recorded in MV4, notable for the Peel Sessions).

I must say it is astonishing to be in the presence of these Pakistani musicians that I grew up admiring, and to share a bill with them is something that I never thought would be possible for this band. There is a similarity in all of our characters, in our desires to play music without limitations and boundaries, and most notably, in our varied struggles to get to where we are today. It’s going to be a last minute, guerilla-style gig that has literally been thrown together less than 12 hours ago, and will hopefully bring us a new audience.

Shahjehan
www.facebook.com/Kominas

On tour day 25/26
currently listening to ‘Summertime-Will Smith & DJ Jazzy Jeff’
Yeah, it was a little 2PAC and Coolio before that. In a very reflective mood, as the remnants of the night are dispersed on the floor before me. Around us is a heap of clothes, suitcases, and various foods from the last 3 days and nights. It’s nearly 7:30 am and I am somehow seriously considering actually leaving for a train back to Liverpool in 2 hours to meet someone before our gig tonight (soundcheck at 530pm mind you) for which we are just falling asleep now…Well some of us, anyhow…

It’s amazing to reflect on the past 6 years of this band at a time like this. With our humble beginnings in a basement, our first series of recordings (and many crazy hours in our parents’ cars), I never would have even entertained the idea that by the age of 26, I would traverse the world with just a dream in tow and barely enough money to get by.

But getting by is exactly what we have been doing. From London to Bristol to Manchester to Preston to Glasgow to Stockholm and beyond, somehow we have survived this extremely overstimulating and wonderful journey. The shows have certainly been our best, most passionate, and best received. We’ll be back next year for sure. More to come after we get time to make some videos, post photos, etc…

Shahjehan
www.facebook.com/Kominas

Philadelphia. The place I got my first lil’ taste of the night life.

After over 100 shows, we finally got down in Philadelphia and ended up rocking three shows with our Philadelphia counterparts Sunny Ali & The Kid and one show with Diplo/Major Lazer. Basim got to interview the grumpy former manager of MC5 and former leader of a group of white socialists looking to aid the Black Panthers John Sinclair. Poor Basim brought a bunch of old artifacts of newspapers John Sinclair used to write for and he couldn’t have been less interested in them or us. THAT WAS KINDA COLD, SIR.

Anyway, enjoy the fourth installment of KAMINA.TV.

edited by Shahjehan Khan
shot by Daniel Joyner