Rock, Blues and Eastern rhythms come together to form a distinct “Nekhvam” sound whose honesty in music is reflected on the reaction of the crowd that flock in throngs to the venue. And taking this unique blend of music to the world audience, the band successfully completed their third European tour till date.[break]
Performing in Norway, Scotland, England, and Germany in a span of 70 days, the band participated in several music festivals, including the Blues and Balance in Husvaer, Norway; It’s all gravy festival in Sussex, England; Edinburgh Mela, Scotland; and Herzeberg Unterm Dach, A Psychedelic Night in Fabrik of Hamburg in Germany, to name a few.
Formed 17 years ago by brother duo Ashesh and Sibesh Dangol, the band has recorded three albums to date – Free Spirit, Free Spirit II, and New Spirit.
Their 2011 European tour was promoted as “The New Spirit Europe Tour” where they performed selections from their albums as well as the covers of Hendrix, Cream and other Blues legends.
The band started their tour in Norway at the Blues and Balance Festival in Husvaer. Performing for the second time, the band revealed that they have been booked to return again, next summer. It was during their stay, the unfortunate massacre at the youth camp near Oslo took place.
Paying their tributes to the victims, the band performed the solemn, newly composed blues titled “Sound for the innocence” which was later published in the local newspaper in Sandefjord, Norway.
The tour of the United Kingdom included a number of charity performances with Edinburgh Mela Festival being the crux of the biscuit. Their participation at Scotland’s biggest music fest made them the first Blues Rock band from Asia to perform at the venue.
The band concluded their “New Spirit Europe Tour 2011” in Germany. Ashesh, popularly known as the “The Himalayan Hendrix,” as reported by the German Press, has managed to establish a firm fan base in the Deutschland.
Nekhvam enthralled the crowds in some of the biggest German festivals/venues like Fabrik in Hamburg, where legends like BB King, Miles Davis, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Nirvana have performed.
Stafen, the press manager of Fabrik, praised the band’s performance and added that it came as a big surprise for the organizers and the audience who couldn’t get enough of the band and chanted, “Once more! Once more! Once more!” to which the band obliged with an encore.
Reminiscing about the event, Ashesh shared, “It was an amazing experience at Fabrik, Hamburg, and our act was a great success. Performing at a venue with so much history and legacy is always tough.”
Something the band will get to experience again, come next summer. It was revealed that they were booked for the festival.
However, for Ashesh, the most memorable moment came at the Fehman Festival in Germany where Jimi Hendrix performed for the last time. Sharing the almost surreal experience, he said that being part of the festival, Remembering Jimi, was the highlight of the tour.
“Hendrix has inspired me, and to be able to pay my tributes to him at this particular festival means a lot to me. We also paid our respects at his tombstone which has his name and guitar carved on it,” said he.
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