Pakistani bands and their peculiar names

Having been around since 2010, Sikandar Ka Mandar have become rather well known in the underground music circuit for their quirky and thought provoking music. Artwork by Samya Arif.

musicmix

If you haven’t been paying attention, Pakistani bands are becoming more and more creative with their band names.

Pakistani indie music is on the rise and thanks to platforms like Patari, these names are now coming forward and in the limelight as well. However, the said names are rather peculiar, if you’ve been observing their titles. We’ve compiled some of the weirdest names that we’ve come across, and may we add that we absolutely love how original they are!

Janoobi Khargosh

‘Northern Rabbits’

The first name on our list is Janoobi Khargosh. I mean, just look at the name. Translated into English, it means ‘northern rabbit.’ We can’t imagine what that could possibly mean but it’s unusual and memorable so we decided to do some research on them. Turns out, Janoobi Khargosh is an indie band with a very interesting sound, almost a little bit reminiscent of The Black Keys. ‘Pagal Hogaya’ is perhaps our favourite song from their album, Billi Khamba Aur Urantashari (again, another strange name for a music album.) Also, check out their funky artwork while you’re at it.

Keeray Makoray

‘Creepy Crawlies’

What’s the English equivalent of ‘Keeray Makoray?’ Creepy crawlies? Perhaps. These guys are a progressive rock band from Lahore and just as their name would suggest, their sound is a little bit creepy as their interpretation of rock is a little bit dark and dramatic. However, Keeray Makoray bring some innovation to their style by incorporating the saxophone which not many rock bands do. ‘Down With Silence’ is one such track that illustrates all these components of their work effectively.

Shorbanoor

‘Gravy -Noor’ (?)

This one’s a little hard to translate because we don’t know if the Noor in ‘Shorbanoor’ stands for Shehzad Noor, the frontman of the band, therefore one can only assume where the ‘shorba’ comes from. But if you’re thinking of celebratory, upbeat music from these guys then guess again, Shorbanoor is the exact opposite. Deathly and melancholic, this musician from Lahore likes to depress people with his music, (according to his own words on his FB page) but there’s beauty in sadness therefore the melancholic sound is actually sweet music to the ears. Listen to ‘Outside Hashmi’ to understand what we mean.

Staying true to the uniqueness of their band name, Janoobi Khargosh’s album artwork for Billi Khamba Aur Urantashtari, made by Umer Ahmed, is just as original and memorable.

Jaubi

‘Whatever’

While the name suggests someone with an attitude problem, what the band actually means by saying ‘Jaubi’ is whatever goes. They will play whatever feels and sounds good. However, unlike all the other bands listed here, Jaubi is the only one dabbling with classical instruments, like the sitar.

Sikandar Ka Mandar

Again, lot’s of possibilities here in terms of what the band name refers but we don’t want to do any misinformed guesses here because Sikandar Ka Mandar has been around since 2010 and has become rather well known in the underground music circuit. As weird and quirky as they may appear, their music is actually socially conscientious and thought provoking. Their single ‘Jo Bhi‘ spread like wildfire when it was first released nearly four years ago and is just as relevant and memorable today. Must listen!

Dr. aur Billa

‘Doctor and cat’

Of course, we saved the oldest and most well known for the end. Anyone growing up in the ‘90s will remember Jawed Bashir’s hilarious work for his band Dr. aur Billa that made weird music with even weirder videos, which were usually hilarious so we’re not complaining. For instance, they had an album called Choro Pyaar Wyar, and that was unusual for a time where very few mainstream artists were doing goofy and quirky things.