Kinaara

Kinaara are a Leeds trio exploring the connections between the music of Punjab and the West. Brought together by singer Satnam Galsian in 2018 they aim to achieve an identity that reflects both her Punjabi heritage and their UK upbringing as a whole. They began with the folk songs of Surinder Kaur and the popular songs of Noor Jehan which they infuse with John Hogg’s electric guitar textures and the jazz inflections of drummer Simon Henry. The next stage was to bring in the songs from the West, songs of hope and betrayal, and plug them in. Pentangle, Elvin Jones and even The Velvet Underground have been said to be felt in the sound.

Kinaara are a Leeds trio exploring the connections between the music of Punjab and the West. Brought together by singer Satnam Galsian in 2018 they aim to achieve an identity that reflects both her Punjabi heritage and their UK upbringing as a whole. They began with the folk songs of Surinder Kaur and the popular songs of Noor Jehan which they infuse with John Hogg’s electric guitar textures and the jazz inflections of drummer Simon Henry. The next stage was to bring in the songs from the West, songs of hope and betrayal, and plug them in. Pentangle, Elvin Jones and even The Velvet Underground have been said to be felt in the sound.

Satnam always harboured a desire to bring the old songs of the Punjab to a wider audience fearing they would die out with the older generation. During lockdowns and tiers the group soldiered through to record their first EP which reinterprets and connects the folk songs of the Punjab and the Celtic Fringe. Underpinned by a jazz sensitivity and Hogg and Galsian’s shared understanding of Indian classical music pushed through the influences of the Banshees guitarists and Fairport Convention, Kinaara make a sound that is unique on the Leeds music scene. Their debut EP ‘Across The River’ was released in April 2021.

Kinaara have played at the international Musicport festival and the Leeds World On Our Doorstep festival.

‘….something that is both a fusion and something not of any of those things – a new musical form.’

Local Sound Focus

‘….Kinaara are not simply an East meets West outing, Kinaara are discovering bonds at the heart of two cultures and they invite us to celebrate this through their music.’

John Boocock