Thames Music Fest 2023: An Event to Immortalize

One thousand and two hundred plus students, eight mind-blowing performances, one stage. 

An Event To Immortalize 

The Music Club of Thames International College conducted a massive-scale event called 'Thames Music Fest' on the 7th of July, 2023 at Purple Haze Rock Bar, Thamel. More than 1200+ people gathered together to witness performances by the extremely talented rockstars of Thames and of course, the main event, the performance of a lifetime by the multitalented Sabin Rai and The Pharaoh.

The event started bright and early, accompanied by the constant buzz of people entering the venue. The crowd was getting pumped up to watch the upcoming performances. The event was hosted by our ever-so-charismatic host Abhisha Shrestha. 

Once the crowd settled down, the performances were spearheaded by our dearest, amazingly talented High Hopes with Lazzu Shrestha as the melodious singer, brilliant Samrik Bade on the keyboard, and skillful Sokhin Singh on the guitar. They took the crowd by storm when they performed Ranga by The Rockheads. Hundreds of voices came together to sing along with Lazzu's hypnotic voice. One would think nothing could top the famous song, but just as Lazzu sang When I feel Cold, contrary to the lyrics, the crowd was charged with enough energy to power an entire town for months. Their passionate performance ended with, Dancing on My Own by Calum Scott and Tiësto.

Moving along, Janjati Slayers lived up to their name and absolutely slayed their performance with Maili by Ankita Pun, lulling the crowd with Akanksha Budha and Rohit Rai's harmonious vocals along with Ishan Giri and Sandesh Upreti's guitar making sure the crowd swayed along with their mastery over the strings. Then came everyone's all-time favorite, Basanta by Jpt Rockerz followed by a beautiful rendition of Zombie by The Cranberries with Akanksha's powerful vocals mixed with Rohit’s deep baritone acapella. They ended their performance with the soulful Hawa Jastai by John Rai with Yabesh Thapa’s Firfirey, an unexpected mashup but it managed to steal everyone's breath away.

Then came The Pirates, who gave an amazingly well-done tribute to the late Rahul Rai with a set list of Tribal Rain songs which included massive hits like, Sahara, Narisawna, Traditional Swang, Hunude Je Hunuchha. The band included the raspy, husky singer Bibek Nepali, Aakash Ranabhat the guitar prodigy, the talented Arpan Rai on the keyboard, the masterful Subin Tamang on the classical guitar, and skillful Bibhusan Pandey on the cajon. The band managed to captivate the audience into a whirlwind of nostalgic memories, feelings of immense happiness, and despair.

SNJV was truly on the beat when he made his presence known by absolutely tearing the stage apart with his cool moves and hip presence. A true marvel to behold, our beloved brilliant producer and now an exceptional artist got the crowd bopping their heads to Hustle Up (an original unreleased song). He had the crowd going wild when he performed Ravana, and Sakdina by dong dai, that he produced. He continued to perform more unreleased songs, hoping we get to hear the very soon!

The Rocking Apes, our rockstars, hyped the crowd so much that the entire venue shook. Everybody knows when Anudit Shrestha's powerful husky vocals get mixed with Akash Chaudhary's smooth bass, Manoj Gautam's electrifying guitar, and Abhinav Hingmang's show-stopping drums, a performance of a lifetime will always follow. They performed all-time bangers like, Gari Khana Deu by the legendary Albatross, Bagaicha by Kta Haru, Juni Vari Lai by Oasis Thapa, Hukka Mero by Karma Band, and Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd. They had the audience screaming out the lyrics, screams encompasses the entire venue as they gave it their all for the performance. 

And to conclude the entire event with a loud bang, Sabin Rai and The Pharoah made the most awaited entrance that had the crowd go haywire with excitement and screams. Sabin Rai's stage presence was phenomenal, his vocals don't have to be talked about. An incredible and outstanding artist made the stage his home, captivated the audience, and swayed them with his movements. The Pharoah were magnificent, and with the two, a breathtaking musical journey was started. They had the audience on their feet, hoping to capture the rays of brilliance they exuded. With John Shrestha and Nikesh KC on guitars, Jeevan Lama on bass, Binod Lama Tamang on the drums along with Sabin Rai as the vocalist, they were an unstoppable force and were on a mission. With nostalgic hits like, Timi Nai Hau, Suttuka, Jau ki Basu, Malai Angali Deu, Komal Tyo Timro, and modern hits like Samarpan, Samjhanchu, Paisa, Baimaani, and more.

Thames Music Fest 2023 will be immortalized as a legendary event to be remembered and praised. A big thank you to Purple Haze Rock Bar for letting Thames host an event. Kudos to the Music Club of Thames for making dreams come true and organizing such a big event perfectly. The students of Thames played their part in volunteering and performing for the event and were an integral part of the show. And, the biggest thank you to everyone who showed up.