Kissmet is the vision of two Indian Sikh brothers, born and brought up within the multicultural melting pot of the UK with a very traditional Eastern upbringing in a very Western social environment.  As children, their parents ran the local Indian cinema so, at home, they were learning all about Indian music but by day they were listening to western Rock music at school with their English friends.  Subliminally, they were being bombarded with music from the East and West on a daily basis and there was no difference from listening to Mohammed Rafi and Fateh Ali Khan as there was to Genesis or The Police.  Then, when it came to learning to play and writing their own songs, they realised that they could use elements from the East and West equally to make each song something very special.

This cross cultural inception coupled with the energy generated by Bhangra and Rock, meant the band had something spectacular and unique in their hands.  Not only does the band have the ability to play Bhangra and Rock with Raags and Funk thrown in too, they also sing in English, Punjabi, Hindi and Sanskrit.  That’s how they sound but another impact they have is their image.  The three Indians are Brothers are traditional Sikhs who wear their Turbans with pride. The other musical brothers are Caucasian Westerners so not only is there a mix of languages and styles being performed, there’s a fantastic mix of colours, creeds and cultures on stage too, all working harmoniously to create that truly unique vision and sound.

Brothers Ron and Buzz Singh originated Kissmet in the latter part of the 20th century. Two UK born Sikh brothers, they had a strong allegiance to Bhangra but their eyes were looking further than that single shored horizon, across the seas to a new coast as yet not ventured to. Musicians in the Bhangra band, “Sabras” (which was signed to BMG Records), they took the passion and energy they grew up with in the UK Bhangra scene of the 90’s and started fusing Punjabi and English lyrics together, as well as Bhangra and Rock.

Ron said, “We were lucky to grow up in the multicultural part of the city.  There was a complete mix of ethnic minorities living together in a friendly, peaceful, harmonious community.

“Our Dad and Uncle ran the local Indian cinema and our early years were spent gazing upon the classic Indian films, true timepieces of film history – films like Mother India, Heer Raanjha and Madhumati were our staple diet.  Also, at home, we were listening to Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshka, Surinder and Prakash Kaur and the cream of Hindi and Punjabi music coming from India to the UK.  When we went to school though, we were the only Indians in a school of over 1000 students so we were suddenly introduced to the Western musical scene.  We kept listening to our Indian music at home but at school, we were finding out about Genesis, The Police, The Stranglers, Led Zeppelin and The Clash.  As children, you don’t realise you’re taking in all these musical forms and languages, you just know that good music is good music, regardless of its origin.  Then, during our teenage years, we started performing as musicians in a Bhangra band called Sabras.  No singing then, just the odd backing vocal of Hoi, HOi, HOI and BROOOAHHH!  That was an amazing time in our lives but we knew we could do so much more so we started writing our own jazzy, hiphop type material, using English and Punjabi.  We recorded some songs and the reaction we received was so positive that we put a band together to play live, but this time with us singing as well as being musicians.  We already knew that we wanted to rock things out so we found a cracking drummer (Thorin Dixon) and bass player (Marc Knight) and I called an old friend in on guitar (John Neville).  Instantly, we knew we were onto something completely new and fresh.  The English guys were bringing in their rock elements and Buzz and I (and now Max, our older brother, on Tabla) brought in our Bhangra vibe.  It was amazing!

“We had a pretty clear vision of where we were taking the band but we were still experimenting with the overall sound.  However, we knew that we’d found a formula that worked and it worked well.  Bhangra is such a powerful musical form; it’s loud, it’s proud and it’s just made for people to dance to.  Similarly, rock is just as loud and proud and it will move the souls of people with the hardest stone for a heart.  Put the two musical forms together and it’s exponentially more powerful. “

Several years on and the band is going from strength to strength.  The future will prove to be even bigger and, with a new album coming out (entitled “One People”), the band have set their sights on tours of Asia, Europe and the Americas.

“The world is catching up with us and we’re flying now.  Keep up, if you can…”