21 October 2025 (gig)
22 October 2025
Raag ’n’ Rollers, Karma Sheen took over London’s iconic 100 Club, who have previously hosted legends like Muddy Waters, BB King, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who, and The Clash. I’m beaming as I say that Hindustani Classical-meets-psychedelic rock five-piece brought serious fire to the stage! Oh, and Sir Jimmy Page was spotted in the crowd!
Following their acclaimed 2023 debut album and support slots for artists like Nabihah Iqbal and Say She She, Karma Sheen have been steadily building into a force to be reckoned with. Frontman Sameer Khan (vocals/guitar), who comes from a 600-year-old Pakistani musical lineage, unshakably leads the group with soul. He is accompanied by Rodrigo Bourganos (sitar, theremin, synth) adding plenty of cosmic layers and textures, Grisha Grebennikov (bass), Amad Chima (guitar/backing vocals), and Arun Dhanjal aka DJ Zar (drums).
Together, they create a rich and multi-layered sound that is spacey, soulful, and surreal. With the exception of a few over-zealous photographers and Snapchatters, the gig was perfection! I thoroughly enjoyed being surrounded by a diverse audience of young and old free-spirits all wanting a sweet hit of 70s nostalgia.
Opening with ‘Qurbaton’, they set a spiritual and free-flowing vibe that slipped us all into this dreamy, otherworldly trance for the night. We were promised a taste of their new stuff like 'Tore Bina' and 'Ishq Kalma', mixed in with familiar tracks like the hypnotic 'Sunflowers' as well as slick and infectious ‘Bageshree’ and ‘Mian Ki Jive’.
Playing to a sold-out gig, the band were in their absolute element and completely in sync with each other. Locked onto a collective energy, there were moments where the band effortlessly flowed from cue-to-cue like a river. All the while, pushing the boundaries of psychedelic rock while staying deeply rooted in tradition. There were gig moments I won't forget like hearing the warm sounds come from a vintage Sarat Sardar & Sons harmonium, a soulful bansuri solo and listening to Sameer’s Urdu lyrics play alongside gritty distortion and groove-heavy riffs.
They ended the night with a truly thunderous cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’, giving headbangers in the crowd one last chance to let loose, and that they did!
If you love Led Zeppelin, Cream, and that raw, psychedelic edge of classic rock, Karma Sheen will feel like striking gold. Seek out and savour now!
Setlist:
1. Qurbaton
2. Bageshree
3. Sameer's Sunflowers
4. Mian Ki Jive
5. Tore Bina
6. Homecoming
7. Electric Poppadom
8. Alaap (Jog)
9. Ishq Kalma
10. Without you (Raag Jog)
11. Paranoid (Black Sabbath cover)
