We’ve conducted an interview with the well-known front man of Nocturna, Sarj, below are his answers to some of the questions that we asked about his life, his band, The Giggly Daisies and similar bands, and the local rock scene.
Kuwait Tribune: To begin, we would like you to tell people about yourself, your childhood, habits, some important events that took place in your life and how you ended up being a rock star in Kuwait?
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Sarj: Let’s see… my name is Sajid but mostly everyone knows me as “Sarj”. I am from India but I was born and brought up here in Kuwait.
I got introduced to the wild world of Rock/Metal music back when I was just 3 years old because my uncle’s friends and band mates always hung out at our house listening to music, jamming etc. and took me to every rock concert they played, all the way back from the mid 80′s. So music became an integral part of me from a very early age.
In late 2000 I got the opportunity to be a part my uncle’s band, ‘RevelerZ’, as the lead singer and that changed a lot of things. After several underground concerts I got a lot of good reviews and tremendous support from family and friends… so it became clear to me that this is what I am destined to do.
In 2003 Hash joined RevelerZ as a keyboardist and we became good friends which ultimately led to the creation of ‘Nocturna’, a band exclusively for writing and recording original songs. I eventually quit RevelerZ in 2005 to give Nocturna and my music the time and dedication it deserves.
2006 was a turning point in my life since a lot of great things happened. I set up my own home studio, met Adam who helped me record the music for Nocturna’s album “Dark Angel” and reunited with RevelerZ to record and sing for their upcoming album.
Kuwait Tribune: It has been a long 3 years run for Gothic band Nocturna, along the road major events took place that shaped the Nocturna that we see today, band members came and left, and the band was subject to all sorts of things such as racism and haters, how do you brief it all?
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Sarj: Everything that happened fueled my fire to carry on and do better… all the criticism, personal attacks etc. gave me more reason to do something that will completely rock the socks off everyone!
A lot of good has happened as well. I found two very good session musicians, namely Adam Ayesh and Hadi Sarieddine, who are collaborating with Nocturna on the upcoming album. Also ever since I released the demo version of “Run And Hide” I received much respect and endless support from members of the Q8Metal and JordanMetal online communities and airtime on Middle East and International radio stations and so on.
It has been a bumpy ride but I’m well on my way to getting where I want to be.
Kuwait Tribune: Who was there in the band beside you in the last 3 years, and why did they leave the band? And are there any hard feelings between you and them?
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Sarj: Hash (Keyboards) and Joe (Bass). Joe was the first to go, in mid 2004, after just a few months of being with Nocturna because he wanted to concentrate on his own band ‘Silent Scream’. Hash was a different case. During 2006 he lost all interest in the band and grew out of the genre of music Nocturna is all about, Gothic Metal. After a lot of persuasion he agreed to join back in but then it didn’t really work out so we had to take our separate paths.
I don’t have any hard feelings for them but the friendship is definitely not the same as before… we’re all sort-of distant friend who run into each other at concerts once in a while.
Kuwait Tribune: What do you think is the reason for The Giggly Daisies and similar bands to hate Nocturna and attack you in their songs? And if you had something to say to these kinds of bands, what would it be?
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Sarj: This is a new trend that started with a band called War Cocks, a bunch of guys who think it’s cool to attack other people who, unlike them, are trying to accomplish something. Their actions spawned a few more bands that followed their footsteps and took the attacks further and the insults more personal. Who’s behind all this? What’s their motive?… are some of the questions that remain unanswered.
It’s not easy for us to survive in the local scene and struggle to keep it alive. A band like The Giggly Daisies think it’s a joke and that they’re just hurting a few people/bands in particular but in actuality they’re destroying the already unstable scene for local talent. The only thing I’d want to say to such bands is:
“People too weak to follow their own dreams will always find a way to discourage yours.”
Kuwait Tribune: The band is clearly going up with the upcoming album Dark Angel, how is the recording going? And when is it going to be released? And how will your fans be able to get it?
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Sarj: The songs are fully finished instrumentally but the vocals are yet to be recorded. I’m taking a break to clear my head and prepare myself for the recording sessions which are scheduled to resume on the 7th of February. The album will be complete towards the end of the month but the official release date of the album is not certain at the moment. If all goes well then it’s safe to say it will be sometime during this quarter of 2007.
Making the album available to the fans will be a bit of a challenge but I have some plans. In the worst care scenario… it’s me, my car and a trunk load of CDs!
Kuwait Tribune: After the band makes it’s breakthrough in the near future, and you have your stardom, would you leave Kuwait or would you stay? And why would you stay/leave?
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Sarj: That would really depend on what comes my way. If I get an opportunity to take Nocturna to the professional level as an international band, I may have to leave to promote my music where the Rock/Metal genre is widely accepted.
Kuwait has been my home for the past 24 years so it will not be easy on me to move out!
Kuwait Tribune: When are you planning to pick up people to be constant members in the band? And how will you play live with no band members?
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Sarj: I’m on a constant look-out for musicians but my search criteria are not giving me positive results. I don’t want to settle for someone who can play the part… I want musicians who share and respect my creativity and vision for Nocturna… musicians who’re dedicated, take music seriously and are ready and able to commit to the band.
As far as playing live is concerned… I’m depending on session musicians. I have friends who wouldn’t mind helping me out for a concert or two.
Kuwait Tribune: Bands in Kuwait are having a hard time, including your self, with the Satanism issue, are you a Satanist? And what do you say to those who call you and other bands Satanists?
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Sarj: I’m definitely not a Satanist neither are any of the people/bands I know of. Journalists slapping us with the “Satanic” label need to broaden their perspective and understand what Rock/Metal is all about. What they see is most of these so-called “Satanic” bands such as “Cradle Of Filth” portraying an image of being Satanic… but just like a Broadway show, it’s just entertainment complete with costumes, pyros and what not.
Seeing young local guys and girls dressed in black and headbanging while listening to angry loud music is like a culture shock to them… something new, something not usual… which leads them to believe that this sort of behavior is abnormal, wrong or evil… and who else would they associate with what they think is wrong or evil but the devil himself.
Life’s tough and this is the way we like to deal with it… lashing out our aggression, disappointments and frustration thru music, which is a positive attitude. There are other destructive ways to release such feelings such as self mutilation, suicide, criminal activity etc. Do you, the journalists, prefer these?
There are a lot of ways both good and bad for people to deal with life… for us it’s the music we make and play. So you journalists reading this… please don’t make it hard on us.
Kuwait Tribune: What do you think is the solution for local rock bands to be able to play live instead of rock concerts being a one time in a year event? And what’s your advice for rock fans and bands inside Kuwait?
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Sarj: What we need is more venues like clubs and coffee houses with stages that can cater to up and coming bands and increased support from the Kuwaiti music scene to allow Rock shows to be more of a natural thing instead of it getting bombarded with words such as “Satanism”.
I’d tell the fans to keep up the support but tone down the punk/metalhead/gothic appearance as it’s not yet accepted by the locals. The scene is still young but it’s close to its death because of labels and petty immature arguments but with continuous un-biased support it can rise thru stronger than ever.
To the bands I’d say keep at it but don’t get into the financial side and prioritize making money out of what you do. Just enjoy every opportunity you get to play music for your fans, meet new people and make new memories that you know you will cherish later in life.
Kuwait Tribune: What are your comments on the local rock scene and local rock bands?
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Sarj: The local rock scene is in a sort of mess and needs all the support it can get. The majority of people that support the scene are young kids that are being misled into thinking that the music is all about appearance… black clothing, mascara and all that. They need to focus more on the music and the message in the lyrics and less on trying to look like the ones who make it. That sort of fashion and behavior is acceptable overseas but it will take time for the local people of Kuwait to get used to it.
There is a lot of local talent, the bands are really trying hard and it shows since I’ve heard much more original material being played in the last few concerts of 2006 than the ones earlier. The downside is that there have been many fights and rivalries between bands that won’t go away soon. All I can say is that I wish for more friendly ties between bands because that is just the thing that we need to kick start the scene.
Kuwait Tribune: If you had to point at some bands whom you’ve had a bad experience with, who would you point at?
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Sarj: No one. Granted that I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with a lot of bands, mostly because of racism… I’ve made the mistake of pointing them out and answering back and the situation turned from bad to worst. Times have changed and now it’s the media that is attacking the entire local scene and I don’t want to add to that by revealing names and give those bands a bad image.
