Imphal: Scottish-origin hard rock band Nazareth arrived in Imphal on Tuesday to perform on the opening day of Shirock 2019 concert as part of the 3rd edition of the Shirui Lily Festival in Ukhrul on Wednesday.
The festival is being organised by Manipur State Tourism Department in Ukhrul from October 16 to 19.
The rock band, which consists of four members — Pete Agnew, Lee Agnew, Carl Sentence and Jimmy Murisson — will make its maiden appearance in Manipur at Bakshi ground, Hungpung in Ukhrul district.
Probably the oldest Scottish-blues hard rock quartet band, the team is all set to influence the rock lovers of Manipur and elsewhere of India, as they spell out their original numbers.
Speaking to reporters during the press conference, the band members expressed their excitement to be back again in Northeast India after their earlier performances in Mizoram capital Aizawl and Shillong in Meghalaya in 2017.
“I never thought that I will be performing in this place because of a lily. But it is great to be in a place where we never thought we will be,” said Pete, the bassist of the band.
Meanwhile, the band had also confessed that the flower Shirui Lily, which is the main reason behind celebrating the festival, was never in their knowledge until they were approached.
“We were not aware that such rare lily also grows out here. But as soon as we were approached to perform, we read up about the Shirui Lily. And since we have come all these ways, we love to see it why this lily is well-known,” he added.
Upon returning to Scotland, Pete had also assured the people of Manipur to spread the word of the beauty of lily and its uniqueness to his fellow countrymen.
Drummer cum percussionist Lee Agnew feels that the success of a musician could be measured through the satisfaction of the work. “Just because your music or band is successful doesn’t necessarily mean the better,” Lee stated.
“Doing musician as a career is not an easy task and doing music for a living means you have to love doing what you do and everything else is a bonus,” he added.
