Pinky Ann Rihal - the forgotten Hindi new wave band of London’s underground scene
Words by Puja Nandi
Deep in the subterranean of the London South Asian Music scene in the 80s, lies the band Pinky Ann Rihal, covered in dust, waiting to be excavated. Lo and behold, here they are.
Pinky Ann Rihal is a story which echoes the universal immigrant experience - too brown for the West and yet too white for the motherland.
The band was the genius of two Punjabi immigrants and prog-rock musicians, Harry Rihal and Jati Sodhi who arrived in London in the 70’s brimming with dreams of “making it” in the UK music industry. They met their collaborator John Hamilton and the renowned Indo-pop disco legend Biddu (producer of the eternal ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ and personal favourite ‘Dheere Dheere’) who encouraged them to make the record ‘Tere Liye’ in 1985. Harry’s wife Pinky, and John’s wife Ann, provide the familiar faraway reverb vocals on the record that you often hear with new wave.
‘Tere Liye’ is a party record bursting with vintage synth, distorted guitar riffs and Hindi lyrics. The record takes you on an undulating journey with its bouncy, upbeat songs like ‘Jabse Dekha Hai’ and ‘Jagee Raat’ and their edgier, punkier songs like ‘Tu Aaja’ and ‘Indian Dance’.
Back then, if asked about South Asian music, many white folks would probably have scratched their heads and said it’s “that background music at the local Indian where I can eat a gallon of chicken tikka”. Pinky Ann Rihal’s work was breaking the mould, but they sadly never got the limelight they deserved.
However, the tides have turned with the recent reissuing of ‘Tere Liye’, thanks to LA-based Naya Beat Records, who have expertly unearthed this gem. They worked alongside Sweety Kapoor (founder of seminal Asian underground club and label Anokha) to chronicle the band’s journey.
Pinky Ann Rihal have been unleashed to the world so that we can now look back in reverence at the boldness of this record.
Carefully remastered and reissued on both vinyl and digital for the first time since its limited 1985 release, you can now get your ears around this highly sought after and impossible to find new wave album by the unsung pioneers of the British Asian music scene that is Pinky Ann Rihal.
Support the reissue of ‘Tere Liye’ by Pinky Ann Rihal on Bandcamp and stream on Spotify.