'We’re Still Nomads': Nemophilis on Acoustic Detours and Electric Roots Ahead of the Tatakai Tour

 

If you've been around the Indian indie scene for a while, chances are you've heard of Nemophilis. Maybe you caught one of their famed Linkin Park tribute sets... the kind of show that sends a nostalgia-seeking crowd into collective catharsis, shouting every lyric. Or maybe, like some fans, you stumbled upon one of their originals tucked between the big covers and stayed.

 

Nemophilis is, admittedly, difficult to define. There’s a moment (maybe a few seconds into their acoustic reimagining of a track originally meant for full-blown distortion and double-kicks) when you realise Nemophilis isn’t just a band trying to be something. They already are something: nomads with chords for compasses.

Now, with the Tatakai India Tour kicking off on June 1st in Bengaluru, followed by Hyderabad (June 8), Pune (June 11), and Mumbai (June 12), the trio is taking that shape-shifting sound and fusing it with something deeper: purpose. Alongside Sri Lankan alt-rock rebels Paranoid Earthling and Guwahati's climate-conscious Rain In Sahara, the Pune-based band is going on the road.

 

It’s easy to spot Nemophilis at a gig. They’re the band that brings down the house with a Linkin Park set and then sticks around to make you cry with one of their originals. And yes, they know that Linkin Park thing follows them around like an affectionate, oversized pet.

“We know a lot of people associate us with being a Linkin Park tribute band,” drummer Akarsh admits. “It’s part of who we are. Our fanbase knows we also play originals, and nobody’s telling us to pick one lane. So we just keep doing what we enjoy.” And enjoy they do. Take a look at their past work: the fist-pumping 80s-style riffs of Unsaid, or the slow-burn ache of Close To You.

They’ve cultivated a fan base that is happy to headbang to a Hybrid Theory classic and then sway to an R&B-inspired original. And in 2024, they dropped The Iceberg: a full-length record that flipped expectations inside out. Like its namesake, it promised a hint of what lies beneath and delivered everything from metal riffage to acoustic confessions.

 

Their upcoming album, Hyozan, is a gentle detour in an otherwise electrified discography. It’s stripped down, unplugged, and introspective. “It’s like we pulled our own songs out from under a wall of sound,” says Kshitij, “and let them breathe. The lyrics and melodies were always there, but now they’re naked, emotional, fragile in the best way.”

If The Iceberg was the chaotic shuffle of a teenager’s music player, Hyozan is the quiet Saturday evening that follows. 'Built a Dream I can't remember, Lost in Dreams I can't forget' goes the chorus of the second single Dreams. The album isn’t chasing trends. It’s chasing connection. “Not everyone likes metal,” bassist Saurabh adds, “but everyone likes feeling something.”

And that’s precisely where Nemophilis wins. They're not trying to convert pop fans into metalheads. They're inviting everyone (whatever they listen to) to simply listen. Two of the tracks feature special guests: Breathe includes friend and collaborator Rishin Dharap, while Paralyzed boasts a haunting saxophone passage from Ukrainian artist Dima Faustov.

 

Tatakai is Japanese for battle. And for Nemophilis, the battle is within. Their contribution to the tour’s social themes is mental health awareness, because it's not just abstract for them. It’s lived experience.

You can hear it in Stronger, the first single off Hyozan. It starts off with:

'This severed state we fathom to deny just who we are

Against the tide of time we find the storm

And plunge in the deepest scars

Through the darkest times we walked alone in misery.'

Their performance will be layered with that intention. Confetti with affirmations. Spoken interludes. A sincere attempt to make sure no one walks out of the gig feeling invisible. “We’ve said this before, and we’ll keep saying it,” Akarsh adds. “You’re not alone.” Ask them about their songwriting process and you don’t get a tidy story about jam sessions and harmony. You get something messier, more real. Voice notes. Ancient music software. Half-finished riffs sent at midnight. A lyric idea scribbled down at work.

“I started with Guitar Pro 5,” Kshitij laughs. “I’d write parts and send them to the band. It was like emailing a mixtape.” Eventually, the process became more collaborative, less tech-dependent. The bones of a song come from anywhere: an emotion, a rhythm, a hummed melody. Together, they build something that feels like it belongs to them all.

 

Asian Athletics Championships: India Bag Three Golds And One Silver; Teenager Pooja Wins Gold After 25 Years

Hyderabad: The Day 4 of the Asian Athletics Championships 2025 in Gumi, South Korea turned out to be a remarkable day for the Indian Women athletes who claimed two gold medals and one silver. Overall, the Indian athletes secured podium finishes in four events and inked four incredible stories with their performance.

Long-distance runner Gulveer Singh (5000m), Pooja (high jump) and Nandini Agasara (heptathlon) won gold medals in their respective events. Also, Parul Chaudhary broke the national record for 3000m steeplechase on Friday.

 

 

 

The 18-year-old Pooja cleared 1.89m in the women’s high jump to secure a gold for the country since Bobby Aloysius’s victory in 2000. The youngster bettered her own U-20 national record but missed beating the senior national record of 1.92m set by Sahana Kumari in 2012 by a close margin.

She started her inspirational journey from Bosti village of Fatehabad district in Haryana. Daughter of a mason, Pooja learned to jump using a bamboo pole and sacks of a husk. From rice husks to record books, Pooja made her name from a place where dreams are humble and high jump never made the list.

Struggles are part and parcel of a sportsperson’s journey and for Pooja they didn’t end on the first day of the competition. Her spikes tore during practice but that didn’t stop her. She wrapped them up with bandages and held them together to create history becoming the youngest Asian Champion.

 

Naib Subedar Gulveer produced another sensational performance in the 5000m event after clinching gold in the 10,000m on Day 1 of the competition. He clocked a timing of 13:24.78 to set a championship record surpassing the previous record of 13:34.47 set by Mohamed Al-Garni. Kieran Tuntivate of Thailand finished second with 13:24.97 and Nagiya Mori from Japan bagged a bronze with 13:25.06.

 

Nandini Agasara added to India’s medal tally by winning gold with a tally of 5941 points. Also, she became only the third Indian woman to win a gold medal in the discipline after Soma Biswas (2005) and Swapna Barman (2017).

 

India’s steeplechase runner, Parul Chaudhary secured a silver in the women’s 3000m steeplechase by setting a national record of 9:12.46. She bettered her own timing of 9:13.39 set at the Doha Diamond League earlier this year.

Kazakhstan’s Norah Jeruto Tanui (9:10.46) won gold while Daisy Jepkemei (9:27.51) finished at the third position in the event.