It doesn’t feel like Zanjeer’s story follows a single, clear direction and that’s part of what makes it interesting to look at now. Over time, the band has shifted shape, moved through different line-ups and slowly built its own language through all of that change. With the release of Seher-e-Maqhoor and everything that has happened around the band recently, it felt like the right moment to sit down and reflect on the journey so far.
Thanks for joining us and taking the time for this conversation. Firstly, how would you describe the band today? Looking back, what parts of the original vision have remained the same and what has changed over the years?
For me the original vision is still maintained - Zanjeer is intended to amplify the howls and cries of pain from the people of the Global South who have lived too long under the boot of tyranny, colonialism and imperialism. And more than that, not just to depict the horrors, but to stand tall among it all and fight back with an iron fist!
The first Zanjeer record had lyrics discussing more the things in the mind of a new immigrant, but the new record is more like what happens to that brain after a few years when he realizes their adopted new home is also with many deep problems, and that they still feel out of place and alienated here just as much as they did back home.
Zanjeer has gone through several lineup changes since its early days. Steve was an important part of the band in the beginning, both musically and through the Farsi lyrics he brought into the project. How did those changes affect the band’s direction, both creatively and personally?
We're yet to see what changes his departure brought creatively haha because everything on Seher=e Maqhoor is recorded with him and we haven't really made new songs yet as of this interview, just didn't have the time in the whirlwind of 2025. At a personal level, it feels sometimes lonely for me without him in the band because we were always kind of a team, communicating stuff about the project together, sharing ideas, even hanging out mostly with each other on the road. I can talk to Steve for hours about history, linguistics, politics, anthropology, even food. You can't replace friendship like that.
Regarding the Persian lyrics, during the songwriting for Seher-e-Maqhoor, it somehow just kind of became an Urdu album because I wasn't even writing in Punjabi anymore and the Persian lyrics kind of got phased out? Honestly it was a good change in retrospect as I really don't sing the Persian parts properly live, it's not my language and we more importantly Steve has an amazing new band Ameretat where he sings in Persian!! I recommend everyone to check it out. The music and lyrics on it is inspired by indigenous Iranian stuff, it's one of the albums of the decade.
You recently released Seher-e-Maqhoor. Now that the record has been out in the world for a little while, how have you been feeling about the response? Has anything about the reception surprised you?
To be honest it was recorded a while ago, so I was relieved to get it out! Really enjoyed the response and that people resonated with songs on it. The reviews have been really cool and people have even read the lyrics carefully which is awesome! The artwork looks really beautiful too and many people loved it, which I'm glad because I really want to push for more different visual aesthetics in the punk world. More than anything I'm proud because it's our first LP and it's also the first LP I ever released for any of my projects in my life, a milestone I've been wanting to get to since I started out back in Pakistan.
What was the writing and recording process for Seher-e-Maqhoor like? Were there any particular songs that took a different path than you initially expected?
It was honestly my favourite songwriting process for any EP or album I've worked on. Steve and Ludwig had really nice chemistry and came up with some really nice parts. We would cook, eat, hang out, discuss ideas in between rehearsals and I still hold those memories dear, as I used to travel many hours to Berlin for it, from Münster. In fact the process for the album made me want to move to Berlin properly.
Regarding recording, it was a messy, DIY affair ahahah and I just want to thank Johny for making the most of it, and doing an incredible job with the mix as well.
How do you feel about the local hardcore and punk scene around you at the moment? Are there anything that have been inspiring you recently?
What constantly inspire me these days, for the past years actually, is the growing number of diaspora punks from West Asia and South Asia in the scene these days. Lots of interesting bands always popping up, I'm quite interested for example in bands like Mashaal, Sarsour, Ikhras, Inqirad, Taqbir, Snake Eater, etc and would love to see where this scene further develops.
Also these days being inspired by the DIY scene they're developing in Lebanon these days with cool bands like Ta2reeban. It's a lesson for us all how to keep a scene active during an active extermination campaign against their people.
You’ve played with many different bands and in many different contexts over the years. Are there one or two shows that remain especially memorable for you? What made those moments stand out?
My first ever show in Lahore, the first show I organized as well. We covered Symptom of the Universe in a crossover thrash way at the start of the set, a mosh pit exploded and you have to understand the situation Pakistan was in during that time period to really feel the joy and relief we all felt at that show. That show took me down a journey that is still going on.
The other one that stands out is Istanbul at Antipode festival. Truly it was everything you can hope for as a frontman, amazing crowd, super sound, in such a historic city, incredibly cool people, total one of a kind experience that nothing can match.
You were recently supposed to take part in a UK tour that unfortunately didn’t happen. How did that situation affect the band? Were there particular things you were looking forward to?
It didn't happen because I got my foot fractured. I’m quite pissed about it, especially because I kind of curated the lineup in London, and I wanted to play the Sheffield festival for past three years. But if it is truly in my naseeb to play in England, it will happen one day.
Sometimes listeners focus heavily on where band members come from or try to interpret everything through a specific cultural, religious, or political lens. How do you feel about that? Do you ever find that it overshadows other aspects of the music and the band itself?
It's fine for me. A band is not just the music it makes but it's also the atmosphere or mythology around it. If I discuss Black Sabbath or Discharge it's hard not to bring up the working class environment that fostered their creativity, and the cultural influences of the period which they either embraced or rejected, or both in varying degrees.
It is completely natural that people want to discuss these things regarding Zanjeer - and why shouldn't they? Sometimes the added mythology can overshadow the music - punk is no stranger to it, everyone from Sex Pistols to Crass and other pioneering bands had an atmosphere surrounding them that was somehow more important than the music itself.
If people can actually regard Zanjeer like that, like it's worthy of discussions that go beyond music, then that would truly be an incredible honour to have, one I would be eternally grateful for.
Before we wrap up, we’d love to know what’s next for Zanjeer. Are there any upcoming plans, recordings, shows, or projects you’re excited about? And for anyone who wants to support the band, where can they find your records, merch, and music?
Currently we are going through some critical changes as I have some creative ideas I would like to see come to fruition. Maybe we start playing shows again in October but what I'm really interested in is making more music and pushing our sonic boundaries more. What I can promise is that there will not be a four year delay between releases again.
All links to merch, music, etc can be found in our linktree.
Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us. We’ve really enjoyed learning more about everything happening around Zanjeer. Is there anything you’d like to share with us or people who may be discovering the band for the first time through this interview?
There is nothing to be proud of for being ignorant, for not having knowledge, for being a gullible idiot because then you are a blank slate for any tyrannical force to reshape you into the person they want you to be. Sharpen your brains if you want to survive in the horrific era that is to be unleashed soon on planet earth.
