Where Kathmandu's live music actually happens

If you ask a hostel for "live music in Kathmandu" you will be sent to Thamel, where you will hear a Nepali cover band playing "Country Roads" for the seventh time that night, indifferently. This is not the scene.

Here's where the scene actually is.

Jazz Upstairs (Lazimpat)

A small, low-lit room above an Italian restaurant. Friday and Saturday nights from 8pm. The house quartet plays standards but the sit-ins are the point — a rotating cast of Kathmandu's jazz musicians shows up. Cover charge: a drink minimum. The piano is in tune.

House of Music (Thamel — but the back of Thamel)

Yes, technically Thamel, but at the quiet end. Original songwriters most weeknights, full-band sets on weekends. Newari, English, sometimes Hindi. Prashant Tamang has played here. So has Astha Tamang-Maskey on a quiet Tuesday.

Mojo (Pulchowk)

Loud rock. The band Albatross has practically a residency. If you want a 22-year-old crowd shouting along to "Saadbau" in a sweaty basement, this is your place.

LOD Bar (Jhamel)

Smaller, more curated. The owner is a producer; the lineup tilts indie-singer-songwriter. There's a small open-mic on Wednesdays that is genuinely good (the regular performers are signed artists experimenting with new material).

The unmarked bar above Patan Square

I'm not telling you which one. Walk around the back of the square in the evening. You'll find it. Acoustic sets every other Friday. You're welcome.

The scene is small

Nepal's live music scene is not vast. The same forty musicians cycle through these venues, often three nights a week. After two weeks of going out, you will recognise the bass player. After a month, you will recognise the bass player's girlfriend. This is part of the charm.