11 Malaysia - Papa Hero @ Petronas Petrol Station, Semenyih

Papa Hero @ Petronas Petrol Station, Semenyih

Getting the opportunity to watch any heavy music in a live setting usually involves a 40 minute drive into Kuala Lumpur. However, on one particularly uneventful Sunday, I took a drive out to my local petrol station to fill up the car. When I stepped out of the vehicle I could hear some killer electric guitar solos. After attaching the nozzle I took a walk over to the busking station by the cashier (there are regular buskers in this spot - authorized - and I usually go and take a closer look and give them some money). This time I took a photo of the act, because he was a full on Heavy Metal guy with Pantera shirt. I listended for a bit longer, and gave him a passing wink of the eye as I dropped some money in the donation box. 

Upon getting home, I did some more research on the guy, as I was able to zoom in on his backdrop in the photo. It turns out this guy has 110,000 likes on Facebook, and his sole purpose in life is to dedicate it raising money and taking action for stray & rescue cats. There is nothing more Heavy Metal than that! I found some further biographical information about him, and there is a video of him on Malaysian National TV, in a one to one interview setting, talking about what he does. At one point he breaks down in tears, and it just made me emotional watching him. So there you go, that is Papa Hero. It wasn't enough to make it onto my spreadsheet, where I have documented every single gig I have been to in my life (at last count I was just passed 950), yet his passion, dedication, and musical tastes meant it was a worthy article for the blog. Papa Hero - the Ace Freely of the Semenyih Metal Scene - I salute you!

Give him more likes at https://www.facebook.com/KakimotongFanClub/

10 Malaysia - The Argies, 199X, The Caesar @ Rumah Api, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Argies, 199X, The Caesar @ Rumah Api, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Argies

I had missed out on going to the Boom Boom Kid / Systematic Death show on my birthday, so I was keen to get out the following weekend. There was another band from Argentina this weekend, who were advertised as 'ska and punk', and having checked out their profile, it seemed that these older gadgies had been doing it for a while, and had played a previous show in KL years back, so they were bound to be decent. I am glad I took a chance on this one. 

After grabbing a beer as I arrived, I was about to start chatting with some of the other gig-goers but the first band started, and as many people hadn't arrived yet I decided to show my support and go and watch them. This was THE CAESAR - a new band on the scene, playing a classic ska style - and it got me shaking a little. They played a nice short set of four songs and a cover, and it was an ideal warm up for the rest of the night.

199X

Next up were 199X, which was another draw for coming to the show. I had previously read about them on a 'Top 10 pop punk bands in Malaysia' style blog article, and they sounded interesting as they were the only one mentioned that gave a nod to the 1990s EPIFAT style I love so much. There were definitive elements to parts of some of their songs that hooked me, yet overall I felt that they covered many different pop punk styles (including modern) in the range of songs that they played, so it was somewhere in the middle for my overall enjoyment. They dropped in an INTERUPPTERS cover in the middle of the set, which went down well with me. 

The Caesar

And to round of the night we had THE ARGIES, who played a blinding set. They threw a knock out punch from the start of the set, and just started ploughing through their own songs at 100km/h from the get go. The crowd had filled out by this point, and a bit of dancing was taking place. Mid set was the true highlight for me, because they played a run of cover songs that I knew, and got me dancing and singing along. They played Bella Ciao by Ska-P, followed by Olympia, WA by Rancid (with a Ruby Soho outro), followed by White Riot & Should I Stay Or Go by The Clash, and then rounded this part of the set off nicely with King of Ska by The Skatellites. They then raced through a few more of their own numbers, and they were relentless, just going straight into the next song almost every time. The guys were a pure visual joy too, rocking around the stage hard, and it was clear that they were tight having done this for so long. I left before they finished, with a great buzz, and another enjoyable night down at RUMAH API. 

9 Malaysia - Groundhopping at Bukit Jalil Stadium for Malaysia vs UAE

September 2019 saw the start of the joint qualifying campaign for World Cup 2022 and Asia Cup 2023, and anticipation was running high here, as this is the highest position that Malaysia have held in the FIFA rankings. The expectations increased after their first game, beating local rivals Indonesia away 3-2, coming back from 2-1 down and scoring a winner in the 97th minute. It feels like a great time to be living here, supporting the Tigers in their quest. 

I drove down to the stadium with my main man Sinchan, and he's got all the hook ups, as we were able to park at his friends residence opposite the stadium. We grabbed some food from one of the countless stalls dotted outside the stadium, and I was amazed by the sheer amount of stalls selling unofficial merchandise. We managed to hook up with the ultras as they marched to the stadium gates, and got warmed up with some chanting. I must say that we both looked the part as football casuals and Malaysia fans, sporting black Fred Perry shirts (black is the natural colour of the ultra) with yellow trim (yellow is the colour of Malaysia).

Banner reveal prior to the start of the game - the ultras are known as the tail of the tiger

The UAE are the number one seed in the group, and in their last match with Malaysia a few years ago, had beat them 10-0. However, the momentum was with the Tigers, who couldn't have got off to a better start, scoring a header from a corner in the first minute. The atmosphere was already electric and now it was put into overdrive. We were sat right in the mix, and we were joining in with all the chants, clapping, and jumping up and down - we were fully immersed in the collective spirit. 

Unfortunately just before half-time, the UAE playmaker scored an equaliser, so that quelled the party somewhat. By the start of the second half the party was back in full swing, however, their playmaker put another one through the sticks and now the tide had turned, and the reality had set it. Malaysia made a strong showing at the end to try and get an equaliser, and the ultras responded well with all their noise, yet it was not to be as the final whistle was blown. Malaysia did dominate the first half, and will rue not putting away more goals when they had the chance. Still, there were lots of positives from their performance and their start to the campaign, and I look forward to joining the ultras again at the next home games against Thailand and Indonesia. 

Overall it was a great experience, and it felt quite unique being with ultras for a national team game - it's something that doesn't seem to be common here in Europe - only at club level. From checking out all the different ultras t-shirts, there were fans from all over Malaysia, who all support different teams, yet united under the banner of the Malaysian Tigers. I think this relates to their cultural context, being a relatively new state with a vast mix of different ethnic groups united under the Malaysian banner, and that is probably why this easily crosses over into the football arena.