Q: What to do when there is two touring international bands playing in KL are playing at two separate gigs on the same night?
A: Pick the one you want to go to the most, buy the ticket, and then come up with a secret side quest for possibly attending both on the same night!
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| GAG |
The night started at CERO in Petaling Jaya, an established music & arts space, who are currently in their second or third different building. The gig had sold out well in advance, and it was pretty much a full house for opening act NO TITLE from Negeri Sembilian. The crowd were really into their mid paced party hardcore mosh style, and speaking of the crowd, it was a fairly young audience on this occasion, and for once I felt like I was in the top 10% of oldest people there. Next up were RECT from Kuala Lumpur, who brought their fast punky hardcore crusty style, and the crowd were once again 'going off' throughout the set - I enjoyed them too, and I'll be definitely going to see them live again. After their set, it was announced that PIRI REIS had pulled out of the show (rightfully so), due to an emergency family matter. Initially I was disappointed because I have been wanting to see their Skramz style for some time, yet in the back of my mind, I knew this would make the side quest a more likely scenario. The anticipation for GAG, from USA, was strong. Everyone was sat on the floor in front of the stage excited and eager for them to play. When they came out, and blasted into their first song, the pit went mental - bodies and limbs all over the place for the next 15 minutes of their blistering set of hardcore punk. There were absolute scenes! It's often quite difficult for non-punk / hardcore people to understand the concept of making the effort to go to a gig, for a 15 minute set, but when you enjoy and appreciate it, those 15 minutes take you through a whirlwind of emotions and energy, which is a rush of blood to the head and is cathartic in a way that drugs would make someone feel, without the comedown! And just like that it was all over, and it wasn't even 10pm yet!
Before I continue the story of night, I have to go into the back story of what happened to GAG on their SE Asia leg of their world tour, because it is testament to the spirit of punk rock that is some circumstances, the show must go on! The story might be slightly inaccurate in some of the details, as I heard it verbally from a friend of mine, but the general aspect of it is definitely accurate. So here goes, about a week before the KL show they were playing shows in Indonesia, and they received a phone call from the family of two of the band members who ae brothers, informing them that an immediate family member had just passed away. The two brothers then rightfully so, booked a flight home. The rest of the band, not wanting to cancel the tour, made some structural adjustments, swapping some instruments around, and then decided to ask the local promoters for the subsequent shows, to find someone who was willing to learn the songs at short notice, and step in to play bass for the different shows in different countries they had left on this leg of the tour. This is where Dean, who is one of the members of the Alt+ collective that booked the show, stepped in, learnt all the songs, and did a sterling job playing live with GAG for their set in KL. That for me embodies the spirit of punk rock right there!
With the main quest completed, I decided to begin the side quest. Some friends of mine from Sarawak had travelled over for the show, so I offered my hospitality to them, and they happily obliged to join me. I booked a taxi, and we made the 40 minute journey to the other side of town, arriving at RUMAH API to find that there were still some bands left to play. We enjoyed a few beers & disco dances in the bar, and the first band I watched was SOUL SAVIOUR (an obvious No Use For A Name reference), whom I have been wanting to see for some time. They played classic mid 90s US punk rock, with a nod to the usual bands of that era, and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Then we got to see the legendary NEUROOT from Holland, who are an anti-fascist punk-rock band who have been around since the 1980s! This was a great opportunity for a rare box ticking exercise, and they were relentlessly punishing throughout their set. What an experience to see such a legendary band here in KL!
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| NEUROOT |
I went home very happy, knowing that I had managed to get to see both international touring bands, as well as some good local support bands. Perhaps in the future, the local promoters could have a bit more open dialogue about future bookings, so that this situation can be prevented in the future, gigs can be combined, and then all of the punks would be able to experience both bands, because let's face it, international touring bands from Europe & the USA are few and far between here, so best to try and maximise the experience for the audience (and the bands themselves) in the future. Despite it all, much respect and kudos for RUMAH API and ALT+ for continuing to bring in and book shows for international bands, despite the pressures, challenges, and risks that come with it. As a dormant promoter in the UK myself, I can tell you that what they have to deal with makes our role of booking & promoting in the UK seem like an absolute breeze, so hats off and huge respect to all the people involved in those collectives.
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