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| Plague of Happiness |
In their 20th anniversary of the Rock the World Festival, the promoters put together a stacked bill which encompassed a diverse range of styles representing some of the best artists that Malaysia has to offer, whilst still having a emphasis on the heavier side of the scene. I discovered this event at the last minute, and after taking one quick look at the line up, I decided this was a perfect opportunity to get a taste of what Malaysia has to offer, whilst seizing on the moment to see some bands I have wanted to see for quite some time.
The event took place inside the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, where there were two stages set up sided by side behind one of the goals. The running track area was open for standing room, and all the seats were open for easy viewing. In the concourse there were tons of food & beverage stands, and merchandise / stalls from a vast array of vendors. I'd say this event was something akin to Leeds/Reading for the Malaysian scene, given the line up of bands on offer. 30 bands over 13+ hours, with a 10am start was going to be a massive slog, so I rocked up a bit later on to catch the first band I wanted to see. However, upon arrival, the bands were already two hours behind schedule, so there was going to be some catching up to do later on in the day.
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| A perspective from the seats - early on when it wasn't so crowded |
Before I focus in on a few of the bands that totally blew me away, I'll give you a run down of most of the other bands that I saw, and this should serve as a good starting point for exploring bands in the Malaysian scene further.
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| Restraint |
- Triangle - A heavy new wave of hardcore, absolutely crushing impact, and mosh-tastic vibes.
- Margasatwa - A hippy indie band fully embracing the vibes of the 70s.
- Restraint - Straight up 90s New York style hardcore - Kuala Lumpur representing.
- The Impatient Sisters - Feel good bubblegum indie pop.
- The Padangs - Heavy as fuck modern & sightly experimental metalcore.
- Pop Shuvit - A veteran new metal style band, enjoyable!
- One Buck Short - Classic 90s punk explosion band that often support the bigger bands when they play in South East Asia.
- Gerhana Skacinta - Traditional ska fused with Asian vibes - absolutely brilliant!
- I saw many more bands, but it's been six months, and this time I didn't make any notes at the show, so my memory is a little hazy.
The first band which I was totally buzzed about seeing were REPUBLIC OF BRICKFIELDS from Kuala Lumpur. They are a veteran reggae band that have been plugging away for years on the scene. They were wedged into the line up perfectly in the middle of the day, for the fans to enjoy some relaxed vibes. It's not as easy for Malaysians (compared to Westerners) to enjoy the freedom and lack of judgement to be alternative, so to see these guys up there, loud and proud, with their long term contributions to alternative music scene, along with a large crowd enjoying the buzz, was a great feeling.
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| Republic of Brickfields |
Next up on the hotlist is NO GOOD from Kelantan. A post punk band, emanating from Malaysia's most religiously conservative state, is quite the oxymoron. In recent years this band has exploded into the mainstream, and have become super popular in the whole of the music scene, yet they are still true to their roots, and still play the smaller punk venues in and around Malaysia, as well as the bigger gigs and festivals. What makes them unique, is not only do they sing in the Malaysian language, they sing with the dialect of Kelantanese, which makes them refreshing and interesting for the listener. They are all over NME Asia if you want to read more about them. When they hit the stage, the whole of the standing area erupted into a mosh / pogo, and all I could here was the crowd shouting back the lyrics to me, in the same Kelantanese dialogue. The energy sustained for their whole set, and the crowd were rocking to and hanging on to their every word. What a show! I was originally first planning to see them at a smaller punk show, but I wasn't able to make it at the last minute. However, I think I preferred seeing this as an introduction to the band, because it was an unreal experience, and great to see just how well loved they are amongst Malaysian music fans.
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| No Good |
To top it all off, there was PLAGUE OF HAPPINESS from Johor, another band I've been desperate to see but couldn't make it work. They are the most popular ska punk band in Malaysia, and OMG, do they attract a crowd! It was paralleled to the experience during No Good. The whole place erupted when they started playing, and there was skanking in the whole of the standing area throughout their whole set. There really is no better feeling in live music than a full crowd of thousand of people, skanking and singing along in unison . It was a real treat to see them in this capacity, and I am looking forward to seeing them at a smaller show in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on their upcoming Dominion tour.
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| Adult Lemonade |
So that was that. If you are interested & curious about alternative music in Malaysia, then I would fully recommend this festival. The bands play for no longer than 15-20 minutes, and it serves as a way to get a perfect introduction to what the scene has to offer. In addition to this, the ticket price was only around 100RM (£20!) which is incredible value for an event of this magnitude. Do note that there is no alcohol sold at the event (unless you find the secret vendor that sells 'Adult Lemonade'), so it's best to smuggle some in, as the security was slack, and there was no patting down the body on the way in. Recently, I was pleased to hear that Rock the World Festival will be returning in December 2023, and work permitting, I look forward to attending this amazing festival once again.
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| Let's do it again! |
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