The Malaysian Invasion Aftermath

As I was prepping myself, I realized that I was only wearing a plain t-shirt instead of my usual t-shirt-over-shirt garb. Perhaps I was finally ready for this.

The last time I was a part of this conspiracy to make the world (primarily Malaysians ourselves) felt our rockin’ presence was 3 years ago when it was charged next to nothing.

Case point 1: I’m an avid freeloader.

Also, it was the only Rock The World installment that featured a non-rock act, Teh Tarik Crew. Rock The World III saw another milestone moment since it's the first of its kind to get the live VCD treatment and witnessed the mark of Pan Global Insurance's association with the local urban scene. The line-up for Rock The World IV wasn't that promising so I decided to save my dough for something else. SevenCollar T-Shirt (probably) thought the same and organized a gig of their own in tribute to Mokh since he’s breaking away from performing. After that, I thought things were going downhill for Malaysia’s only concert series made possible by a car insurance company and Lo’s label. Then came 2004…

So far, the Rock The World series has locally break possible new grounds that was far beyond reach a few years back. So what would this year’s installment have to offer? I’ll tell you what:

+ It’s the first to be held in a proper stadium instead of the inappropriate
parking lot for the past 4 installments.

+ The line-up’s a killer.

+ The ever-rare Nice Stupid Playground’s playing.

+ The cover charge was RM 20 instead of the previous blood-sucking RM50.

Although I and Efry have planned on going for it months ago, I had some reservations. My budget is threatening me to live on home-made foods and around-the-clock TV reliance for cheap thrills. But I have to go someplace for the weekend. That ‘someplace’ turns out to be the Trans Regional Music Fest somewhere in Petaling Street. Furniture and the avant-garde The Fly (no, not the Indo band). And it’s free.

Case point 2: Freeloaders can get good, genre-bending music.

But the winds in my sail were whisked away soon enough as Trans was only for non-Muslims aged 18 and above. My weekend’s over even before Friday.

But perhaps Lady Luck had pity on me.

When I called Efry expressing my utter incredulity of the news of Sgt. Weener’s Arm breakup, he mentioned that Adlin managed to score tickets to the concert and Efry told Faiz to reserve one for me. He spoke of the truth. I’m going to Rock The World V. For free.

Case point 3: Freeloaders are prone of getting free stuffs without asking.

When I was on my way to the stadium, Adam gave a text saying that it has begun and Tragic Comedy opened the show with their Matchbox 20-like alternative rock. The moment I was right in front of the entrance, Couple started their set with Goddamn Mighty Tune. Bugger. Faiz, Efry and the rest were nowhere in sight. My ticket’s with them.


Remember I mentioned about Reciprocal Avenue 5? Here they are. From left: Usop, Adam, Imran, Amirul and Farhan.

They showed up eventually but too bad Couple was through with their set and Singletrackmind was halfway through their first song. I had a stirring feeling once I saw the stadium seats, the goal posts and the score board. It was at this same stadium that I first witnessed Malaysian football in its flesh with Arwah Tok Asit and (Arwah) Ayah way back when I was 6. Anyways, the idea of setting up the main stage on the field is atmospherically brilliant. Feeling tired? Jus roll over the grass and rejoice its natural fragrance. Very Woodstock-ish.


See? Lepak abis...

Talking about Singletrackmind, Alex and his posse's set was a pivotal turning point. It got the crowd lapping up to their repertoire of modern (Pan Global) rock numbers and consequently set the pace throughout the whole event. Their live interpretation of "People In My Own World" was downright explosive. I for once, was down with the band. Perhaps the mood was just right. Republic Of Brickfields managed effortlessly translating the Woodstock-ish atmosphere into pleasurable, ear-friendly tunes. Apart from Cromok, these guys were undeniably veteran scenesters with a massive cult following. Fronted by Aru, it was definitely the most chilled-out set for this installment. If Singletrackmind got the crowd off their buts and on their feet (or in some cases, generic body-surfing), The Republic's brand of laidback-groove reggae got everyone skank-ing and pogo-ing as if they're bunnies high on Easter eggs. Their rendition of Bob Marley's mind-numbing classic "No Woman No Cry" was somewhat expected but it was without doubt, executed with utmost style and swagger enough to even bring Marley back to life. My favorite was the ode to urban youths aptly titled, "Generasi Bundle". The song kind of echoed the suara rakyat spirit last heard during M. Nasir's folk-rocking days with Kembara.



Since A.C.A.B went AWOL, who else fits the bill to fill the skinhead/Oi! quota other than Roots N’ Boots themselves. Earlier on, one of the guitarists received devastating news of a loss of a family member. He then was later replaced with the band's resident sessionist. I don't have much to say about this band except that their aggressive Oi! punk guitar works really packed a piercing punch that I have to constantly check my ears in case it bleeds. Oi! Oi! Oi!

With Naza and Alim out of the line-up, everyone was eager to see who closed the gap and how Radhi would survive without two of the most significant OAG/O@G members. The moment he went on stage, the lazy bunch that was occupying the stadium seats came flocking to the main stage area in mere seconds. I was afraid that last year's fiasco would repeat itself. So then the new line-up was unveiled. Farizul (They Will Kill Us All's vocalist) on second guitar, the devilishly babelicious Sarah (The Officials' rhythm guitarist) on bass, and A.C.A.B's very own drummer Mr.-I-cant-recall-his-name. They started off with a Beatles cover "She Loves You" which according to Radhi, a statement of what O@G is all about. I was a lil' bit ecstatic when Farizul lashed out the chords to "Knocked Silly". 60's crunch-pop fuzz at its best. Surprisingly, they didn't play anything from their Malay song catalogue. Overall, it was a little bit of a letdown as I was expecting them to unleash their latest materials since news has been spreading around of their upcoming LP due early next year. I've always been intrigued with Tempered Mental’s twist of Tool/The Smashing Pumpkins-laden songs. It tends to resort to a subtle, spine-crashing hard rock action that at times, sounds triumphant beyond any expectations. Melina may not be the best (Gender-wise, she kicks other chicks' ass) bassist in the country but she is without a shred of doubt, the only bassist who can take up main vocal duties even when (mostly) thumping those mind-boggling bass lines. As a singer and a songwriter, there's only been a slight improvement in her. The band needs to step up their game if they want to be embraced outside the musiccanteen.com fraternity. They're lacking depth despite all the technicalities of each band member. Their live take on "Honestly" (Not to be mistaken with a Zwan tune of the same name) sounds rather punk-ish. Punk is good but they made it frustratingly bland. If only they played the song featured on the Rock The World III VCD. Now that's awesome.

It was then time for the compulsory Maghrib break. We hung out the stage’s right corner (Sorry, God).


Me and Efry

The show then resumed with Love Me Butch. On the verge of releasing their much-anticipated follow-up to the award-winning debut Enter Posthuman, they're destined to set the sky a blazing with their dose of new-age metal. Syahrul's presence as a frontman was commanding. He even did his own 'sound check' throwing his trademark shrieking war cry much to the crowd's excitement. They started their set brilliantly with "The Protector" that got me pogo-ing (A first!) along to those massive dance floor beats courtesy of Winder & Kevin. "Embrace" made an instant long-lasting impression on me upon first listen but it was "Stumble Upon A Glass" that was the deciding factor. I'd kill to get a copy of their sophomore effort if I have to. One word: Primal.

When Haroun, the MC, announced about a band from Sarawak being here in KL for their Rock The World debut performance, I was sure that he was mentioning Nice Stupid Playground. Obviously I was proved otherwise. Judging by the non-musical spectrum from an amateurish point of view, you kind of expect Indo Rock from Evanstarr with the slick wardrobe donned by the frontman. I don't know why but their brand of Malay Indie doesn't appeal much to me. Being a newbie to the plateau of the urban scene, it's safe to say that they're a Kebangsaan version of Nice Stupid Playground. Having riding on the immense success of their debut EP, One Buck Short’s form was nothing short of inspiring. These pop-punkers amazed everyone with their theatrical-like set. The slow, brooding build-up to their radio hit "That Day" was majestic in all punk rock manner. They've surely proved me this time that they're not one-trick ponies prancing playfully just for the thrill of it.

It was Nice Stupid Playground up next. Their first KL show after a long absence from the scene during these year's Urbanscapes left everyone in hunger for more. The word 'lush' was smeared all over them. What better could they do to pay tribute to the fans' loyalty other than chanting a song about an ordinary window in a bedroom? "Bedroom Window" made everyone stood in awe, acknowledging the band's authority on introspective, steadfast melancholia. Surely they've gain a new legion of followings. They demonstrated that making music to cry to without the tears is unthinkably possible.



Hmm. So Dragon Red opened with Korn's "Blind". Predictable huh? Their take on the Christmas classic tune "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" was nothing worth the buzz albeit being jarringly catchy. The only highlight of their set was a surprise collaboration with Rina Omar (who's also guitarist Amil's big sis) on 3rd vocals for their most popular anthem, "Fade Away". Like O@G, they decided to play covers and old hits rather than their latest material. It's kind of insulting for their fans (fortunately, I'm not one) and apart from their association with ICOM and musiccanteen.com, whether or not they'll make it after the release of their upcoming debut Holocaust is still a big question mark to be taken lightly.

When SevenCollar T-Shirt decided to pull out of Rock The World IV in exchange for Malam Pesta Muda Mudi, it was perhaps the most strategic move they've ever cast in their performing career. It has only been almost a month since the release of Drones so being just about in time for the album's promotion is kind of rewarding since amongst all the bands performing, they're the only one who has recently released a new album. It couldn't be any better than promoting it in the biggest concert series in Malaysia and also getting paid for doing so. For new drummer Adil, pressure was clearly nothing but a group of alphabets put together in a sequence. He rocked big time. Seeing Ham abusing a Fender Jaguar instead of his trademark Telecaster was quite a sight while it lasted. The only upset was Duan's flat delivery on "Brand New Number One" but the ferocious intimacy induced by "Chemicals" made his flaw almost forgettable.



I haven't had the slightest clue about The Hidden but my doubt of why did they get the 3rd last slot was cleared when I was told that they got their songs hitting Japan's airwaves. International acceptance? Perhaps. See, lately the eclectic Japs are high on either two kinds of genre. No-wave experimentalism or hard to consume (at times extremely ridiculous) metal/hard rock. I strongly felt that The Hidden's agenda falls under the latter. But providentially their sense of melodic urgency akin to Swedish metal music is relevant enough.

Then came the most unexpected line-up band since Exist. Cromok. This ol' school trash metal meisters made it clear to everyone (and Hillary Duff) that trash is so not yesterday. However, Hillary Ang couldn't make it so any hopes for the band churning out "Another You", their most melodic tune ever crafted to date were dashed. The moment "Journey" made its boisterous stomping to the ever-energetic crowd, you know that Cromok will continue to strive somewhere in the middle between mainstream and underground scene for many years to come.

Despite all the often negative accusations thrown at this hardworking band, being this series' headline act is a testimony that Disagree’s live stage prowess is something to be taken seriously. "Crumbs" lacked its commercial impact caused by the saxophone's mic failure only to be corrected a few seconds before the song ended. But that didn't stop the fans from punctuating the night's vast emptiness with swaying cigarette lighters. As if they were blessed with rock gods' smiles upon them, Jason Lo was invited on stage for a rabble-rousing rendition of Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World" bringing the concert to a perfectly vigorous finale.

When everything subsided, we were left hanging around to wait for Faiz and his Aussie mates. So eventually we were introduced to Julie and this other kid (Sorry mate. Can’t recall your name) and went off. Faiz told us about how he was told by his mates that compared to Big Day Out, the crowd that we had was equal to their mosh pit. Not that I’m offended by that remark but it did ticked me off a bit that they didn’t contemplate the vital facts. The only think I can think of right now is the line-up itself. If we were to get the same line-up as Big Day Out, hell, there’ll be no way to occupy the colossal pack even if all stadiums in the country put together.

Though the ‘invasion’ ended half before midnight, we were obviously too late to catch the last Komuter ride back to Subang. The closest we could get was Kelana Jaya’s PUTRA terminal. Then came the act of the century: Walk all the way back to USJ. Literally. It was half past midnight and we’re pretty sure that judging by our speed and level of fatigue, we’d arrive home in time for Subuh. Efry, Khazim and I couldn’t take it any further so, just as we’re ascending the flyover interchange above the Federal Highway I pulled over a taxi and we headed straight to bed… errr, home.

Looking back, it was worth every drop of sweat. Will there be a Rock The World VI? Quoting Enya, “Who can tell, only time”.

Final verdict: Being freeloaders can be a good thing.