Pop-Punk Show at Embrace Hall

Young And Dangerous living it up

Half Asleep performing 'My First Kiss'

Just for pick-up line, this is the only gig where 2 cover songs were performed twice! Ramones' 'KKK Took My Baby...' and NOFX' 'Linoleum'. Tell me, how often u experienced a gig where one same song played twice by different bands...! LOL.It's like having Mariah carey performed "You are Not Alone' before Beyonce putting another version of it right in the MJ tribute concert.

It's slumber afternoon at 4pm 16th Jan 2010 at Embrace Hall.

ComRadikal kickstarted the rather low-key gig at 3.30pm. Just ok for the starter.

Then, Young And Dangerous stepped in. Quite contreversial this band. Heard, some section of community were boycotting the band for no proper reason (the one being, they have upscaled into mainstream/popularity progress) but all this ethical thingies is bullshit nonetheless. I thought with the advance of technologies & musics-sharings, people are getting their mind open & accept the differences but still we got some stalinist head in our block. They shortlived creativity and historically speaking, if not for Rancid, Offspring, Bad Religion & Green Day pushing the boundary back in 1992 and making a strategic devil pact with corporate sucker, punk rock maybe a mere pussy joke. Somebody needs to break new ground and willing to be sacrificed like jesus for common vision's sake.

YAD played some kind of new wave wit lots pop & 77' punk. Reminds me a lot to sex Pistols and Ramones. short, loud & uncompromising. One of their song's riff is total rip from The Damned's 'New Rose'. They were quite exciting band to watch I'd rather called em' a shuffle/trip-hop version of Punk. My suggestion is the band to go Electro. Just added an element of keyboard/synth I can see no electro-punk band around here in malaysiau so YAD might be a perfect candidate to blow off some of local KL-based such as Ganjaguru, bass agent bla bla. Try a female vocalist instead of typical male and im sure YAD will found its niche. All songs being under 3mins, i saw passion in the band so wish em' great luck!

Half Asleep came up next. A very promising 4-pieceband. They remind me lots Cali-punk style . The cute vocalist managed to pull audience's attratction. A tight musicianship with The best moment when they covered Hi-Standard's "My First Kiss". How it managed to put a smile! They're very entertaining punk rock act to book your date with so hope they can and give a run to bloody Bonkface's money...

Next, Sally Faerie! Playing 4 songs including the new one Sue seemed little nervous but carried on the humidity of playing dreamy pop songs to non-dreamy punk rocker audiences.huhu. Because we played more indyi than punk rock, I thought i was playing in front of statue rather than crowds. We're little cracky on last song which is never been played before.

After that, a ska band Freaky Tricky Zone performed. Nuthin interestin about the band really, so just let it passe.

Rosemary, another Bandung-band slotted to perform, couldn't make it apparently being the vocalist sent to hospital for overdose! So, another Bandung-band, Nudist Island had to make good of the vacant. Nudist had opened for way back in Jakarta . Playing typical pop-punk, the veterans didnt have much to offer except some feel-goof pop-punk jingles.

I saw no interesting feature about the band really but all hell's broke loose when they covered Ramones' for 2nd time on that day alone! Not my cup of stout, but just ok for mindless jumpin' jumpin'.

Just after maghrib, Blanket Party came onstage. This is weird band, fuck they should end up featuring in the next American pie OST or whutever. The vocalist is supercrazy coool he didnt care much about the crowd he just let his middle finger flying intercepted with evil clown's antics u may only getting in lost GG Allin's videos!
Dont know much about their songs, but all stuff wrapped in super humour. I was getting my ass laughing off all the way their set. Hoped to watch more 'f 'em soon.

Fly Time , a Singapore punk band ended the show with energetic set to boot. Featuring an australian vocalist..but i suspected he's singing off-key a lot . LOL. However, this band kicked ass. They came onstage looked so sophisticated. Damned singaporean punks, they have advanced taste to boot.

Without doubt, i voted Half Asleep as the best band that day..really look forward to see this band more in action and another live punk rock set.

It's a decent entertaining show and everyone enjoyed themselves. We Sally Faerie and guys from YAD hanged out together afterwards and because Embrace is so dear with all of dem hearts, way cheers to that little punk rock cottage!

Belasungkawa!! Long Live The King!!!

With deep respect to the man, the ruler, the king & simply a human.....
Sultan Iskandar Johor, at 77. Rest in Peace & Lovingness from rakyat.
Farewell to the beloved Sultan!!

Tomorrow in Embrace Hall - JB

-INGATAN AMBANG DEKAD-

-INGATAN AMBANG DEKAD-

Aku tunggang ke mana saja arah angin liar
Berjubahkan sebelah gelita manusia
Berhembus api nafasku
Dan kuda si apocalypse yang dipinjamkan
Aku gadai demi damai

Biarlah aku simpan
Tahuntahun kemusnahan garis panduan beralibi
Tika marhaen berperi sugul dan sedih
Melolong dalam kesunyian kosong
Cakapcakap manusia berperi serigala
Tanpa mengenang dialog yang tinggal ingatan sundal

Esok yang masih kabur
Bermain janji berwarnawarni
Janji janji janji terus lagi janji
Gambaran [indah] terpana menggoda
Sudah kah kau lupa?
Kau adalah parasit menghisap intipati dunia
Dan aku adalah arwah hari ini,
Yang lahir hanya dikala hari bertukar semalam
Sayang, kau dapat bercumbu asmara dengan ku
Hanya dalam kenangan mu...

-catatan John si ‘orang gila’-
-2255 Rabi Jan 06, 2009, wilayah separa sedar-

JOHO SPAM! Event - Of Babes, Wicked Poems and Roost-Chickin' - 1/1/2010, Roost Bar, The Zon, JB

band Statik
malu-malu lak die
abg ginji aka. feroz omar



SPAM (Southern Project Art Movement) event was held on 1st day of 2010. Organised by JOHO, a facebook-based community movement, it saw 2 of SSP's own poets onstage, crankin' their stuff. A reason to be proud Marsmanner!!
I thought it as a free-flow beer swinger party but turn out to be mini-gathering where fashion-conscious people enjoying good musics & cool patronage.
4 of us (ginji, awe, me n if-neyo) making headways to JB...At 7pm raining cats & dogs made up the most of our journey but the boys keep ridin' not to mention the fiasco when ginji forgot his 'cracky'.
When we arrived, a cluster of people already thronged Roost bistro. Basically, I had no idea about the whole event but catchin' friends in the sleazy ambience of The Zon along wit chip n beer, this well perfectly documentated the BEP's lyric 'I gotta feeling, that tonite gonna be a good nite...' bla la la.
Inside, an acoustic set was played and they were actually Finger Inc. This is ska-punk band that should by now been bigger than Robot Asmara! Comprising 2 female members, joyous set was abound and i sincerely hope they can push their stuff for more commercial & radio airplay. Cos' they got one terrific cover which is 'That Thing You Do'...i cant wait for them to rise and routed away the hell of some fake pop bands we see in KL.
Next, a band called Zig Zipler or whutever...they got roaring cheers from the crowd. I loike their rendition of 'Keroncong Pilihanraya'. Great stuff. band ni dah mabowk so asal tu besh.tak mabok pegi duk umah ahah

Then, Statik took the stage and i was surprised by the lead singer's vox capability to pull his range nicely. Now, i know this is the band who performed that song with the opening lyric 'Sesuatu...dalam hatiku berkata.....'. Beatles-que stuff with C-F-G-Em pop sensibility, Statik proved johor indie certainly has a sound of their own and just maybe, too sophisticated for average malaysiaun's taste.

The MC that nite is our friend, the ever flamboyant Boyd (broken fleet)..ahahhah...creepy stuff he got onstage.sometimes, he got raunchous but managed to keep the crowds.God bless ma man...

Next, SSP's own poet Ginji aka. Feroz Omar took the stage with the poem 'Mawar Kesenian'. A rather laidback recital, feroz can be regarded with heavy Ginsberg approach. We hope we can catch more of him onstage along with his band, Marsman (click www/myspace/marsmanner).
Laila (formerly Laila's Lounge) strut their stuff and again, the sophistication potrayed in every of their songs showed a promising future to Johor's indie scene. Also performing 'Frozen' from their latest release.

Next.i wait for this. there onstage John Da Madman, probably the 'most dangerous poet' in the hood.
Reciting Suara-Suara Retak, John suddenly became celebrity overnight and he pulled the crowd wit a substantial approach complete wit superfulous indon-accent and poetic radicality. i know the moment that put your pubic hair in standing ovation when he spoke from the line, "Aku hidup diantara revolusi, Antara Tun dan tertuduh sodomi, Dan tanpa kamu...kamu...juga kamu..."
How cool is that. my presumption, most of the crowd may not used to such poem-recital but here we go, defining new style to Literature.
Being the invisible member of Marsman, i know the crowd may want to get more pieces of him in future show...Bring back ghost of chairil, pleawse...And i hope, lots more poets from similar genre will emerge soon & destroy the capitalistic nature encountered in DBP & right-wing/mainstream poetry scene..especially if u from Johor where a cultural tradition is strong, i hope a great poetic movement will arise soon in Southville. Like a twilight.
Still, I am proud by the SSP's in cultivating nu artists, avant-garde poets and most importantly, literature outputs that were (either in normal or half-normal mode) constantly stacked on this blog's wall. Separa sedar, indeed!

Last performer, probably the most famous Johor band's right now - Plague of Happiness. just superb. nice set to end the show.

Next, is babes and Roost-Chickin'. JOHO babes strut their stuff on the red carpet, dammit a red carpet ahahhah. They are like the (Kim) Kardashians of the south. Nice one. I saw lots cupcake being sold with some cute buttons & pretty gifts.
JOHO has shown us there's cooler way for babes-scooping and party-romping other than trashy electro & bad rave/tetonic movement usually found on the dance floor...I hope more events unfold so as to reverberate the art (may i read: swinger) movement right in the land of Johor.
JOHO shall be viewed as fundamentally build upon collective musical interest among its members. So, keep the group musically-inclined & artistic. Maybe, a special compilation featuring Johor's breeding musical acts may do...Personally, i do hope so.
On crucial note, the JOHO group may well on course of bigger task towards putting Johor as mecca of new entertainment, and probably a hub where artistry (musics, poetry, literature, theatre, rock fest and all kind of cultural activities) flourishes! May we see renaissance, once again...Southern-style!