Nothing to feel SORE about

Event: SORE di Kuala Lumpur
Date: July 7, 2011 (Thursday)
Venue: Bentley Music Auditorium, Malaysia

On the 7th of July, SORE played a showcase at Bentley Music Auditorium, Mutiara Damansara called ‘SORE di Kuala Lumpur’ . The showcase was organised and emcee-ed by Hujan’s very own manager and keyboardist, Hang Dimas and Malaysia’s very own Atilia Haron, a singer-songwriter who also sings Silly Little Thing alongside SORE which was released in their EP entitled Sombreros Kiddos
last year.

The event was kicked off by Couple. The audience can be seen tapping their legs, following the catchy beats of the band. The band played their singles such as Whoa Oh Sayang!, also Tentang Kita and Now That I Can See which were the soundtracks of Kami : The Series. Lagu Cinta Untukmu from their latest album kept the audience singing along, followed by Pergi and ended with Come Back Again.

Up next was TILU, which means the number three in Sundanese. The band consists of 4 Malaysians and 3 Indonesians, a good ratio to symbolise peace and harmony. TILU started their set, enlightening the mood of the audience by making them chant “T-I-L-U, hey SORE! Hey SORE!”. The band played I.L.U which is an abbreviation for I Love You. The vocalist sure is a crowd puller, getting the crowd to sing the lines of the song, “ I love you, aku cinta padamu. I love you too, aku juga begitu”. And then there was Cinta buta. They ended their set with Tolong.

Once again, Dimas and Atilia took the stage. This time, to officially launch the Easton product in Malaysia, which is available at the Badger Malaysia Store, Damansara from today onwards. After a short video promoting the Easton brand, it was the first time that the music video of Silly Little Things that was sung by Atilia and SORE was ever played in public (It’s not up on youtube yet. Be patient!). The hall was amused and some of the crowd sang along to the line “silly little thing that you are”.

After the long wait, finally, the stars of the night took the stage. SORE kicked off with their first song on the setlist, Vrijeman, followed by the famous song from their album Centralismo which is Somos Libres, a song about freedom where the title means we are free. Followed by Mata Berdebu a song about unreturned love. Etalase written by Bembi, the drummer of the band is about friendship. The song started off with a nice saxophone and is played with a 5/4 rhythm.

The band also played songs from their second album, Ports of Lima such as, Merintih Perih, Bogor Biru and Setengah Lima. Merintih Perih was very emotional. Whereas Bogor Biru is about the city, Bogor that constantly rains.

Atilia Haron joined SORE at the stage. It was their first time playing the song together. Her voice suits SORE’s sound just perfectly. Silly Little Thing takes the audience back to how they met their lovers and how they fell in love. It will definitely be the perfect soundtrack for everyone’s love story.

The last song was the ever famous, No Fruits For Today. For this, everyone got off their seats and danced to the song. Even celebrities like Noh and Nina, Reza Salleh, Liyana Fizi, Izzat and Dimas of Hujan joined the crowd, danced, clapped and sang along to the chorus that goes like “I love you and you love me, we’re gonna make a big family”. The second song was Funk The Hole. It was special because they don’t usually play this song in gigs.

The band was kind enough to let fans take pictures with them (loads of pictures) and even chit-chat for a little bit. Big thumbs up to the organisers for organizing a great show and to the event co-ordinator for a successful event.

Contributed by Rizki Maulana (@rzmaulana)

* If you would like to contribute your reviews on concerts you have been to and/or new bands/albums/songs you have recently heard, feel free to drop me a line here.

A Firsthand Serenade from Secondhand Serenade.

Event: Secondhand Serenade live in concert
Date: January 11, 2011 (Tuesday)
Venue: Bentley Music Auditorium, Malaysia

I pledged allegiance to jiwangism, and now, I have been summoned. Heh.

I’ve been actively photographing local bands for almost a year now, and it was definitely a wonderful step forward when a friend working in a local music site asked me to help him take photos at Secondhand Serenade’s concert. (Thanks, Josh!)

When I entered the Bentley Music Auditorium and saw the huge poster of Vesely in the middle of the stage, my first thought was, “Damn, this is like some cult gathering.” Dark confinement, red lights, packed crowd and a huge banner of Vesely hanging from the ceiling… Heh.

Opening for Secondhand Serenade were two local acts – Diandra Arjunaidi and Ask Me Again. I missed Diandra, but caught Ask Me Again. I have seen them performed a few times before, and that night was the first time I saw them perform on a proper stage. It was no surprise that they were really glad to be opening for an international act, not to mention hang out with them before and after the concert. They gave quite an engaging performance, and cracked a few jokes too onstage with their ‘sweaty Indian boy’. Heh.

And it was nice to see that they have quite a firm fanbase showing up that night, instead of merely Vesely fangirls. So yes, good job to Diandra and Ask Me Again for being picked to open for Secondhand Serenade. You guys are probably the only local supporting acts from any international concerts in Malaysia that I approve of thus far.

I stood at a very awkward spot during the concert. Whilst I was right at the front by the stage, and right under John Vesely’s nose – and that’s not an exaggeration – it was not really the best. For one, Secondhand Serenade’s manager-cum-tech-guy, Preston (apparently), teased me when he placed four bottles of water and three cans of beer right in front of me for Vesely. Then, proceeded to ‘flash’ us at the front with his unzipped fly, which according to a friend, went “meh…” when he told him about it. Heh.

Lastly, from where I was standing, I did not have a very good angle of Vesely, especially with a 28-75mm lens. Meh. And I can’t exactly look straight all the time, because at eye level for me was Vesely’s crotch. And from time to time, Vesely would bend down just a breath away from me to get his bottled water or canned beer. Yeah. I know a lot of screaming girls behind me would love to be standing where I stood, but yeah, not so much for me.

Photographing at a concert is very much different from merely attending one. For one, I could barely enjoy the concert in its entirety. Screaming fans (first time I was using earplugs to filter them out instead of the loud band), and annoying bloggers aside. It’s the constant need to wait for a good shot that tuned me out from listening to the bands properly. But I did take time out to listen to my favourite songs, mainly Your Call.

I do apologise for the bad video quality.

And it was expected that he would not sound as good as he did on record. Vesely was pitchy and off key sometimes, and the bad sound system did not really help the cause either for the rest of the band. Vesely runs the same path as Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional. But Carrabba has miles on Vesely. They aren’t good live, and I adore Chris Carrabba. They rely a lot on the crowd, and that night for Secondhand Serenade, the crowd did not disappoint. Everyone was singing along to each and every song they performed. From the oldies of Vulnerable and Awake, to the favourite Fall For You, to the newbies You And I and Something More.

Generally, Vesely has good stage presence. He connected constantly with the crowd, saying our food is delicious (what’s new, right?) and our girls are gorgeous (this doesn’t really flatter me for some reasons I rather not divulge here actually) and how our crowd is the best they’ve done. Even when his amp went off and Preston has to work on it, Vesely kept the crowd entertained with not-so small talks in the meantime.

Like how he was in his previous gigs, Vesely did a cover of Coldplay’s Fix You during their encore. The crowd loved it. Everyone was singing along to the song. And I will give to Vesely that he did quite a good cover of the beloved song, infusing his kind of croons in all the right places. But I suppose, nothing could beat that very moment when I heard Chris Martin sang his own song two years ago. I had tears, I had goosebumps. For Vesely, I liked the bridge very much.

Why did I go watch Vesely then if I already know he doesn’t perform well live? I suppose it is an emo society’s thing. You’ve heard the songs, you’ve quoted the songs, might as well just go see the songs performed live. And I’m not saying Vesely totally sucks balls. It’s just. I’ve seen better. And heard better. ie. His albums.

Besides, we’re from Malaysia, and we can’t really afford to cherry pick when it comes to concerts of our choice. If you’ve heard of the band and like them just a teeny bit, might as well go. Heh.

So for now, John Vesely – check. Next stop, Chris Carrabba. Because I would definitely like to see him more than Vesely. I could very well be one of those screaming girls for Carrabba at Vesely’s concert. Heh.

* More photos of the concert here.

And hello, I’m writing music/concert reviews again. Lots of backdated posts already from my previous blogs here and here. Everything is at one place now; I’m organised like that. So, feel free to check them out. I’ll try to update as often as I can, write as good as I can, about concerts I’ve been to, maybe music I think the world will enjoy, and some behind-the-scene talks I can’t do for my gig photography here. Enjoy.

Glory, glory, Kings of Convenience!

Event: Kings of Convenience live in concert
Date: March 21, 2010 (Sunday)
Venue: Bentley Music Auditorium, Wisma Bentley Music

Sunday afternoon’s torrents of rain slowly came to mere drizzles. All over the country, thousands of football fans flocked to their nearest mamak stalls to watch the live match, emanating bouts of cheers heard throughout the neighbourhood with every hit and miss.

Whereas, a minority of some 1,000 fans travelled from all over Klang Valley – perhaps even the country – to an unusual concert venue just to see two Kings who came all the way from Norway. People with bobbed haircuts and oversized horn-rimmed glasses and too short hems of jeans, speaking fluent Cantonese with their similarly styled friends, as they sauntered into the venue. Not to be stereotypical, but I did not realise Kings of Convenience would actually attract a sold out crowd, let alone those who would prefer not to converse in English.

Security was strict that night, especially when it comes to cameras. Later, we found out that it was the Kings’ special order to tone down on the photo-snapping, even though they were flash-less. Something to do with the tiny clicks the cameras make. Erlend Øye asked fans to not take pictures in the first 30 minutes, but thereafter, it was up to our fancies, with the double-edged undertone of “that is, if you don’t mind bothering the people next to you.”

But, being Malaysians, cameras were still sneaked into the venue right under the bulky security’s nose. Some were iffy at first, whether or not to lift up their cameras after Erlend’s request. But eventually, the snappers let loose, Blackberry units with red blinking lights recording song after song – like little assassins, as if waiting for the right moment to strike the Kings down.

As jesters of the evening to entertain the crowd before the Kings took the stage – Tenderfist, a local synth pop group, which I am quite happy to say, sounds pretty close to The Postal Service. Why the world said Owl City ripped The Postal Service off, was beyond me, especially seeing that it is doubtful Adam Young even know who they are. But after hearing Tenderfist for the night, I am glad that at least someone – not to mention, someone from Malaysia – is doing things the right way. Ben Gibbard would be proud.

They were unlike any Kings in the world. Humble and modest, so much so that they opened their show with My Ship Isn’t Pretty – nothing too upbeat, just something as simple as the plucking of the acoustics to ease us in.

Erlend Øye kept the crowd close to his heart, pleasing us quite easily whenever he struck a few dorky dance moves ala Napoleon Dynamite in Sing Softly to Me, or doing his amazing trumpet imitation in Second to Numb, or got us snapping our fingers away and singing in a choir in Little Kids.

Eirik Glambek Bøe was less mobile as he had his own words to pay attention to. But he kept the crowd on little laughing frenzies speaking in Bergensk (I think), then blaming the sound system for speaking in such a foreign language to us.

Small jokes aside, Eirik kept us close to his heart too, serenading us with songs mostly from Declaration of Dependence, such as Me in You, Mrs Cold, Rule My World, and Boat Behind – which got the crowd singing along: “Oh woah woah woah woah / I could never belong to you / Oh woah woah woah woah / I could never belong to you.”

Also, not forgetting beloved ones from their earlier albums – I Don’t Know What I Can Save You From, Homesick (which quickly became a favourite for me), Gold in the Air of Summer, and of course, I’d Rather Dance with You, which they had Tenderfist up on stage again during the encore to play with them.

And what is a song about dancing with someone without actually, well, dancing with someone? Handpicked by Erland himself, a lucky fan got to go on stage to struck some Napoleon moves with him, and share his microphone singing, “I’d rather dance, I’d rather dance than talk with you / I’d rather dance, I’d rather dance than talk with you.”

Here is a video of it:

Personally, I thought that other song Kings of Convenience did with Tenderfist was better. I loved it when they got the crowd clapping along to Tenderfist’s synth pop beats and Erland pulling it in with his trumpet imitation and the lights in a colourful array projecting off the ceiling.

I loved that moment.

We had close encounters with the Kings after their gig. While we were smoking outside, a security guard escorted a timid-looking Eirik past the awe-struck crowd towards the loo, and then after that, Erland.

They were merely a breath away from me.

I guess this is what it feels like to be with someone of ‘royalty’ status – you just get starstruck and stand frozen in place, not sure whether to quickly whip out your camera, or open your mouth to say something – anything – and risk sounding like an idiot. I suppose days of mobbing fans were over too; security had only to whisper a quiet ‘excuse me’ to get through the crowd. No holding people’s hands were necessary, either.

It was a pleasure to be in the same presence with such Kingly figures, especially in a venue like Bentley Music Auditorium – spacious enough to house a lot of fans, but not too much that it loses its intimacy of such fragile bands. Well done, Junk and Soundscape Records. And of course, Tenderfist and Kings of Convenience themselves.

* Thanks Reta for helping to smuggle in the camera and take photographs during the concert.