SEARCH : LIVE IN ISTANA BUDAYA 2014 : ISTANA BUDAYA - MALAYSIA : 04/12/2014

 

 

Rock & roll legend - SEARCH finally walked into Istana Budaya for the first time. They are goin' to rock the roof off for 4 straight nights. So, this surely cannot be missed. But suprisingly it turned out otherwise.

Frankly, we are not sure what when wrong. We attended the first night. At this scale, it should be a night to remember but there was something missing with SEARCH.

Except for AMY (vocal) who was lively on stage, the others showed no joy and chemistry appeared lacking. We were seated close facing centre stage, so visibility was not a problem. NASIR (bass) looked grim, DIN (guitar) isolated himself and KID (guitar) just can't find his guitar sounds. Are they really ready for the first night ?!

Once the lighting sets in, DIN and KID were seen on stage preparing their gadgets, then came NASIR and the crowds threw a mad cheer once AMY stepped in. SEARCH opened the night with 'Panggung Khalayan' and with no break continued with their classic 'Balada Pemuzik Jalanan'. The sound was heavy indeed ! KID then went limbo with the guitar sound, but still continued playing. But he got the riff of 'Pelesit Kota' done well.

When AMY introduced YAZIT (drum) for the special segment, he was in tears. Despite his worsen health condition, YAZIT insisted to be there since the band played a big part of his life and he was also the founding member. He braved thru the night with 6 tracks (mainly slow numbers) and the crowd gave him a standing oviation.

When "Gadisku" drawing end, marking the exit of one of Malaysia best drummers, KID turned to YAZIT and calmly wrapped up his fretworks, his face expressed great respect, probably deep inside nobody knew the emotion his was holding onto.

While AMY gave his best, trying to connect as closest to the crowds, applause to that. He even jumped down to the isle while singing to "Isabella" and shaking hands.

The sets got more heavier after the special session, with 'Diari Habil & Qabil', "Gothik Malam Edan" and "No Way !!!".

The track "Gothik Malam Edan" was well delivered, tight and heavy, just brilliant.

To us, KID was at his best during the last 3 songs. We initially thought it was a brief guitar showcase when he stood alone in the spotlight and did some solos, and then came the deep riff of "Fenomena" intro before the band exploded at high voltage. The crowds were singing to the chorus and that one caucasian from PALADIN striked a cello solo, giving the song a bigger dimension. That was simply the moment !

Next was "Kereta Merah" and the show ended with "Pawana". All the PALADINs came down to the front stage, bringing the house down with SEARCH. That was just it.

There was no encore, there were no songs from the album 'KARISMA' and 'RAMPAGE'. There were also no meet & greet session for the first night.

SEARCH as a band we all knew all these long can deliver far better than this. Hopefully the following nights will be a blast.

Setlist
1) Panggung Khayalan (Rock 'N' Roll Pie)
2) Balada Pemuzik Jalanan (Cinta Buatan Malaysia)
3) Kejoraku Bersatu (Selepas Banjir)
4) Laila Namamu Teratas (Gema Di Timur Jauh)
5) Gelora Cintaku (Mentari Merah Di Ufuk Timur)
6) Langit Dan Bumi (Langit Dan Bumi)
7) Menuju Puncak (Gema Di Timur Jauh)
8) Honky Tong Kosong (Gema Di Timur Jauh)
9) Pelesit Kota (Mentari Merah Di Ufuk Timur)

Special segment with Yazit
10) Kejora (Cinta Buatan Malaysia)
11) Rozana (Langit Dan Bumi)
12) Fantasia Bulan Madu (Mentari Merah Di Ufuk Timur)
13) Isi Atau Kulit (Mentari Merah Di Ufuk Timur)
14) Isabella (Fenomena)
15) Gadisku (Mentari Merah Di Ufuk Timur)

16) Gothik Malam Edan (Gothik Malam Edan)
17) No Way !!! (Gema Di Timur Jauh)
18) Diari Habil & Qabil (Rock 'N' Roll Pie)
19) Fenomena (Fenomena)
20) Kereta Merah (Rock 'N' Roll Pie)
21) Pawana (Fenomena)

WINGS : VERSI TANPA DISTORTION : PLENARY HALL - PUTRAJAYA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE - MALAYSIA : 08/06/2014

 

Another historical event with WINGS went rockin' on stage without distortion at the prestigious Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC). For us, it was a perfect night ! Why ? Now you must read on ...

'Versi Tanpa Distortion' simply means brilliant different arrangements - a one time rendition that you will never experience elsewhere. So, it should not be missed ! Since this is an acoustic approach, the entire set was filled with those 'blues' vibe. The stage, sound and lighting were the best.

 

The management was also kind enough to allow the fans to record and take photo for the first 3 songs. That appears reasonable and should be kept like that moving forward.

It is impossible that WINGS read our review for 'Rockestra 2013', but oh well, we did got what we asked for - "Dalam Kehadiran Sofiah", "Midnight Blues" and "Rantai".

We were also celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary and it was definitely priceless to celebrate it with the band you grew up with, witnessing WINGS at their best on stage, and your another half close beside. Rockin' romantic !  Hahaha ! 

From our personal favourite album - 'Teori Domino' (1990), WINGS gave us 6 songs and it was just amazing. Our night was completed when we got the 'Teori Domino' album sleeve signed during the 'meet & greet session' afterward.

 

With nearly 45 minutes late, the show started with JOE sitting and riffing  alone onstage to the blues of "Dalam Kahadiran Sofiah", before the rest made their individual way out, starting with the guitar trio of Hillary Ang, Edrie Hashim and Ujang Tukimon. We were grinning with excitement and just kept telling ourselves, this will be a blast !

 

WINGS also pay tribute to old local heroes - LEFTHANDED, BLUES GANG and KEMBARA with a song each. When AWIE brought all of us back to 'Belenggu Irama' (1987), we really hope for "Biarkan Berlalu". Then it came, this time he delivered it with only JOE on guitar. You don't get this version even when you played back your old rusty tape of 'Belenggu Irama'.

Our best moment must be when the band grooved "Midnight Blues", a very rare song which we don't remember WINGS had played it live these recent years. Candidly, AWIE also said that Putrajaya is in need of some blues. The track "Perhentian" was great as well.

While, the best arrangement for the night was definitely "Taman Rashidah Utama" which has turned into this one enchanting piece with the organ/piano, and the song must have touched everyone with AWIE emotional vocal.

 

AWIE also pledged to the fans to fight against record piracy. With nearly 12 years with no album, 'Menakluk Kosmos' fell victim before the album was even released. The crowds were quite silence when the band hit their newest "Peti Pandora Mu" and "Ingatkan Dia". ("Bisa Yang Tertunda" next time please)

The only setback was the show was delayed to nearly 9.30 pm probably due to the late arrival of VIP, perhaps long queue at the entrance or for what other reasons. Everybody just need to be punctual next time please.

Another legendary show. The fans will talk about this for many years to come. So what's next ? An album show in its entirety - starting with 'Belenggu Irama' and 'Hukum Karma' albums perhaps ?! That sounds exciting !

Setlist

  1) Dalam Kehadiran Sofiah (Jerangkung Dalam Almari)

  2) Bujang Senang (Teori Domino)

  3) Perhentian (Teori Domino)

  4) Sayap Illusi (Naga Kramat)

  5) Hikayat Penuh Ranjau (Hukum Karma)

  6) Harapan (Teori Domino)

  7) Ku Dihalaman Rindu (LEFTHANDED)

  8) Ibu (BLUES GANG)

  9) Hati Emas (KEMBARA)

10) Guitar showcase

11) Biarkan Berlalu (Belenggu Irama)

12) Peti Pandora Mu (Menakluk Kosmos)

13) Ingatkan Dia (Menakluk Kosmos)

14) Midnight Blues (Teori Domino)

15) Ameringo (Naga Kramat)

16) Sejati (Teori Domino)

17) Taman Rashidah Utama (Hukum Karma)

18) Rantai (Teori Domino)



ALKIRA (AUS) - INTERVIEW (HAVOK : UNNATURAL SELECTION - SOUTH EAST ASIA TOUR 2014)

We will definitely be coming back, most likely in 2015 with an album to promote - ALKIRA

ALKIRA is a young Thrash Metal outfit from South Australia with 2 self released EPs out. We recently caught them thrashing the stage in Johor with solid and killer set. They were supporting HAVOK for the 'Unnatural Selection - South East Asia Tour 2014'. So we talked to Ryan (drum) to know more about ALKIRA and what he has to say about the tour.

WELCOME RYAN ! HOW'S EVERYTHINGS BACK IN AUSTRALIA ?

Hey there Pitt ! Things are swell down under. The weather has been crazy and weird (47 degrees one day, cold and raining the next). It's back to reality with work and study after a solid month touring in January. But we've got SOUNDWAVE, KREATOR, DEATH ANGEL, TOXIC HOLOCAUST and SKELETONWITCH hitting our hometown to look forward to !

 

HOW DID THE BAND GOT TOGETHER ? ANY PARTICULAR THRASH BANDS THAT INSPIRED THE BAND TO KICK START ?

It actually started as a SEX PISTOLS cover band, haha ! Kyle (guitar) and I (Ryan, drum) started jamming punk songs in the garage when we were 17/18 and it all just went from there. Right from the start, we loved our Thrash Metal (particularly METALLICA, TESTAMENT and EXODUS) and everything progressively got faster and faster. Sean (bass) and Greg (vocal/guitar) had been jamming together for a few years as well and it all kinda fell into place in late 2010. We certainly don't just consider ourselves a straight up Thrash Metal band, but it is the genre we closest associate with and definitely our influence. 'Ride The Lightning' is our collective favourite album of all time !

 

ALKIRA HAS RELEASED 2 EP - 'DOWN FROM THE HILLS' (2012) AND 'RED DEVIL' (2013) TODATE. TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR DEBUT EP AND HOW WAS THE RESPONSE ?

'Down From The Hills' was very low budget and a very drunken process. We did it with a good mate of ours two summers ago and every session involved copious amounts of alcohol. So the end product wasn't exactly what we envisioned at the start (though it was a pretty good representation of our drinking habits, haha !). We only ever printed off 150 odd copies of that EP and they are all poisoning some unlucky peoples music collections as we speak. I think one drunk dude somewhere said he liked it ...

 

WITH IT NO LONGER AVAILABLE, IS THERE ANY PLAN TO RE-RELEASE IT SINCE ALKIRA IS GAINING MORE AND MORE ATTENTIONS THESEDAYS ?

There are a few tracks from 'Down From The Hills' that we have toyed around with the idea of re-recording as we still play them live quite regularly. But I don't think we will re-release the EP as it is. You never know, we might get our asses into gear and release the whole thing one day. I think there are a few songs on there that really deserve it.

 

WHAT ABOUT THE LATEST - 'RED DEVIL' ?

We spent a lot more time and money on our second release - 'Red Devil', which I think is pretty clear from first listen. We recorded the drums with Andy Kite at Against The Grain studio in Adelaide and recorded everything ourselves before getting it mixed and mastered by Darren 'Jenk' Jenkins (MORTAL SIN, DEPRIVATION) in New South Wales. We were really happy with how that turned out and the response has been amazing. I think it really helped getting us on the tour with HAVOK, considering we are unsigned, self-managed and don't even have a full length release.

 

'RED DEVIL' HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MAN UNITED RIGHT ? HAHAHA !

Hahaha ! Well I am a avid United supporters (though I wouldn't say that too loud at the moment), but unfortunately no. It actually refers to our beer of choice - Cooper's Sparkling Ale. It gets you drunk as fuck very quickly, so the next day it can make you feel like you did a deal with the devil

(Hahaha ! So, this is the answer to the Coopers shirt 'Deal With The Devil' - ed)

 

HOW DO YOU MANAGED TO JOIN HAVOK FOR THE 'UNNATURAL SELECTION - SOUTH EAST ASIA TOUR 2014' ?

I saw on Facebook that HAVOK tour had been announced so close to home. So being a huge HAVOK fan I just emailed the booking agent and sent him the 'Red Devil' EP on the off chance we could score a support slot. I never thought we would actually get it.

 

 

BUT IT WAS ONLY FOR THE SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA (JOHOR & KUALA LUMPUR) SHOWS, WHY NOT THAILAND (BANGKOK) AS WELL ?

I'm not sure why we weren't offered the Bangkok show, we definitely would have been interested in playing it as well. It just wasn't part of the agreement for some reason. We definitely enjoyed and made the most of the 3 shows we were offered though and we would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

THE CROWDS TREATED ALKIRA WELL AND WILD IN SINGAPORE ?

The Singapore show was crazy ! Definitely one of the highlights of the tour. A full house packed into a tiny club with everyone going nuts made it feel like we were living in the 80s Thrash movement. You honestly don't get the same energy and passion for the music from Australian crowds. Even though no one knew us and everyone was hanging out for HAVOK, they all still went crazy and wanted an encore. It was an indescribable feeling.

 

 

HOW DO YOU FIND THE JOHOR-MALAYSIA SHOW ? A SMALL SHOW INDEED BUT WITH SUPPORTIVE CROWDS ...

We had a blast at the Johor show as well. There were a few minor technical issues but all the punters went off again and seemed to dig it. It was crazy having people from a country we have never been to chanting our name while we were setting up to play. Everyone treated us like royalty after we finished.

 

ALKIRA live in Johor-Malaysia

WE HAVE THIS KILLER SPONTANOUS MOMENTS WHERE THIS ONE DIEHARD BANGER AT THE FRONT ROW GOT HIS HAIR TANGLED INTO GREG'S GUITAR. REMEMBER THAT ?

Hahaha ! Yes, I remember that very well. I was chuckling to myself behind the kit as Greg was riffing out and everyone was trying to untangled that guy hair from the headstock. Them the perils of Thrash Metal !

 

WHILE ANOTHER JUST TOOK THE MIC AND OPENED TO THE SEPULTURA'S COVER ...

He did a killer rendition of "Inner Self" as well. We always encourage people to get up and steal the mic for a verse or chorus if they know the words. (Hail KUKUBESI ! - ed)

 

HEARD THAT THERE WERE SOME SETBACKS AT THE KUALA LUMPUR-MALAYSIA SHOW, BUT ALKIRA STILL MANAGED TO THRASH 'EM ALL RIGHT ?

Ahh ... Kuala Lumpur, the dark horse of the tour. Yes, we rocked up to a disco venue which supplied only half a drum kit and no guitar amps, so we immediately thought for the worst. But everyone pulled together and we managed to get hold of some more drum stands and some guitar/bass combos and we hit the stage fucken hard. It actually turned out to be a really good show as well, and HAVOK absolutely killed it that night !

 

 

WHAT ARE THE BEST THINGS YOU MIGHT APPRECIATE HAVING PLAY HERE IN SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA ? WILL YOU COME AGAIN ?

Those three shows were three of the best sets we have ever played. The hospitality and the enthusiasm from the fans, promoters (Eric we love you !), the venues, the local bands and everyone else involved made it a great atmosphere. We will definitely be coming back, most likely in 2015 with an album to promote.

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE BAND - HAVOK ? YOU JOINED 'EM FOR ONE MORE SHOW BACK IN AUSTRALIA ...

HAVOK are absolutely killing at the moment. They are the tightest band I have ever seen live, and Pete Webber is the best thrash drummer in years, maybe ever ! It was an honour to share the stage with them over there and in Melbourne, and even more of an honour to hang out with them everyday (and a couple all-nighters on the beers as well). Given their status in the metal scene at the moment, they are still four of the coolest, most down to earth dudes you will ever meet. I haven't got anything but good words for (and some even better stories with) those guys.

 

HOW'S THE PROGRESS WITH YOUR DEBUT ALBUM ? WILLING TO GIVE US SOME HINTS ?

The album is coming together very nicely. We have almost finish writing all the music and have got all the lyrics down for a few as well. Looking at an August/September '2014 release at this stage. Those who caught our Singapore show were privy to a brand new song which called "Land Of The Sodomite Damned", which is very thrash. Without giving too much away, there is a lot of very fast shit, some really heavy shit, some groovy shit and some melodic shit to break it all up. We think everyone will dig it.

 

THANKS RYAN & ALKIRA ! SOME LAST WORDS TO ALL THOSE ASIAN ALKIRA DIEHARDS ...

Thanks for having me Pitt, it was a pleasure. All I want to say is thanks to everyone for all your support. Those who were there at the show(s), bought merchs, took photos, like us on the Book. All that crap helps fuel us to keep going. We will definitely be back soon, if you will have us ?!

Johor Setlists

1) Red Devil (Red Devil)

2) Power Trip (Down From The Hills)

3) Hell's March (Red Devil)

4) Down From The Hills (Down From The Hills)

5) The Nightmare (Red Devil)

6) Inner Self (SEPULTURA - Beneath The Remain)