Kuala Lumpur - RADIN SRI GHAZALI speaks to one of the band members of Love Me Butch about their concert with some of the biggest rock acts in ndonesia.
Malaysian bands are finally also sharing in the spotlight in Indonesia.
The concert, Soundrenaline 2008, touted as the biggest rock tour, will be held in five cities including Batam, Malang, Pakanbaru and Medan.
Homegrown bands such as Love Me Butch and Estranged will perform side by side with Indonesia`s popular bands such as Slank, Padi, Gigi and Nidji.
The event, which began yesterday, will also include newbies such as Marvells, Painkiller, Ran, Wali and Mulan Kwok. The concert ends on Aug 10.
“We are thrilled to be a part of this. It is something that we have been looking forward to since last year,” said Love Me Butch guitarist, Wing Meng.
“We do have fans in Indonesia and, hopefully, by performing there we can broaden our fan base,” he said.
The band also comprises Syarul Reza on vocals, Kevin Kong (bass) and Winder Singh (drums) and it will be performing in Pakanbaru and Medan on July 13 and 20.
It is set to play songs from its latest album This Is the New Pop including Barricade, Reconcile, Divine and Come Out.
“We wanted to play at last year`s event but we were unable to do so because of our schedule,” said Wing.
The theme of the concert is regional integration. It is in line with the organisers` plan of encouraging participation from other Asian bands.
“There will be other Asian bands performing there including Saw Losser from Singapore. Fans from both Singapore and Malaysia will be able to attend the concert since it will be held in Batam,” he said.
On why the concerts are not being held in major cities like Bandung, Bali and Jakarta, he said: “We are not losing out on anything. We are told that Medan and Pakanbaru have appreciative audiences. Furthermore, the organisers are planning to make the event as accessible as possible and means adding new places for the tour.”
With a string of great Indonesian bands performing, Love Me Butch is hoping to meet the fathers of Indonesian rock and roll, Slank.
“We are excited about meeting Slank. They are legends in Indonesia, just like what Search is to Malaysia,” he said.
Love Me Butch will be sharing the same stage with Kaka, Bimbim, Abdee, Ridho and Ivanka of Slank in Pakanbaru.
As for prepping themselves for the boisterous fans, the band members feel that they have what it takes to handle any crowd.
“We have performed at places that have a really rowdy crowd so it won`t be a problem for us,” he added. By : RADIN SRI GHAZALI
Source: http://www.nst.com.my (July 14, 2008)
