New Zealand-based Ruban Nielsen has been making music for over a decade, switching between sounds and being an influence to a lot of artists coming after him, he is a shape shifting musician with a lot of changes the listeners of Unknown Mortal Orchestra has been accustomed to over the years.

“It is certainly out of this world, we didn’t believe it until we made the announcement. I know there’s been a lot of shows lately in 2018, with a lot of it seems like focusing on one type of music, we were trying to break that trend, we were trying to bring in an act that bears a lot of meaning and everyone can relate to at the end of the day. I’ve been listening to UMO since middle school, and it’s still all too real that 5 years later I’m organizing a show for them.”

Jakarta, December 7th 2017 – MD Live Production presented “Ayat Ayat Cinta in Concert with Live Orchestra – Colours of Love”, on Wednesday, December 20th 2017 at the Plenary Hall of Jakarta Convention Center together with Marygops Asia Group.

This spectacular music concert will meet four Indonesian Divas, Krisdayanti, Rossa, Raisa, and Isyana Sarasvati who will be telling us all about the meaning of Colours of Love in the form of songs and colorful harmonies on one stage, accompanied by 40 Piece Orchestra by Oni and friends, with a special performance by Payung Teduh.

The concept of “Ayat Ayat Cinta In Concert with Live Orchestra – Colours of Love” is a collaboration of four Indonesian Divas and the cast of Ayat Ayat Cinta 2 such as Fedi Nuril, Tatjana Saphira, Chelsea Islan, Dewi Sandra, Arie Untung dan Pandji Pragiwaksono, in one concert before the movie hits the cinema.

Don’t missed “Ayat Ayat Cinta in Concert – with Live Orchestra – The Colours of Love”, Wednesday, December 20th 2017 at the Plenary Hall of Jakarta Convention Center at 8 p.m.

For more information go to www.ayatayatcintainconcert.com

Morrissey concerts don’t come often enough around here. That is why it’s always a special thing to go to his gig. Here are seven ways you can prepare yourself for a special Morrissey concert

1. Dress like Morrissey

It’s not a secret that Morrissey has a unique style that has become his signature. His style also evolves as he got older, but every era are iconic. They were so iconic, the never went out of style. An oversized shirt or sweater and rolled up Levi’s if you’re a fan of The Smith era of Morrissey. Or a metallic golden shirt to resemble a more mature Morrissey might be the look for you, don’t forget to pop a button or two. Don’t forget to wear some thick specs to complete the whole Morrissey look.

2. Hairstyle of an icon

Morrissey’s style is iconic, but not as iconic as his hairstyle. He always managed to keep his hair up and neat. You have a week to master the look. Nothing a bit of hair gel can’t fix.

3. Move like Morrissey

What is the fun of going to a Morrissey concert without a little bit of dancing? Morrissey has one or two moves up on his sleeves that you can try. His groovy moves really are contagious, one look you can’t help but dance along. Remember it’s all about the hips, hands raising, and foot kicking. Although the kicking part may not be possible at the concert, but the other two are still doable.

4. Say whatever you want for once

Morrissey is known as someone who is comfortable in saying anything on his mind.  He is a man of many words, many poetic and honest words. Although sometimes it got him in trouble, at least he is honest. Have you been admiring Morrissey for being an outspoken person? Well it’s about time you try the full Morrissey experience.

5. Bang some Brit pop-rock classics to get you pumped!

Prepare yourself for some Morrissey classics with some other British pop-rock classics. Besides The Smiths, which is a must, there are a lot more bands that can get you pumped up and ready for Morrissey. Stone Roses and Oasis are two Brits pop-rock bands that were inspired by The Smith and Morrissey. Or maybe The Killers and Drowners might be another options.

6. Give yourself a pep talk

Morrissey concerts are always emotional. On the day of the concert, don’t forget to give yourself a pep talk. Prepare yourself physically and most importantly, emotionally. It’s going to be an emotional ride, but worth taking.

7. Bring a poncho!

Jakarta’s weather is teasing us these past few weeks. The rain comes and goes as it please. So  save yourself some trouble and pack up your most colorful poncho to brace the rain.

You have a week to prepare yourself for the big day! For tickets and more information go to kiosplay.

Since releasing their seventh and latest album “Junk” the electronic band from French has been on a world tour constantly. This follow up album of “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” has taken them all around the world, touring in the US, Europe, Asia, and the UK. Their live shows have been witnessed by so many people all around the world, with nothing but good reviews followed each and every shows. With festivals and headlines shows scheduled until November, we’re just happy their stopping by in Jakarta for a night of absolute fun!

The day started with heavy rain that covered Jakarta in small floods here and there. But we packed our colorful rain coats, put on our squeaky rain boots and braved the rain. We went to the concert and we can assure you, their show is one you should not miss! Especially with Bottlesmoker opening with their fun headpieces, we were keen to not let the rain stop us from having a great time despite the muddy aftermath.

Here are some of our favorite moments from that great night

1. Anthony Gonzalez and the gang explosive energy is contagious

The way they own the stage is a sight to behold. The multitalented members of the band switching from one instruments to another in full forces makes you a wee bit jealous on how talented they all are. Anthony’s synth and guitar skills were out of this world! Also, they way he and Jordan rocked those guitars together, man that was some mad performance.

2. Hearing all your favorite songs live is nothing short of a magical moment

Watching M83 plays your favorite songs while singing and clapping a long with them is a surreal moment. Not only you get to see your favorite number came to live but you get to share with other thousands of excited fans is exciting in a whole other level! “Midnight” never sounded so good!

3. Kaela Sinclair will give you a run for your money

The newest member of the band, who replaced long time member Morgan Kibby, have been stealing spotlights since she started touring with M83. Her soulful and powerful voice is not one to be missed! Her live version of “Oblivion” will make you weep with joy. Another crowd’s favorite is her version of Go! A red haired goddess she is.

4. Stage full of lightsabers

What is a live show without attractive staging and lights? M83 got you cover! Wave like lights in the background and Star Wars lightsaber look a like lights splattered all over the stage complement their music perfectly. Plus the colorful rainbow hue lights makes you feel like you’re in a Woodstock fest in a galaxy far far away.

5. You afforded the right to brag that you’ve been to an M83 concert

Tell all your friends, family, colleagues, what have you, that you have indeed been to an M83 concert and you are a living proof that will tell all the good things about going to an M83 concert. You went and witnessed the greatness of Anthony and you have earned your right to brag! Ps: you got your mud stained shoes to prove it.

Huge thanks to KiosPlay for kindly inviting M83 to Jakarta! We can’t wait to see what else they got in store for us.

Since their first visit to Jakarta in 2010, people have been screaming and begging for Tame
Impala to return. Fortunately for us, KiosPlay heard us loud and clear and invited the
psychedelic rock band from Australia to return on 29th April 2016. The long awaited comeback
concert was held at Lapangan Parkir Timur Jakarta, just big enough to accommodate every
hungry Tame Impala fans.! !
Since Tame Impala announced their show in Malaysia, everyone was on the edge of their seats
waiting to find out wether they will make their way to Jakarta or not. Soon enough, when
KiosPlay announced that they are indeed coming to Jakarta, everyone was ecstatic about the
wonderful news. ! !
We can just taste the anticipation in the air on the day of the concert. Everyone starts lining up
as early as 3 pm. Although the waiting did not go without a glitch, when it started to rain two
hours before the gate was supposed to open, everyone still got their spirits up and braved the
rain (dedication on point!). When the gate eventually opened, the venue was quickly filled by
over 5000 excited crowds waiting to see their favorite band on stage. Little did they know they’re
going to witness an explosive performance from Kevin and the gang.

Barasuara started the night on a high note! The energetic drum beats and bass line combined
with beautiful harmonies from all three vocalist, gets the crowds going. You might think having
three vocalists would be too much, but they have proven it to be just the right amount. They
managed to create a perfect blend of feminine and masculine tones, therefore creating a unique
harmony. The heart pounding drum beats also caught attention, mainly because it was done so
effortlessly like it was no big deal. Also great stagemenship by Iga, telling the crowds how he
met Kevin Parker the first time Tame Impala came to Jakarta and how six years later, he’s
opening for Tame Impala. Overall, Barasuara gave a banging performance and a great warm up
for everyone.

After Barasuara left the stage, a bunch of Tame Impala crew in white lab coats, Tame Impala
scientist as we call it, prepared the stage for the lads. Then, it was time for the Tame Impala to
finally take the stage. The crowds went nuts when they start projecting trippy ‘Tame Impala’
signature light on to the stage and every member took their place followed by Kevin Parker.
throwing friendly waves. They begin the night with a 7 minutes piece from their latest album ‘Let
It Happen’. As they got to the second chorus, confetti was shot through the air. We got the first
glimpse of how explosive the night’s going to be.

The bare footed Kevin Parker greeted the crowds saying about how good it is to finally be back
in Indonesia and how they haven’t forgotten about us, which was responded by cathartic
screams. Indeed it was a special comeback.
The night continued with them playing a great balance of songs from all albums. After releasing
‘Currents’ summer last year, Tame Impala has been broadening up their set list. Playing new
favorites like the mellow ‘ Yes, I’m Changing’, the soulful ‘ ‘Cause I’m A Man’ and the disco funk
vibe ‘ The Less I Know The Better’ they have attract new fans and kept the old ones happy.
Other than songs from their latest album, they also played us some Tame Impala classics, like
the groovy ‘Mind Mischief’, the tempo roller coaster ‘ Apocalypse Dreams’ and who can forget
the heavily effected ‘Elephant’, the little drum solo Julien did at the end was enough to get the
crowds cheering for more!

One hour passed and it’s encore. The bittersweet part of every concert. Tame Impala treated us
with two songs of their two latest albums. The first one was everyone’s favorite and another
Tame Impala classic, ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’. Kevin’s high notes, attractive bass
line and drumbeats easily made it a crowd pleaser and it’s even better live. And they finally bid
us goodbye with another favorite from ‘Current’, ‘New Person, Same Old Mistakes’. The mellow
vibe of this song and Jay’s intro made it the perfect farewell song. Kevin finally said his
goodbyes, thanking the crowds for sticking with them. With another confetti canon, Tame Impala
left the stage leaving us in awe and smile on our faces. It was definitely the comeback everyone
was hoping for and more.
Special thank you to KiosPlay for inviting Tame Impala back to Jakarta! KiosPlay next event will
be M83 on May 21st 2016.

Hailing from a land of female electro-pop aficionados, Lydmor is the next rising act. After having her first album, “a pile of empty tapes” release in 2012 and another one in the works, we were privileged to see her live at The Bee, Publika on the 16^th of October as the onset of her first Asian tour.

Lydmor (Real name Jennifer Rossander) kicked off her show with “Electric Mistress” – dauntlessly stepping up the electro-pop flow of the night. Initially the crowd was pretty mundane, having an invisible barrier between them and the songstress. Maybe it was the lack of anticipation from a fresh face in the scene but as soon as Jenny hit the stage, fiddled around with her laptop and sang the first note; raw emotion was simply oozing out through each song. It’s a light pleasure at how Jenny gives a brief description before most of her songs in the set – like a header of a story about to be told. From sad songs about “presents being returned” and “angry songs about angry people” its as though we were stepping into the phase of life when the song was written, and the beauty of it all is that she just adds her own musical chops while cohering them with electro dance tunes, accompanied by her serene vocals, it creates a cozy ambiance where she could connect and have a deeper musical experience together with the crowd.

The deep connection was more prominent halfway through Lydmor’s set as she chilled down and dedicated songs to her boyfriend, Andreas from Helmet Compass.  Covering “Drugs in my pocket” as an acoustic piece. Singing from the heart isn’t an easy thing to do, but when achieved the lyrics go beyond their words, and having Andreas in the room with her made it all more prominent. Picking casino it back up later with “Lampost light”, no longer was the crowd shy as it began, the void between stage and audience was gapped and fancy footwork was seen around till the end of her set. It’s hard not to get captured by Jenny’s eccentric movements on stage as she performs – how she gracefully but yet awkwardly sways her way between synthesizers and keyboard, flailing her arms around synchronizing to the melody of the songs, and how she generally occupies what little of the stage there was.

Wrapping up the night with fan favorite “Youth”, Jenny bolts down from the stage striding across the floor singing parts of it on top of a table across the room, ending her set poles apart from how it began. Her traits as a musician is really what constitutes a great performer, making Lydmor an upcoming act not to be missed and with another album to be released, we’re truly excited to see how far she matures with her music.

One of our most favourite things to do in 2013 is seeing a live show! Everyone has their own version of ‘The best concerts in 2013’, so we also have it. Unlike last year’s list (we only listed ten concerts in Indonesia), this year we also listed shows in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. In case you missed all of these shows, you still can catch some highlights that we had this year! Here is our “Concerts of The Year”!

10. The Cribs

What would you expect from an all out rock concert? Mosh-pits, wailing fans, blood and the undeniable alcohol would all fit in the ensemble. That it was, The Jarman brothers brought out their persona on stage during their Payola tour stop in Malaysia in a rawness that enthralled their fans, not shy of anything. Ranging from broken instruments to rowdy fan-boys barraging through barriers rummaging across the bands equipment. Everything you would list down to happen at a rock concert happened, not shy of anything. No filters to the band, making everything as real as possible to serve the ideology of the band, “We play every show like our last”. Undoubtedly ending their ‘Payola Tour’ with their highest grace, leaving an everlasting impression. With no filters, the entire experience to The Cribs Payola Tour definitely left a mark of excellence and to justify it as that, would be an understatement.

Venue : The Bee
Promoter : Upfront
Full Review : The Cribs Live in Kuala Lumpur

9. The Kooks (Road To Big Sounds Festival)

Luke (and the band) totally performed a good communicative skills to the crowd and his pampered dance. For song “Seaside”, he did an acoustic solo and followed by a crowd’s choir to the song, it was a pretty smooth move. Hugh Harris’s vocal also strongly shone and balanced the performance. The singing along’s session still much happening for the rest of the songs, especially for “How’d Ya Like That”, “Sway”, “Shine On”, and “Do You Wanna”. After performing “Do You Wanna”, the encore’s typical shout out was cheered massively, the crowd seemed still hungry since the band had not performed their hit songs from their previous albums. After shouting for a couple of times, the band returned to the stage again then played the riff of “Junk Of the Heart”. The crowd went into a jiggling-machine and bobbing their heads to the song. Without having a time to catch a breathe, the band played their hit-maker song, “Naïve”, which was the icing of the show. The Kooks totally nailed the night and they surely knew how to make it “big” for “Road To Big Sound Festival”. Despite the fact of the not so crowded, Road To Big Sound Festival has given us something what the young listeners have been waiting for a long time.

Venue : Tennis Indoor Senayan
Promoter : Dyandra Entertainment
Full Review : The Kooks, Delphic, and The Radio Dept : All In One for Jakarta!

8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Lovegarage 2013)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs! Not try to repeat the headliner’s name, but that was our straight expression after experiencing the band’s live set. Karen O, Nick Zinner, and Brian Chase had crushed the Lovegarage’s crowd into pieces. By the time Nick Zinner and Brian Chase stepped on to stage, the crowd exploded their throath and even became a huge explosive when Karen O, the super front woman, hopped in and screamed “Jakarta! – Indonesia! Yeah Yeah Yeahs!”. Karen O did the deepthroath to mic (literally), screamed, danced crazily, she did all of the craziest stage acts that a frontwoman would never do. When ‘Date With The Night’ was performed, we knew it’ll top any kind of stage acts that she did in the earlier set. it really put a cherry on top of their final act. Yeah Yeah Yeahs totally pulled the night off and shook Jakarta. Got a chance to witness Karen O’s stage act was something that worth it, since we knew the band almost made it to Jakarta on their “It’s Blitz” tour in 2010, but for some reason it didn’t happen.

Venue : EX Park
Promoter : Future 10 & Ismaya Live
Full Review : http://www.svanapaper.com/a-date-with-yeah-yeah-yeahs/

7. Mew (Guinness Arthur’s Day Jakarta)

The show was humble and down to earth. Without any trippy visual treatment on the screen, Mew put us into one of the best Saturday nights that anyone could have. Songs like ‘Special’, ‘ The Zookeeper’s Boy’, ‘Snow Brigade‘, ‘She Spider’, Am I Wry? No’, and ‘156’ had changed the venue into a karaoke party in a larger scale. For the encore, Mew had ‘Comforting Sounds’. The beautiful intro, deep meanings, and simply one of the best ballad songs from a prog-rock band to date, made the night into an epic closure. To make the moment calmer, some of the crowd (which we found out that they were Indonesian Frengers, the local fan base of Mew) blew soap-bubbles to the air, the gloomy and mellow mood quickly sprang as the songs fused in with the crowd’s emotion. The addition of confetti also gave a touch of dramatic ending. Without some trippy visuals that they used to have, they were still able to shine us out with their humble performance and a carefully-crafted setlist. It pulled everything together in an magical way. In short, Mew did beauty. It was definitely not Mew’s first time show in Indonesia, but no matter how often they’ll be here, it will always be the fans’ pleasure to welcome them back.

Venue : JIExpo Kemayoran
Promoter : Guinness ID
Full Review : Mew, One Republic, and Club 8 Dropped the Balls at GAD 2013

6. Tame Impala (Laneway Festival Singapore)

Photo by Dawn Chua c/o Chugg Entertainment

Tame Impala’s set at Singapore’s Laneway Festival 2013 was one of the most-anticipated set during the festival. At the time, Lonerism has just grabbed most of the music blog’s “album of the year” title. So that is why people were flocking at their stage, even before their set was even started. We’ve seen Tame Impala once before, but this time, they’re taking their game into the next level. They kicked the gig with “Solitude Is Bliss”, and it seems like the meadow’s green grass has elevated during the intro of the song. They played “Endors Toi”, “Elephant”, “Feels Like We’re Going Backwards”, and they closed the set with “Half Full Glass of Wine”. Even though Gotye was due to perform after them, most of the crowd had left the venue, with a joyous smile on their faces. Because Tame Impala has filled the crowd’s “Half Full Glass of Expectations”.

Venue : Garden By The Bay
Promoter : Laneway
Full Review :Soak Up The Sound At Laneway Festival 2013

5. Linkin Park

Mondays may not be a lot of people’s favourite, it’s the first day of the week and the mediocrity stains throughout the nine-to-five schedule. Yet the Monday on August 19th 2013 was a different story. There were approximately 20,000 people, of which 5000 of it travelled overseas just for this live event, waiting eagerly for the day to come. After precisely a decade for the legends to come back to the land of multi-ethnicity in South East Asia, Linkin Park exclusively came back to yet again amuse the audience. Linkin Park made their fans to sing till their lungs out as they performed their topnotch songs, such as ‘Faint’, ‘Given Up’ ,With You’, and ‘Somewhere I Belong’. Needless to say, Linkin Park live in Malaysia 2013 is among one of the best performances any band could ever deliver. The energy, the music, and the chemistry is one of those substance that can never be engineered as precisely and immaculately. Next time a Linkin Park concert comes play, even if you need to fly over to watch it, do it. The experience is worth the expense. We walked in the stadium as a fan, but walked out as a straight-up LP soldier.

Venue : Stadion Bukit Jalil
Promoter : The Wonderland +
Full Review : A Decade for an Encore: Linkin Park Live in Malaysia 2013

4. Blur (Big Sound Festival)

No one would forget what happened at Lapangan D Senayan on May 15th 2013. Especially if you’re a major fan of British music. Blur, one of the lineups for Big Sound Festival (BSF) made their fans’ surreal dreams come true. Blur jammed the nineteen songs just like it was their first time to pump the crowd, even though they have become wiser in age, they still know how to captivate these songs, sounding as great as how a legendary band should be. Witnessing Blur in Jakarta, where A-list bands don’t come too often, is another reason why you should be in for a whole lot of woe if you didn’t catch their live performance. We witnessed most of the crowd having glassy-eyed and even cried when the show ended. Knowing Blur also felt happy with the crowd has proved that Jakarta has one of the best crowd that the band have been performing to. Whether they will come back to Jakarta or not, they have dropped one hell of a good show. Let us all cross out ‘Blur’ from our ‘Artists That You Have To See Before You Die’ list.

Venue : Lapangan D Senayan
Promoter : Dyandra Entertainment
Full review : Big Sound Festival : A Surreal Dream Has Come True

3. Weezer

Photo by Agung Hartamurti / Deathrockstar.com

In November 2012, the rumour of Weezer’s show in Jakarta had been growing rapidly on the social media as Weezer posted “Jakarta!” on their facebook page. And finally, the rumour didn’t stay as a rumour, it came true!. On January 8th 2013, Weezer made their Jakarta debut. The set was pretty amazing and very captivating. With Rivers’ ability in entertaining the crowd (and his ability to speak in some Indonesian words) were getting a good credit. The concert itself was divided into two segments; The Greatest Hits and The Blue Album. When a break to the second part of the show, Karl Koch, the manager and long life buddy who have been with the band for about twenty one years put his slot of Weezer’s journey with a title “Karl’s Corner” which was the best supplement for Weezer’s avid fans of course. A great long set and the surprises put the fans into their very best moment of their life. By seeing how the band got a great feedback from the Indonesian Fans last night, we totally are sure that the band has found the second home and hoping they would be back soon for another show. As Rivers Cuomo said before he left the stage “Sampai Jumpa!”

Venue : Lapangan D Senayan
Promoters : Asia Live Entertainment, Marygops Studios, Blackrock Entertainment, and Star D Pro
Full Review : Weezer did a historical night in jakarta

2. Sigur Ros

Photo by irockumentary.com

Sigur ros have visited Singapore and Malaysia for their first time right 6 months before this Jakarta gig, and there are lots of Jakarta’s post rock aficionados who came to our neighboring countries and witness the beauty of Sigur Ros’ music. That’s the reason why this concert doesn’t drew the same attention to Jakarta’s Indie enthusiasts when the promoter and the band announced the gig date in January. But still, this is the band who is capable of producing one of the best melodies on Earth. So that’s why thousands of people came to Istora Senayan on May 10th, 2013. They opened the gig with a huge visualization and mesmerizing lighting setups. They played a setlists consists of some brand new tracks from their recent albums, Kveikur and Valtari, and some classics such as Hoppipolla, Olsen Olsen, Festival, and Saeglopur. They closed the gig with Popplagid followed with a long applause and satisfied smile from the attendance. That night, Sigur Ros have transformed Istora Senayan into a some kind of new, beautiful world that nobody’s ever dreamt of.

Venue : Istora Senayan Jakarta
Promoter : FLUX&PLAY

1. Metallica

Metallica’s show in Jakarta broke some of the records of Indonesia’s concerts. A couple of weeks before the show, people worried the terrible things that happened to the band’s show (in Jakarta) in 1993 would happen again, but thankfully it didn’t. With a very organized system from the promoters, the show, which took place at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, became one of the most successful (and also the biggest) concerts, which has been held in the last 10 years. Metallica blackened the stadium, they heated up the metal heads, and they definitely rocked the nation. Half of 20,000 festival class tickets were sold within few days after the ticket box opened. About 54,000 tickets were quoted on sale, more than half capacity of Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium. On August 25th 2013, People dressed in black, mostly wearing metal band t-shirts, were packing the venue since 2 pm. They came from all over the country to celebrate the ‘National Metal Day’ that day ames Hetfield, Kirk Hammet, Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo hit the stage with a bang and all of sudden screams were exploded to the open-air. Everybody was quiet yet amused. After they played some of their songs such as ‘Fuel’, ‘Ride The Lightning’, and ‘Kill ‘Em All’. then Hetfield said “Jakarta, do you feel it?? I know you see it, I know you hear it. But DO YOU FEEL IT? Now here, I know you know every word of the song… CYANIDE!” and the crowd exploded in shouts once more. Metallica never seems aged. They still had constant power and energy since they started the concert until its finish. That was probably the reason why we choose as our Concert of The year! They make other concerts in 2013 seems not so enthusing!

Venue: Gelora Bung Karno Stadium
Promoter: Blackrock Entertainment
Full Review: Metallica Live in Jakarta : It’s National Metal Day!

We all knew that Phoenix were about to have a show in Jakarta since someone posted a screen capture of Phoenix’s latest tour list on Twitter, but it was “who will be the promoter” that will bring them to town. So, after all of the rumours spread out, Ismaya Live tweeted an official statement on their Twitter that the Versailles-based band will be the headliner of Love Garage 2014 on January 17th 2014, “@IsmayaLive : #confirmed PHOENIX for #LOVEGARAGE14 in Jakarta 17th Jan 2014. It’s definitely gonna be a great ENTERTAINMENT!! cc: @IsmayaLive @future10”.

Phoenix will kick of their tour in 2014 by visiting Osaka on January 12th. And this will be the Versailles-based band’s second time to have a show in Jakarta, their first was on August 1st 2009 at Bengkel Night Park (now Potato Head Garage). Phoenix are an alternative rock band from French who were formed in 1999, the band consist of Thomas Mars, Deck d’Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz. The band have released five studio albums and one of them won The Grammy Award in 2010 for ‘Best Alternative Music Album’ by defeating Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Depeche Mode, Death Cab For Cutie, and David Byrne and Brian Eno.

According to Ismaya Live, Love Garage 2014 will have another names to be announced and the tickets will be on sale on November 9th. The first presale is IDR 490.000, second presale is IDR 590.000, and the normal price is IDR 690.000. The festival will also bring up “Love Can Save the Universe” as their theme for next year.

In the previous years, Love Garage had Two Door Cinema Club, Royksopp, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs to headline the annual festival, and Ismaya Live are promising the 2014’s Love Garage will be bigger that the last editions and will take place at EX’s Park.
Well, we have got our clams ready to welcome Phoenix in Jakarta!

10 years have passed since the formation of The Cribs, and finally after hair raising wait, on the 11^th of November fans across town eagerly wait to ache their necks for some intense head bopping. Lights grew dim and pedal board effects began permeating the floor. Opening act, Free Deserters began the show with intense pedal board effects to capture everybody’s attention as soon as they hit the stage. Accentuating the “melodic noise” that led them to be one of the ‘Artists Of The Week’ for MTV IGGY, the psych pop band really got the floor going with their new compositions, with some notable songs, “Grace”, “Dissapear” and “Easier Said Than Sung”. Zack (Vocals), Eric (Bass), Ari (Drums) and Brendan (Lead Guitar) glue together to allure the crowd with the “Intense live shows” they’re known for.

Regardless of the hour interval between acts, The Cribs were no stranger to pumping up the crowd. Entering the stage with the grungy suave that the crowd went ballistic cheering for, Ryan, Gary and Ross Jarman opened with ‘Chi-Town’. Known for their indie-rock style the band really dressed the part. Long untamed hair, skinny jeans, raggedy torn up t-shirts and bursting enthusiasm was all part of their act. After ‘I’m A Realist’, and “You Were Always The One” the floor couldn’t help them selves to throw in a mosh-pit frenzy. Acknowledging the energy of the crowd, the band of brothers, along with a temporary guitarist replacing Johnny Marr’s parts took casino a moment to introduce them selves. After professing their love for the crowd and the country, ‘Cheat On Me’ continued their set.

To set the mood for what’s next, lights were switched off by request of Ryan, prior to them playing ‘To Jackson’. Brilliantly illuminating the crowd with their music, ‘Mirror Kissers’ and ‘Another Number’ hit next, accompanied by dozens of camera flashes bouncing off the walls. Nothing was filtered with the band, if Ryan wanted to jump play on the speakers, he did, if he wanted to smash everything in Music Justin justin-bieber-news.info music Baby is the first of its single brought him immense popularity and the love of millions of girls who today for his sake are ready for anything. his way, he did along with the rest of the band channeling through their energy. Improvising from the absence of Lee Ronaldo (Sonic Youth), “Be Safe” took the darkness to a vantage point. Regardless that Lee was replaced with a projector, it was nothing short of amazing.

After having a short conversation amidst their set, ‘Hey Scenesters’ took back the crowd, “Turn off the lights! Its too bright to do anything!” exclaimed Ryan in agony after the song was done. What shockingly came after was exclusive to the eyes of those who were in front. Right before ‘Mens’ Needs’ the lead guitarist smashed his glass of whiski and laid down on the shattered glass, cutting himself with the shards. Without faltering he continued with ‘City Of Bugs’, giving the crowd every ounce of energy he had. Grazing microphone stands against guitar frets and using drumsticks as bass picks were mere fraction to whatever was going on stage. After a mind raping performance, nothing on stage was what it originated to be. Bass’s stuck up the walls, microphones on the ground and guitars smashed against speakers, you name it, it happened.

Ranging from broken instruments to rowdy fan-boys barraging through barriers rummaging across the bands equipment. Everything you would list down to happen at a rock concert happened, not shy of anything. No filters to the band, making everything as real as possible to serve the ideology of the band, “We play every show like our last”. Undoubtedly ending their ‘Payola Tour’ with their highest grace, leaving an everlasting impression.

(Photos : Shamsul S)

Upfront ends the year 2013 with exciting acts lined up for KL indie music lovers, starting in October : Ra Ra Riot from New York on 26th October, UK’s The Cribs on 11th November and Canadian multi-­‐instrumentalist and multimedia artist, Mac Demarco on 9th December.

The Cribs are an English three-­piece indie rock band originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The band consists of twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and their younger brother Ross Jarman. They were subsequently joined by ex-­‐The Smiths and Modest Mouse guitarist Johnny Marr who was made a formal member of the group in 2008. Marr would remain as part of the band until

In 2008, Q magazine described the band as “The biggest cult band in the UK”. In 2012, the bands 10th anniversary year, they were honored with the ‘Spirit of Independence’ award at the annual Q Awards. Several months later, they received the prestigious ‘Outstanding Contribution to Music’ award at the annual NME Awards.

The Cribs :8pm, 11th November 2013, RM 98 ( presale ), RM 128 at The Bee, Publika

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at both outlets of The Bee in Publika and Jaya One and Rock Corner, Bangsar Village.

Upfront is a series of intimate live music shows created by The Bee to bring fans closer to their favourite bands on stage. As the name implies, it is as exclusive and up close as one can get during a live performance. Upfront will feature artists and bands from an eclectic range of genres, from the indie to the mainstream, establishing The Bee as a hub for the music and creative arts scene.

Upfront at The Bee

Upfront ends the year2013 with exciting acts lined up for KL indie music lovers, starting in  October : Ra Ra Riot from New York on 26^th October :

Hailing from Syracuse, New York, indie rock band Ra Ra Riot received blog buzz and press acclaim for their debut album ‘The Rhumb Line’. Now promoting their third album, Ra Ra Riot has recreated themselves on Beta Love, a collection of giddy pop sinfs that pull inspiration from Futurist Ray Kurzweil among others.

Find your ‘Beta Love’ at Upfront presents Ra Ra Riot on Saturday, 26th October 2013 as they will performing their delectable tunes of indie rock and chamber pop combined.

Presale : RM 78
At the door : RM 98

Get 20% off on Ra Ra Riot tickets using a Mach by Hong Leong Bank Debit or Credit Card (only available at The Bee outlets)

Tickets are on sale at these outlets:
- The Bee outlets (Jaya One and Publika)
- Rock Corner Bangsar Village 1

Upfront

Upfront is a series of intimate live music shows created by The Bee to bring fans closer to their favourite bands on stage.As the name implies, it is as exclusive and up close as one can get during a live performance. Upfront will feature artists and bands from an eclectic range of genres, from the indie to the mainstream,establishing The Bee as a hub for the music and creative arts scene.

An hour before the set was scheduled to start, the stadium seemed post-apocalyptic. Though when seeing the entrance gates, theplace was packed with a massive line of soldiers brimming with maximum anticipation. Then as the gates were open, they all marched at once to get to the best row they could possibly access, some were even sprinting in the midst of a mild drizzle. The sight didn’t stop until the set started, the band was barely in sight but the cheering could’ve filled the whole stadium. After a tardy 40-minutes halt before the concert started, the stage finally showed signs of life with a video campaign of the band’s latest Music for Relief programme, PowerTheWorld.org as Powerless was playing. By then, the crowd was already skipping heartbeats.

The first track to open the night was ‘Faint’, even after only seconds, Linkin Park made it clear that their set would be epic. ‘Papercut’ was then played, followed by Brad being in the spotlight and started the first chords to ‘Given Up’ beneath a star-studded lighting.  Mike Shinoda then expressed how good it is to be back, continuing the set with ‘With You’ where DJ Joe Han spinned some mix. ‘Somewhere I Belong’ was shadowed with the applause of the audience all the way from the bleachers to the front rows as Chester screamed ‘‘Sama-sama Malaysia! Thank you very much, we miss you guys. I wanna hear all you guys sing along with us’’, and boy, did we sung. ‘New Divide’ was up next, and the stage was decorated from the controversial visualizations from the video. ‘Victimized’, ‘Points of Authority’ and ‘Lies Greed Misery’ were next in the playlist, the setlist design was impeccable, and the older and newer songs were fused in so intimately that the flow of the whole concert was faultless.

‘Waiting for the End’ was followed by ‘Breaking the Habit’, where frontman Chester Bennington sang intensely and seemed out of place when he stayed at one spot (you see, during the one and a half hour set, it was impossible for him to stop moving around the stage, which was quite an entertainment), pursued by ‘Castle of Glass’, their most recent single from their latest album Living Things. A personal favourite highlight of the their flawless set was the three-way mash-up of ‘Leave Out All The Rest’, ‘Shadow of the Day’ and ‘ Iridescent’, where the lightings gradually brightens up the stage hitting an utmost symphonic satisfaction. Two of the newer singles, ‘The Catalyst’ and ‘Lost in the Echo’ was delivered afterwards. The climax and the long-awaited ‘Numb’ was finally performed, convoyed with thousands of enthusiastic fanatics singing along and air-punching along to each and every beat. Stadium-venued  concerts have always had the anthemic and legendary feel compared to normal staging, where a band as regal as Linkin Park fit perfectly into the scene. ‘What I’ve Done’ was then next, followed with a closing song of One Step Closer, which sadly marks one step closer to the end of the glorious gig and the diamond-like lightings turned to abyss.The audience was still keen to demand for an encore even when the stage was desolated. The chants were showing no signs of stoping, and that was where Linkin Park made another entry back to the stage to fulfil the dynamic dreams of oh so many people. ‘Burn It Down’ and the band’s favourite song ‘In The End’ was played, then the whole set was finalized with an ambitious performance of ‘Bleed It Out’ with the crowd jumping and used up all the energy left, ‘every ounce of it’. Though the show was coming to an end, the band announced that the Malaysian gig was their last one for this year, and rest assured, soldiers, these six talented musicians are on the heave to work on new music!

Needless to say, Linkin Park live in Malaysia 2013 is among one of the best performances any band could ever deliver. The energy, the music, and the chemistry is one of those substance that can never be engineered as precisely and immaculately. Next time a Linkin Park concert comes play, even if you need to fly over to watch it, do it. The experience is worth the expense. We walked in the stadium as a fan, but walked out as a straight-up LP soldier.