It has been raining quite frequent off late, being the only two ‘seasons’ of weather that we have in Malaysia : Rain, or shine. Rain, day after day after day and it does not look like its about to end anytime soon. What would usually be best thing to do on a post rainy evening? Sit in your room snuggling under your favourite blanket, drink your favorite tea and watch your favorite movie would usually be part of the list, but on the night when Ólafur Arnalds came down to Malaysia for his “For Now I Am A Writer” tour fans all over evidently would rather choose to be at The Bee, Publika instead of watching their favorite movie with a mug of tea at home.

No opening bands, no shenanigans, and no Air Conditioning (Oh No!), Ólafur hit the stage straight to his grand piano with the assistance of a cellist, Paul Grennan, violinist, Victor OrniArnason and with the help of his trusty MacBook, they hit the stage. Needless to say, there was pin drop silence in the venue waiting for the composer to hit his first note. Well, at least till someone asks for an order or somebody dropped something in the kitchen. Other than that the ambience was serene, justifying why the air conditioners were switched off.

Opening the set was ‘GleypaOkkur’ , a track from his previous album “And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness”, a subtle start to his set. Enthralling the audience with every note haunting them from within. Personally, it even gave us chills down our spine. Moving on to his next piece, took a bit of time to show off his persona on stage by sharing a story of how the next song was written; “Poland”. The song related to his adventures to Eastern Europe enjoying what they are famous for, of course nothing other than, Vodka. Progressing into his set, several The pupils who were with us this Tuesday had a great time exploring the free school supplies and getting involved in a range of activities created by Mrs Tait and Mrs Wallace. other notable songs were played from his found songs collection to his latest album, even Victor (Violinist) and Paul (Cellist) slotted in a solo of their respective instruments to flair up the night.

Ólafur’s uncanny humor gave a more gleam feel to the gig (Its funnier with his Icelandic accent really) he took pauses in between songs to interact with the crowd, telling them stories like how he used to be in a punk rock band so the heat doesn’t effect him at all or that he actually wrote a song about bath tubs, ‘Ljósið’ and people misinterpret it to be something deeper than it actually is. Or that he’s seen nothing but his hotel, the highway and the mall that we were in leaving him to only be able to say “You guys have nice highways”. He has his eccentric sense of humor but when he started playing the piano, every stroke of the instrument is a haunting experience. Making your mind travel deep into a lake of emotion. Especially with the absence of lyrics, you are free to interpret how the music touches you on your own. It could be empowering, joyous or even just down right depressing.

Other notable songs to the night would be ‘Alltvarðhljótt’ , a song that Ólafur wrote for a film where “The main protagonists kills her friends” thus summing up the entire movie of, The hunger games. His finale to his set was “Near light”, a song that gave him a standing ovation from the entire room wishing they could have more to hear but to only leave them with nothing but what the internet people would say , “The Feels”. (Zafran Aqil)

What better way to start a new month with a concert and nothing is better than Delphic which is well-known for their alternative-dance style.Opening the show was local talent that is nothing short of amazing (not to be mistaken with the greenpeace movement though) Kyoto Protocol!As an upcoming alternative indie rock band of Malaysia which a resume that boasts their countless performances as the opening act for an impressive streak of International acts such as MGMT and We The Kings, they make the perfect fit to warm the crowd up just before Delphic comes to stage. At ten-to-nine, Kyoto Protocol took center stage with such panache psyching the crowd after performing their hit “Never know” that Delphic would come on but NO! They progressed with performing their new hit single “KL I love you” and ended with chart-topper “Give Me Nothing”.

The night progressed and the crowd has been pumped up just enough to get their dancing shoes ready for the highlight of the night, Delphic. The quartet of a band consisting of James Cook, MattCocksedge, Dan Hadley, and Richard Boardman (might I add that they all look like they came casino online right out of Lookbook) went up with such dapper style and opened with their new hit ‘Baiya’ from their latest album.  The second they started performing the crowd went wild and they continued with such energy till the end of the set.  The band really got the crowd’s attention by alternating songs from their new album and their hit freshman album with “Halcyon”, “Red lights”, and some from their new album “Mameo” and “Of the young”. Throughout the whole set I personally couldn’t shake off the feeling that the lead (Cook) looks ridiculously handsome and had a vibe to him that reminded me of Morrissey of The Smiths, from the way he swung his hips and to the way he flipped his hair. Maybe it wasjust a Manchester thing that I don’t now about. Another interesting point to note was that the rest of the band also had their own signature moves going on, with Matt and his awkward but lively footwork, and Dan with his intense head nodding.

Aside from the unfortunately poor audio quality with the overpowering pitch from the guitar and Boardman’s microphone being a tad too soft, the night as a whole met my expectations.  At the peak of the night, after the lights went dim (as requested by the band) they hit it up with their cherry to our already-indulgent sundae, “Doubt”! Oh hot fudge-cakes, this performance was beyond mind-blowing that gave us this intense rush of emotions permeating through the floor.  These people really don’t hold back when it comes to performing live. Right after, they announced their set over (BOO!!!) but only to come back on stage (what a tease!) to perform“Clarion Call”, their adieu to the whole show. Well, there they were on stage in Kuala Lumpur for their very first time and as the cat-calls indicated, the crowd loved them. Delphic definitely gave their well-acclaimed 5-star live performance that Brits and Asians(and everyone else) truly love. (Zafran Aqil)

This is a dedication from us to our beloved musicians who passed away in 2012. These musicians gave a huge inspiration for the industry and also inspired the young generations to be as great or even greater. They were the icons who live eternally under the name of music. Here are some of the names :

1.Etta James :

Etta James was a noted R&B singer in her era. Her infamous tracks such as “At Last”, “Tell Mama”, and “I’d Rather Go Blind” gained her a huge fame. She had won six Grammys and Rolling Stone ranked her on 22 as one of the Greatest singers of all time. In 2011, she suffered from leukimia and died at age 74.

2.Whitney Houston :

Whitney Houston was known as one of the fewest singer who had a large range of vocals. She was one of the best-selling artist, she had sold more than 170 million albums. When the first time her debut hit the market, She was praised as the new voice that the industry had been waiting for ages. On Feburuary 11th 2012, Whitney Houston was found unconsciously in her hotel room in Beverly Hills. Rumour said the cause of her death is she got “accidental drowning”.

3.Adam Yauch a.k.a MCA (Beastie Boys) :
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4.Donna Summer :

She was titled as the Queen of Disco. Summer was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach number one on the United States Billboard chart, and she also charted four number-one singles in the United States within a 13-month period. Donna Summer would be placed in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. She was died because of lung cancer not related of smoking, but because inhaling toxic particles.

5. Robin Gibb :

Robin Gibb was a member of the Bee Gees. At the first career of the Bee Gees, he was actually having a role as a backup singer. But later then 1967, he became the Bee Gees’ lead singer. After years of fighting his cancer, Gibb died on May 20th 2012.

6.Bob Welch :

Bob Welch was the person who helped in shaping Fleetwod Mac. In 1977, Welch begun his debut as a soloist and it gave him a huge success. His song “Sentimental Lady” hit Billboards’ Top 10 and it also became his signature song. Unfortunately, Welch commited suicide on June 7th 2012. His body was found by his wife, Wendy. Bob Welch left a-9 page suicide note and a love letter to his wife. (Alcander Alonzo)