Tampin Ska Fest @ 7th Heaven Studio, Tampin N9

Half a review; because we only arrived for half the show. It's difficult to arrive on time when you sleep at 7 in the morning and the gig starts at 1.30pm..... in Tampin, Negeri Sembilan. Faham2 je lah.. :)

Went with Moe (the rest bailed on us!) on a mini roadtrip to the neighbouring state of N9, and met up with Nas below 7th Heaven studio at Tampin Square at around 5pm.


















By then 5 bands had already played, leaving only 4. Goddamit. But as long as we haven't missed Plague of Happiness, it's goooood! Chilled outside and tried to fit in with the crowd and gain some friendly looks, but all felt very estranged to me, it wasn't really an atmosphere where people were making you feel welcomed, sadly.

Went inside after a while and caught Orkeska, a band from our side of the country. All pictures prior to Geng Gemok Keji had been from far because I was just lingering in the back enjoying the music from far, and there was no proper stage so the band was playing on the floor, therefore the pictures of Orkeska and I See Dumb People were super crappy. But aside from that, Orkeska played a great set, of course playing their infamous cover of Monkey Man to end their prolonged set, with two encores included. :)



























Went back out for some fresh air; the lack of oxygen was similar to Grido Studio Kelana Jaya. Scary. Bought some stickers/CDs/Tshirt with Moe from the merch outside the studio and saw Akmal (TIM) and Apiz (C14). Was great to see friendly, familiar faces in a place of unknowns. I was already getting annoyed at this one guy who kept laughing and giving me dodgy looks with his friend.
After sitting a while, headed to catch I See Dumb People.

I only have one good shot of the vocalist but this guy has a super sultry voice and a good head for melodies! This band was a fluctuation between slow, berjoget-like ska to really fast paced ska-punk. I enjoyed the set, though I couldn't see the band members 1/2 the time.














Then as everyone cleared the room after the set, Moe and I went to the front when we got the chance and waited for Geng Gemok Keji as they set up. Was funny when Reshad was super surprised to see me there at Tampin. Yes I came! :D

Geng Gemok Keji was GOOD. After a long pause of not catching them perform since Grido Studio, I was well entertained by their set filled with toe-tapping happy guitars and
energized drumming. Yeah they were a little rusty here and there, but it was good, good music overall! :)

































































Paused for Maghrib Break and hell yesssss, it was time for PLAGUE OF HAPPINESS!!!! WHEEHOOOO! The one band that we came to see. There's not much to say that can describe them, they always put on a great show. Despite the fact that almost half of their members were not performing with the band today, the sound still rounded the room and filled the spirits with enthusiasm. Kids were jumping around, the sing-alongs raised through the ceiling, everybody was having a colossal amount of fun packed in a small tiny space.































However, what disappointed me was when I was having fun listening to them, when AGAIN I got felt up from the back. Similarly to Cherating Ska Fest, ALSO during Plague of Happiness' set. Furious, I turned around and saw the guy. It was the same bloody guy who was giving me looks outside the studio. Asshole. I would've punched him but Moe already held me back, knowing what was about to happen. Nevermind. Let it be. I waited until Nas finished playing the song, and went up to him. I whispered to him about what happened (Nas had wished I had told him at Cherating when it happened so I decided I would tell him this time). He gave me a serious nod, and immediately went to the microphone when he settled his guitar tuning.

[Translated to English, as much as I can remember]
"Okay everybody, listen up. We're all equal, girls and guys, we don't discriminate during our shows. Please take care of all the girls in the crowd and respect them, don't be a pervert and try to feel them up."
Crowd: OOooOOOOoohhh!!!

"No, guys, I'm serious about this, it's not a good thing, everyone's equal, don't try to mess around with anybody. Let's enjoy the show and make it a good one for all."

I could've kissed his face off. HAHAHA. Respect, Nas, thank you so much for the speech. I looked at the guy's face as he sat behind Nas, by the speakers. He did not look happy. Well too bad for you, asshole. Verbal confrontation in front of everybody is a lot more shameful than a punch in the face.

Aside from that, Plague of Happiness threw on a hell of a show, playing all the crowd favourites (though not mine :( I wanted Tiada Idea and Hypnotized!). All in all, one awesome set from one awesome band.































































A good day, a good roadtrip for Celine and Moe.

I Am David Sparkle LIVE in KL @ MAPKL Black Box Dutamas

*A note before I begin: The reason why there is no update on United Against Racism 3 is because I lost my camera that night, so all my pictures were lost, including my mood.*

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There is nothing better than going to a venue nearby your house to lean back on the walls and relax to pure post-rock. But the night turned out to be a lot more hectic for me than I planned. Was late to pick my friend up so we ended up missing Deepset, which almost broke my heart into millions of pieces; they were the reason I wanted to go in the first place. WHY DID THEY PLAY FIRSTTTT?

Came in time for the second act, another awesome band, Sphere. Started snapping pictures and realized I had left my memory card at home. Almost screaming in frustration, left the venue, sped to my house, grabbed the card, came back and Akta Angkasa was already playing their final song. Brilliant. That's three great bands in a row I missed.

This left me with only the final two. But that was enough to blow my mind anyway. :)

They Will Kill Us All. The comeback with Edwin as frontman is not a disappointing one. Sure we miss the hyped up, zoned out flair of Fizul and his despair-choked vocals but Edwin's sophisticated yet raw edge brings the band to a new height. His screams futile and his singing natural, TWKUA is not much different from where they last left off. Music still whole and rich, overflowing with emotions and tiptop arrangements, TWKUA played a set that killed any doubters of their reformation.






























































Hung out outside for a bit and chatted with the band members and friends who had all come for the event as the last act, I am David Sparkle, from Singapore set up and got ready to perform.






























































Then it was time for the final act, and the countdown to Haziq and Ezzart's birthday!!! :) An amazing set that fluctuated from soft and heavy. With sudden explosions of guitar and drums contrasting the minimalist plucking and delays, I Am David Sparkle was a journey through the milky way, the beating of a heart. It was a set that shook us inside out and had us feeling bare to our own emotions. The heavier tunes were lined with the crowd's emotions, the slow, ethereal tunes captivated me inside my own mind. A great set.





















































Wished Ezzart and Haziq happy birthdayyyy then went to Bestari to chill with Beatburns and gang!! :)














































Celine wishes these two loverlies a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. 19.12.2010.

Dance Punk Party Dec 2010 @ Palate Palette, KL

A Friday night in KL town, an upstairs lair of funky music pumping teen spirit around the streets of Jalan Mesui. Dance Punk Party @ Palate Palette was probably one of the most enjoyable yet.

Your glow sticks could redeem you a free drink. If your outfit was rad, you were the star of the night. It was all about good music and chique style, and no one better than PitaHati to open up a night as such.














PitaHati was a band that played a blend of indie rock/experimental, with dips to really dark and ambient tunes to hip and uber funky basslines. They consisted of a great bassist, a great guitarist and a great drummer. 3-pieced bands are known for being strangely great, and this again proved the point :) A really good choice in putting them first, it really got the crowd going, even if the electric did go off midway through their set. :P























































































It was a night of laughter, dancing, drinking, and just enjoying a night sans worry. Next up was Dance Punk Party's baby, Kaos Beat, who have been with us since the earliest shows. Always sounding different each time I catch them, their first song "Heaven" was enough to get the crowd bobbing around on their toes. Known for their absolutely lovestruck and heartbroken lyrics, Kaos Beat's music however spins an air of uplifting beats for the crowds to smile about.









































The atmosphere was filled with glee and complete euphoria and each band that came up to the stage were happily received by the crowd. Those with their own posies and fans such as Partimelovers and The Fridays played amazing sets, showing just how much they have learnt of their great potentials and strived for it. This DPP was a good step up for not only the organizer, my best friend, Jarrod, but also for the bands, who have all intensively improved since the last show.























































































































































































Next up: Enrai/Zeue/M.O.I.S.T! With the lack of practise and jamming sessions, I felt I screwed up Enrai's set big time, with all the rolling mistakes and all. The rest of the band were great, and Ija didn't forget his lyrics, but I pulled the band down, sorry duuudes!

























































Zeue was a new band I have never seen before but with familiar faces inside. :P Zul Partime Lovers changed and went from Joy Division to tennis player-style. HAHA. :P Super cute. A good small set by the good small band, would love to catch more of them.





























































M.O.I.S.T. I played better this time, but the tambourine decided to go all funny and attack me as I hit the high-hat. HAHA. A good short set, really enjoyed myself a lot better but still wished I didn't screw up as much. "Tuna" was once again the song to end our set with a few singalongs and lots of people moving to the music. :)

































































And finally Ben's Bitches was the last band and ended the night with a complete manic sense of liberty. The set where almost everybody in the crowd let go and went crazy. My tambourine ended up in the vocalist's hand as he screamed and yelled, almost CrimeScene-like. If I was drunk I would've mistakened him as Nobeat. HAHA. Ben's Bitches had an insertion of a female vocalist as well, and boy she was pretty good, screaming and screeching into the microphones. Really awesome tunes from the band again, but I usually prefer their set when Ben himself is singing..Haha.
Spent the last half an hour dancing to Xes Xes Loveseat's DJ tunes, sad to see the place to empty, for he spun some pretty awesome shiz. Headed to a mamak stall after chats about tattoos and Ariel Peterpan's porn-ness and all that. Ate, talked, laughed, went home, watched movies. Slepptttt.







































































































































Where did Celine put her dancing shoes?