Bringing Life Back to Live Performances [FEATURE]

Inspired by the community-based and decentralised nature of Record Store Day, #HariGigKebangsaan aims to reinvigorate another form of physicality in music - live gigs.

WHAT IS #HARIGIGKEBANGSAAN? Hari Gig Kebangsaan (National Gig Day), or HGK, is a day where live venues and media from around Malaysia celebrate the importance of live performances by organizing their own gigs with diverse lineups. 10 & 11 April 2021 is the inauguration of HGK. The very first of its kind in Malaysia, with no genre discrimination (based upon my narrow research of course, a quick search doesn't bring up any National Gig Days). Scroll to the bottom for the full gig list! Go to www.tapau.asia/hgk and make it your close friend this weekend for live gigs! Although the pandemic is still looming over many of us in the creative industry making live events difficult, #HariGigKebangsaan wants to preserve the significance of these small live venues (while still complying with SOPs, of course) by creating something in the spirit of Record Store Day. Like Record Store Day, there is no central body organizing this celebration. Just a hashtag and a list of cool events to bring life back to live performances. WHY GIGS?

When the pandemic hit and brought about the closure of live venues across Malaysia, the gig culture was already dying. This opinion might be hard to substantiate from the outside - considering that the sales of huge festivals or international acts were relatively on the rise (at least based on this rundown by MyCreative back in 2017), which indicates on the surface a thriving ecosystem. But the ecosystem of Malaysian music, or any cultural scene, cannot simply be limited to the large machines of mainstream exposure. Any dominant aspect of any industry is simply the sturdier branch of a much larger tree; its roots lie deep within the underground that gives it sustenance. Those roots are the independent scene. Independent, alternative, outsider or underground - whatever term floats your boat - the scene is where new bands, musicians and artists are born. Every performer starts somewhere, finding their footing on smaller stages before heading to the big leagues, or even avoiding the big leagues altogether - catering to the community of people who are looking for something different.

These smaller stages are disappearing. For every jam-packed gig at a small venue, many more are barely breaking even, barely surviving. There are so many factors to this; some of which include purchasing power and other economic variables pushing people to only spend on things they KNOW they’ll enjoy, the availability of easier alternatives for exploring new music like social media and streaming platforms, inaccessible urban planning, visibility, etc. What seems to be true is that it’s just not cool to just go to gigs for the sake of going to gigs anymore. We’re not talking about people who are already music enthusiasts - this is about the soul of the wider society. What we choose to cherish as people. “What we need is a trigger”, said Faris of TAPAUtv. “Like Kami [a 2008 film about indie music] was the catalyst for many people to see the independent music scene for what it is. The fact that it was shown on mainstream channels, where people can stumble upon these things. Now we’re up against algorithms that pull you into the same circle of friends and interests, leaving little space to explore and truly branch out. Where indie bands trying something new are expected to fight against the huge presence of influencers and established artists in the same space”. Faris’s idea of having #HariGigKebangsaan has been brewing for quite a while. But with the pandemic accelerating the disappearance of many venues, this now feels like a now or never thing. “We don’t know when things are gonna go back to normal. We can’t wait too long”, said Faris, with the quiet urgency of a doctor talking about an ICU patient. In essence, #HariGigKebangsaan is an initiative to bring independent music closer to society. So much of what we do in the arts and music scene is separated from public spaces. As though things like gigs or galleries are only reserved for those in the know - creating false perceptions of “elitism” or “exclusivity”. The truth is so many vibrant music scenes around the world come to life because they seep into spaces people already go to. Even if they also experience their own problems of gentrification and unsustainability (just google the number of venues closed around the worldrecently), live bands, buskers, open mics remain a norm and exist as cultural spaces, not just opportunities for commercialisation. “There is no drinking culture in Malaysia, and even if there is, this is not the old days of unknown bands popping up at bars and changing everyone’s night anymore”, said Faris, as we half-jokingly explored the idea of having open mics at mamaks during a conversation we had in an intimate forum organized by Zhafirin of Bawah Tanah Rasmi. The hard truth is not really about the drinking. The truth is that music only becomes truly present in a society when it’s not just a private experience (or an expensive public one). It becomes present when it’s so ubiquitous, that it’s hard to ignore. Whether it's a group of punk kids walking in Ipoh to get to a gig space or indie hipsters crowding The Bee, Hari Gig Kebangsaan wants to honour all of that, across all stripes. “Everything is rushed and last minute this year. But hey, it’s better to start now and learn from our mistakes. What matters is that we make this work. We had such low expectations because of COVID-19, like maybe 10 people would join the hashtag and promote the posters. But now we have around 20”. “#HGK is about reminding people that gigs are important not just because of the music or seeing your favourite bands perform. We gotta stop just going to concerts of bands we already know. Gigs should be places where you have entirely new experiences, new discoveries. They can be places for you to meet new like-minded friends. The kind of friendships you can’t make over merely sharing things on Spotify or YouTube or whatever. Maybe gigs can be where they start their own romantic indie love story. Or find a possible lifelong partner. Who knows?”, laughed Faris. Follow the hashtag #HariGigKebangsaan to see venues with live shows near you. Please be reminded that these venues are compliant with current COVID-19 S.O.P.s so there will be lower capacity limits, social distancing, mask requirements. You can also check the list below for gigs:

HGK CONFIRMED GIGS (WITH FULL DETAILS)

10/4/2021 (SATURDAY)

1. S.O.G. LIVE IN ANGKASA (AN INTIMATE SHOW) oleh ANGKASA EVENT SPACE / Lineup: SEKUMPULAN ORANG GILA / Lokasi: ANGKASA EVENT SPACE, Bandar Sri Permaisuri, KL / Masa: 5PM + 9PM / Tiket: RM50

2. A NEW HOPE 2021 oleh ANTISIDS X INSIDER / Lineup: RAMPAGE, WAVEFORM, HOMICIDE, VOLTANXTINGGI / Lokasi: INSIDER SATELLITE, Ipoh, PERAK / Masa: 6PM / Tiket: RM15

3. KONGSI SUARA II oleh ATASANGINMY / Host: AFIQ AZREN & RAFIQ / Lokasi: SAFEHOUSE, Ttdi, KL / Masa: 6PM / Tiket: RM25

4. ADVENTS I WANNA DYE SHOWCASE oleh STESENSENI / Lineup: ADVENTS, SAYONARA,BOYS!, ADAM JUHANN / Lokasi: STESEN SENI, Damansara Perdana, SELANGOR / Masa: 430PM, 830PM / Tiket: RM30

5. BORNEO VIBES: GIG RENTAS LAUT by KGE BORNEO / Lineup: M.PASOLA, COUNTRYWOLVES, ORA DELLA & MKNK / Lokasi: MB LIVE STUDIO, Kota Kinabalu, SABAH/ Masa: 3PM / Tiket: BY DONATION (Livestream Only)

6. BERTAHAN TERUS oleh ISTIKOMA / Lineup: STATIK , KAHKAH CELAKA, MUDDLED, HUMMING BIRDS, OPERAHAUS, BLACK N' BLUES / Lokasi: ROCKIN JAMZ HALL, Masai, JOHOR / Masa: 7.30PM + 9.30PM / Tiket: RM40, RM55 (+ T-SHIRT)

7. JUST GIG! oleh JUST GIG! JAZZ COMM / Lineup: YONG YANDSEN, PING WEI & CHENG KOK (Free Jazz), DANI KOMARI, ANDY CHONG / Lokasi: Rooftop @ Panggong, THE SAXOPHONE STORE, KL / Masa: 9PM / Tiket: RM40

8. GIG IT JIWA oleh REVOLUTION STAGE / Lineup: VIONA, ROMOVEMENT (Interpretive Dance) / Lokasi: REVOLUTION STAGE, Petaling Jaya, SELANGOR / Masa: 9PM / Tiket: RM15 (Livestream Only)

9. ONLINE GIG BANGUN ORANG TIMUR A.C.A.B. oleh A&Z RECORDS / Lineup: A.C.A.B. / Lokasi: RAJAWALI STUDIO, Bayan Lepas, PENANG / Masa: 9.00pm / Tiket: RM40 (Livestreaming Only)

10. CRAZY GRIZZLY "TERGIVERSATE" SOFT LAUNCH oleh WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS SOUTHERN EDITION / Lineup: CRAZY GRIZZLY, CONSECRATE, CHECK YOUR HEAD/ Lokasi: SPUNDOK@LOTUSHQ, Johor Bahru, JOHOR / Masa: 5pm / BY DONATION (Livestream Only)

11. RUANG & KITA oleh NEXTKIN STUDIO x SPACE 08000 / Lineup: SEPATUSIXTYNINE, TWOSEVENTEEN, JOYBERRY, KRATOM NOISER , SAD MEMOIR / Lokasi: SPACE 08000 , Sungai Petani, KEDAH / Masa: 8PM / Tiket: RM15, RM20(Door)

12. 11TH DIMENSION VOL.1 oleh DIGITAL ART GROUP / Lineup: CAPT'N TRIPS AND THE KID / Lokasi: KEDAI KL, Petaling Jaya, SELANGOR / Masa: 2.30PM, 5.00PM / Tiket: RM30

13. HARI GIG KEBANGSAAN oleh SOUNDMAKER STUDIO / Lineup: WARNABUMI, MATHCLASS, SATYAGRAHA, SLICK Z, BUDDHA BEAT / Lokasi: SOUNDMAKER STUDIO, Georgetown, PENANG / Masa: 9PM / Tiket: RM20

11/4/2021 (SUNDAY)

1. INDIENASIONAL 3 oleh ATASANGINMY / Lineup: LOKO, KAPOW. GREY SKY MORNING / Lokasi: ANGKASA EVENT SPACE, Bandar Sri Permaisuri, KL / Masa: 4PM / Tiket: RM45 (SOLD OUT)

2. PRIVATE PARTY BUDAK NAKAL HUJUNG SIMPANG / Lineup: BUDAK NAKAL HUJUNG SIMPANG / Lokasi: Rooftop @ Panggong, THE SAXOPHONE STORE, KL / Masa: 9PM / Tiket: RM50

3. MIMPI BASAH SIRI 2 oleh ATASANGINMY / Lineup: COUPLE, TIME MACHINE, JETCETERA / Lokasi: ANGKASA EVENT SPACE, Bandar Sri Permaisuri, KL / Masa: 8PM / Tiket: RM35

4. SANTAI MALAM (EDISI HGK) oleh MALAYA ROLL / Lineup: ALI IDRIS, TRIOGG, JEMPUT DENGAR, BEAT MINOR, PALOQ, DAINBRAMAGED, THE LAWRA, POPSCENE / Lokasi: ROCKIN JAMZ HALL, Masai, JOHOR / Masa: 4PM / Tiket: RM40

5. DISKO SENYAP oleh ALAM BUNYIAN / Lineup: MAFIDZ, GARD WUZGUT, LATE NIGHT FREQUENCY, ICHU / Lokasi: KONGSI KL, Jalan Klang Lama, KL / Masa: 8PM / Tiket: RM60

6. TEPENG NOT DEAD 2021 by TIMSxDPLAZE / Lineup: RAMPAGE, DECAGED, VOLTANXTINGGI, CROOKED JIM'S, KASH WELA / Venue: DPLAZE CAFE, Kamunting Taiping, PERAK / Masa: 5pm / Tiket: RM20

7. IPOH SONGWRITERS CLUB by IPOH SOCIAL CLUB / Lineup: AHMAD SOBRI, XFKKHAIRUL, PALMA, ARIL, FVRINA, S.FAIZ / Venue : IPOH SOCIAL CLUBE, Ipoh, PERAK / Masa : 8PM / Tiket: FREE ENTRY (20pax)

8. GIGVIVAL by RIGS KUCHING / Lineup: AT ADAU / MERUKED / Venue : HAUS KCH, Kuching, SARAWAK / Masa : 4PM / Tiket: RM10 (Livestream Only)

9. GIG 11’04’21 oleh PORT IPOH / Lineup: MIURA, AGEN BUNYI, MUCK / Lokasi: LADYBOSS STUDIO Ipoh, PERAK / Masa: 8.30PM / Tiket: BY DONATION

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