it took me ten-odd years to finally catch sevencollar t-shirt live, and the same goes for love me butch. i came to know of their music in the late 90’s, pretty much about the time when i first heard of SCTS. this was in the heyday of malaysian rock connoisseurs where checking out butterfingers’ third offering and seeing 30-odd bands at one utama. i was at such a gig and missed SCTS and LMB (i only managed to check a few bands which weren’t that good and we ended up chilling at mamak corner in TTDI with kean of spiral kinetic circus).

when ham informed me of the monash university sunway music fest, no one had to tell me twice about coming. the fest started at noon-ish but i just couldn’t be bothered (KL panas weh – ini bukan mengada, orang KL pun kata panas). turned up at ten only to see a mild police presence (ie one squad car only) with ben’s bitches in the background covering the who’s my generation. i really didn’t want to know what was in their set list, but with the police not charging in to make arrests, i can assume either the band played a mellower set or the cops weren’t paying any attention to the lyrics!

i was also told to check out a band called seven. i’ve seen ’em in junk magazine doing a promo for some shoe. listening to their stuff on myspace reminds me of incubus-lite (with an are you in? kinda vibe) with a funkier sensibility. i didn’t know a single song seven played that night but i’ve to say i’d recommend buying the CD – if there was one to buy (i think i missed the boat, though). they were tight despite the selamba-ness in their performance.

the sevencollar guys got onstage at half eleven, with a midnight curfew. and there’s still LMB to headline. another ULU, do you say? SCTS’ 5-song set was short in my books, but incendiary nonetheless, kicking off with tet. this time i was enthralled by the bigger sound they had. both ham and duan had half-stacks for their backline (ham brought his JCM800 ceriatone clone – sweetness in a box!). no faith again, and they ended the set with lucky you.

the festival organisers told the band that they could extend the curfew to half twelve. love me butch’s first tune for the set (at about five past midnight) was the mindblowing reconcile. god, with wing meng’s first riff i was already in heaven. new underpants for me, mom. the crowd was responsive but the numbers had dwindled to what looked like diehard LMB fans. there was movement although i doubt that it amounted to this kind of mayhem. clad in a black bittersweet tee, syarul was a vocal powerhouse, his screams permeating the humid sunway air. the entire band was everywhere onstage, bar winder. after barricade, they played come out, come out from their upcoming new record. however, the song was rudely interrupted by the entire stage shutting down, courtesy of the powers that be. the phrase pissed off just doesn’t describe it. i wish i could rant like this. even if i could, it’ll probably read the same!

will defo need to catch them play a full set, whenever that’ll be. demit.

LMB’s monash university music fest 25.4.09 set: reconcile / stumble upon a glass / barricade / come out, come out [tak habis]

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photos on flickr – SCTS‘ and LMB‘s sets.

LMB set list courtesy of kevin kong. and not forgetting, sekalung budi for sevencollar t-shirt.