Sunday April 13, 2008
Hujan a breath of fresh air
EUROFILE
By CHOI TUCK WO
Instead of the usual Malaysian Night to raise funds, student groups in UK had the novel idea of inviting a Malaysian band to perform live in Britain.
SELLING burgers, popiah (spring rolls) and teh tarik to help fight music piracy may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
It’s an uphill battle, no doubt. But it’s still music to the ears for those passionate about the growth of Malaysia’s entertainment industry.
Let’s face it. The funds raised from charity sales were pittance compared with the billions lost to music piracy every year.
Yet it’s a good start. A rallying cry for support from followers of the Malaysian music scene in Britain to protect talented young musicians back home.
Instead of the usual Malaysian nights and games, they decided to take on a far more challenging project to drive home the anti-piracy message.
Crowd pleasers: Members of Hujan, from left, AG Coco, Dugong, Noh, Ambobzeela and Ahmad Shakiran were overwhelmed by the students’ support.And what better way than to collect funds to bring a Malaysian band over to Britain to help change the mentality of music lovers.
Well, how often do you get Malaysian artistes to perform in the UK? By any standards, it seems to be a remarkable achievement, especially if it’s a student project.
The Kugiran Hujan keUK Foundation was thus conceived to get the country’s up-and-coming wave-worthy band to play a gig circuit in Britain.
After the initial struggle to raise funds through the sale of food and drinks, CDs,
t-shirts and donations, the foundation raised enough money to fund the group’s trip to UK.
Anti-Piracy Message
Well, Hujan (which means rain in Bahasa Malaysia) finally came, bringing more than a shower of blessings; there was snow and warm sunshine in the same week during their shows in the middle of spring.
Britain was a culture shock for the four-member group – vocalist Mohamad Noh Salleh (known as Noh), bassist Nazirul Nazeri (Dugong), guitarist AG Coco and drummer Ambobzeela.
For a band that had not even toured Malaysia, the idea of performing in Britain was pretty daunting. But they accepted the invitation just the same to promote their music and spread the anti-piracy message.
“Wow! Kita jumpa snow (Wow! we saw snow),” exclaimed Noh of their first experience with the fickle English weather in their maiden overseas stint.
Along with several Malaysian student bands from around the UK, Hujan performed to capacity crowds during their four gigs in Liverpool, Cardiff, Manchester and Sheffield.
Even non-Malaysians were attracted to the band; a group of Brunei fans faithfully followed their performances in all the four cities.
Noh said they were overwhelmed by the students’ support for independent bands such as Hujan which was not tied to any recording company.
“We share a close bond with other independent bands, meeting each other at the same gigs and going through the same struggles,” he said.
Classifying their music as alternative rock, the group was formed in early 2006 after the members met on the Internet. And they have no qualms about delivering their songs in Malay.
Noh hoped Malaysians would give more support to the independent scene irrespective of whether they were music, the arts, performing arts or photography.
Redundant Events
Foundation chairman Ahmad Shakiran said initial sales of the £8 (RM56) limited edition Hujan UK release CDs were below expectations.
“Some students were reluctant to buy them but we explained their support was important to help ensure the survival of Malaysian bands.”
He said almost all the 500 CDs were sold out eventually while the T-shirts were snapped up like hot cakes (a second batch would be produced soon). They also put up donation boxes at Malaysian events to collect funds for the band’s trip here.
“Every little bit helps,” said Shakiran, a final-year civil engineering student of Cardiff University.
He added that the foundation was formed in Cardiff by a group of Malaysian students who had been exposed to organising a variety of extracurricular activities ranging from cultural nights to academic conferences.
“Having seen too many redundant events, we decided to help spice up the students’ lives by bringing a Malaysian band to perform live in Britain,” he said.
The idea started in Cardiff. But as word spread, other Malaysian students from Sheffield, Liverpool and Manchester offered themselves as organisers for their respective shows.
Shakiran urged Malaysian student bodies to be more innovative in coming up with what Malaysia has to offer other than the typical Malaysian nights.
Through Hujan’s visit, they hope to do their part to help fight music piracy and protect the Malaysian music industry, especially the young independent bands which are struggling to survive.
No comments:
Post a Comment