Space, Rocked!


7th July 2012: Mull; Debauch To Kuala Lumpor (Component Two) at The Actor’s Studio, Lot 10.


Starting the show was experimental rock band Space Gambus Experiment.


There was plenty of screaming…


…but no actual vocals. Here’s to expression.


Reset To Zilch was next. Note the stage deco, with a skeleton in front of the drumset.


They played what I’d call modern space rock.


The Psalms, with a screamer vocalist, reminding me of Mike Patton. That is always a compliment. They had this effect much like a dubstep ring modulator, if I remember. Made me want to replicate this.


Then came the band a lot of people came for, myself included – the seminal Damn Dirty Apes! Here’s Pedram.


I remember seeing them in what I thought was their original iteration, with Ian Cheah on bass, Paul Metcalfe (the Shaggy of Scooby Doo lookalike) on guitar, Sina on drums and Pedram.


They come down to KL once in a while to blow our minds and show us how to build a slow brooding intro into a hard, heavily distorted fuzzy chorus, while feeling a windy chill when the room is closed.


I love how Damn Dirty Apes played their set in chronological order, somewhat:

From the Valve State Dreams EP:
1) Death Of Optimus Prime
2) Naninong
3) Charlie

From the Ape Kill Ape album:
4) Allied Run (1 minute only)
5) Rebel Scum
6) In Tents

Unreleased:
7) Empire (as named here)
8) Kilometrico (according to Rishi Majimbo)


This is Kilometrico.


This is how I recorded this video – with an Asus Padfone sitting in its station on a TF101 dock – look ma, no tripod!


Love/Comes, modern sound.


This shot was on my Instagram the same day, by putting the SD card from my Sony Alpha 77 in the TF101 dock’s SD card slot, and uploading it right away.


By then, Mr. Skeleton had a hat and was now a hipster.


This Is Atlantis.


Akta Angkasa.


Angkasa is the Malay word for space, and it is obvious what they play.


Ned, on bass, with a very cool-looking bass.


Thanks sir for liking my Instagram pictures! I have liked yours too.


A lot of the crowd was already sitting on stage; a very intimate setting for shoe-gazing and noise.


Zul, exhilirated.


Muck.


This was not a space rock band, but we all knew the lyrics to their classic Orange School.


The crowd calls for more!


A funny moment ensues when somebody brings a band member’s kid up on stage and the kid cries.


Then came the well-coiffeured members of Killer Calculateur.


The songs were short but full of riffage…


…and intensity. Here’s Smek not holding still for the camera.


All shots with the Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135mm F1.8 ZA and Sony Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 24mm F2.0 ZA SSM.


What an awesome gig! There was this buzz after the gig that filled up the Facebook event page, even.

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