Re-Post: Partimelovers' The-Wknd Session of "Helah"

As promised to a friend, here's a video of the band that I was raving about a few minutes ago (from when I'm posting this). Their music is unmistakably influenced by Ian Curtis, with a hint of shoegazing in the mix as well (different sing). Just got back from the Kyoto Protocol album launch party, got some neat pictures which I'll definitely upload and publish in the next post. But for now: we're off to bed.

POST #100 - All Things Partimelovers



Well, as announced by the lead singer Zulfadli himself on that night (Dance Punk Party 6), here with the post number 100 we have embedded a video of Partimelovers' The Wknd Sessions, um, session, of the song entitled "Helah". I don't really feel obligated to write a review of the gig (uh, party, sorry) itself since Junk has done a rather good job themselves here (Picture credit goes to them as well). Besides, I was there that night strictly only for Partimelovers and The Otherside Orchestra. See the third post below this one, the one with the poster for the event itself? See they stated clearly that the party would start at 6? That has definitely got to be a misprint because if my unreliable time record system is not mistaken, the gig only started at ten past nine. Not that it's a complaint.

Then, I also came across a review of the venue itself, One Cafe, which came out very helpful because as how the reviewer has pointed out, the place really is a bit tricky to find. Not that it is hidden, but just quite unexpected. Drive along the Jalan T.A.R. everyday and you'll only see the food court. The other issue that the reviewer had with the place is the bad sound system, which I find it to be rather spot on too. But I didn't got the chance to check out the toilet, or the cheap drinks.

Though the party is already in its' sixth installment, the crowd for that night I have to say was pretty 'thin' and uh, rather selective. 'Thin' in the sense that for the first three bands to perform (The Fridays, Enrai, Swampy Zombie Fever), the crowd was made up of almost entirely exclusively of band members of other performing bands, friends of the band, friends of the other performing bands, friends of friends of the band, and friends of friends of the other performing bands. It's a very small community from the outset. Reminds me of the Shoegazing scene - famously being described as the scene that celebrates itself, you pretty much get the idea where that tag came from. It was only by the time Partimelovers hit the stage that the crowd starts to build up and some movement worthy of making it a lively party breaks out on the dance floor. But the grand prize, of course, I have to say, goes to The Otherside Orchestra. Complete with disco lights strobing in the back of Izwin, the mood that they created with their set is pure awesome. The crowd went absolute bonkers. What more would you ask for? Whether you're one of the scene kids, or friends of friends of friends of the band, or drunk Caucasians, everyone on that night can feel the groove in the air, everyone had a generally good time. Dance Punk Party, for many of its' shortcomings, does have its winning charm as well. But if DPP were to take off into the stratosphere, they have to get off of hosting at lousy venues, and start promoting the event more aggressively.

And perhaps proofread the poster as well.

LINKED: Dance Punk Party, 18/3, Jalan TAR



They have Partimelovers and The Otherside Orchestra - enough reason for anyone to brave the punishing traffic jam and be there. Organized by the cool folks operating under the same name, Dance Punk Party, it is promised to be more than just a typical gig where people come by with friends in tow, have a drink or two, enjoying good music, live - it is supposed to be a party in celebration of the birth of the Dance Punk/Post Punk movement in Malaysia. Too bad Komplot imploded way too early before the movement get to fully bloom for else, we strongly believed that they would be the best torch-bearer for it.

Catch their Twitter update as well here.

For a taste of Partimelovers delicious, delicious grooves, click here.

For a taste of The Otherside Orchestra good-time-always danceable tunes, click here.

Very Grammatic - The World is Coming to an End Innit? Heh.



Yesterday evening, two storm brewed over Petaling Jaya, one near the PPUM (at the junction with the EPF office), and the other being inside UM itself. Quite surprisingly though to find that the shitstorm that took down a door made it into prime time news at 8, while the other one that took down several billboards, tree branches, and a signboard, and caused quite a traffic jam, didn't get any mention at all. That was what I came across while I was on my way to Laundry Bar, and by golly isn't that a much more interesting thing to talk about than to give some kind of a review of the show yesterday? I mean, the fracas between university students and the college guards at UM is pretty hot stuff because that's politics over there - and oh yes, we Malaysians love our politic stuff hot and flaming. So much so that a real storm that could have taken a life is not breaking news material worthy.

Oh, and because I was stuck in the crawl from Desa Waterpark (PLUS exit, from South) to the PPUM exit on the Fed, I arrived there at a very fashionable, very Malaysian time of 10 p.m. The gig that I was attending (as stipulated) kicks off at 8 p.m., so I did missed quite a number of performers for that night but still, it doesn't matter, because the three headlining acts for the night: Furniture (with a new album in tow), Akta Angkasa (the reason I drove all the way from Bangi), and PARTIMELOVERS (absolutely no idea who they were), has yet to perform. The first of the three to take stage was Akta Angkasa, and as expected they did not disappoint. They still deliver the same riotous, no frills, very technical set with meticulous precision, like some kind of a neurosurgeon post rock band. Which is to say that technically speaking, they are pretty impressive, but everything else they are very bland. The Akta Angkasa is more of a band for musicians, rather than a band for music listeners. They are the kind of people that you'd really don't want to spend an evening with, lest they started to furnish you on their wide, extensive knowledge of obscure musical gadgets. Furniture on the other hand was the final band for that night, and well, Furniture being Furniture (and they are a pretty seasoned act in Malaysia's underground/indie scene), they are, well, Furniture-ish.

The one that I'd really wanted to highlight from yesterday evening's gig however is this band called PARTIMELOVERS. They sounded like a cross between Joy Division and Ride; a very fine mixture of post punk and shoegazing and British psychedelia - the only downside being that they have decided to define their image as a hipster. Well-read modern-day Internet-age Renaissance man/woman will already know that the hipsters are universally reviled. But image matter aside, as the band kicks off their set, it was late 60's/early 70's in the air again - and the most wonderful thing is that, I can feel the vibe. There is a lot of love in this band, and it is pretty obvious where did this love comes from (hint: It's Ian Curtis). Their set moves rather beautifully from lengthy, melodic swirling psychedelia, to short and shouty punk rock number, my body only had to agree as my head starts to bop back and forth uncontrollably to the beat of the song. If only everyone in that small bar felt the same love as I did on that night, small things like politics and violent weather activity suddenly seems rather insignificant. Some religious people will come out and say it is a sign from God that we have strayed far from the correct path, which is why He brought that huge (from what I gather) storm and unleashed it at a time where people are all going back home from work. Yeah, stay classy God - stay classy.

Check out more on PARTIMELOVERS here.