Gegaria Fest draws monster crowd

The great turnout and reception were fitting tributes to the strong lineup and performances onstage, writes Aref Omar

The crowd of more than 20,000 young fans lapped up the exciting performances during the concert.

THE carpark area of Setia City Convention Centre in Setia Alam was abuzz with youthful vigour as the main concert of Gegaria Fest Saturday.took place in the evening of last More than 20,000 music fans cheered, bopped and sang along to the tunes of their favourite acts, which added an uplifting and positive vibe to the atmosphere. The festival was, after all, a celebration of youth, as well as a fun, clean and relevant way for the youngsters to indulge safely.

The concert kicked off with elegant power courtesy of popular girl group DeFam, as members Azira and Sophia took to the stage and got the seated crowd who had been patiently waiting in anticipation to get up and groove to the urban rhythms and harmonies.

Although third member Cik Manggis was absent (due to her being in Spain at the time), the girls delivered their winning blend of pop, R&B and hip hop through danceinducing tracks, the empowering

and

After the coordinated moves and rapping by the girls, the cool cat frontman of rock band Hujan took to the stage. Looking comfortable on the platform vocalist Noh Salleh performed a solo set but nothing was missing despite the absence of his bandmates. It was an intimate showcase and all Noh needed was his charm and mellow voice to move the crowd. Playing an acoustic guitar, he performed and

to loud cheers.

One of the highlights of the concert was Youthful pop yeh yeh upstarts Kugiran Masdo entertained the crowd with catchy rock tinged with a retro nostalgic vibe.

the fairly new indie band Masdo, which combined a modern sensibility with a retro twist. Clad in shades and dark suits, the quartet, which has been gaining a steady fanbase among the young, dealt out catchy tunes that contained pop yeh-yeh, surf and go-go elements 1950s and ‘60s kugiran bands of yesteryear.

and certainly got the crowd moving to the band’s hip sounds, while those of an older age would have felt a certain nostalgic irony.

“We’re kind of a new band. We never thought that there would be people who knew our songs let alone sing along to them,” said vocalist Ali Sariah of the band, also made up of Putuceri, Ambobzeela dan Mawi, which formed in 2015.

So enticing was the group’s music that even Noh and the concert’s hosts, radio announcers AG and Haiza of Kool FM, got onstage later to “joget” to the tunes.

The momentum of the concert was sustained by the other two big acts. The blondehaired Akim, and his band The Majistret, rocked the willing crowd and delivered an energetic set, consisting of

and

The seven-member band then gave way to popular power trio punk rock outfit Bunkface, which also upped the energy level with and that closed the concert with a penultimate bang.

Before the main event was a smaller prelude concert that took place in the late afternoon, which featured six hot and young artistes, who were the finalists of the upcoming AJL 32

Fans were treated to inspired renditions of the popular songs, during the 30-minute mini concert, delivered by Salma

Haqiem Rusli

Ernie and Syamel as well as Ara Johari and Hael

The segment was hosted by Hot FM radio announcer Fizie and Fly FM’s Guibo, who entertained the enthusiastic crowd with their witty banter.

Gegaria Fest was an exciting one-day event that also showcased a slew of other youth-oriented activities at five main zones with a hipster flavour to them: Gegaria Makan-Makan, Gegaria Throwback Tunnel, Gegaria Lifestyle, Gegaria Community and Akim and his band The Majistret delivered a solid show. Gegaria Entertainment.

The inaugural festival, organised by Media Prima, saw a turnout of over 50,000 visitors from morning onwards. Despite the slight drizzle early on, it was a rousing success with the sprawling grounds populated by teens, young adults and families with small children.

The free event in Shah Alam was Gegaria Fest’s first stop, with upcoming editions to be held on Feb 3 in Johor Baru and Feb 24 in Kuantan.

Visit Gegaria Fest’s official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/gogegaria) or Instagram (@gogeria) for further details, videos and dazzling pictures of the event. Don’t miss out!