40 bands set to rock at Bazzar Music Festival
KOTA KINABALU: Forty indie bands will bring their musical style to the 10th Bazzar Music Festival (BMF) in conjunction with the Merdeka and Malaysia Day celebrations.
The bands, from throughout the state and Brunei, will perform from Aug 31 to Sept 2.
The youngest talent, a 5-yearold drummer from Lahad Datu, will be performing in a solo competition called Pesta Solo at Laman Seni Wisma Budaya here.
Pesta Solo, which is aimed at encouraging aspiring musicians under 18 to showcase their talent, will take place on Sept 1 and 2.
Organising committee member Mustazza Ardimanshya Othman Khan of Onlinefm said the event was a platform for local talents to entertain festival-goers and visitors with musical genres beyond mainstream culture.
“These bands will play mostly metal, rock, grunge, and reggae music. They will perform their own material. This is a way we can encourage aspiring musicians to create their own music.
“Public acceptance of indie music is low because people usually stereotype heavy metal and alternative rock as ‘negative music’. We want to break this perception.”
Some of the bands are expected to perform patriotic songs.
Mustazza said many of the band members were professionals, including teachers, lawyers, doctors and engineers, whose passion was music.
The festival is also aimed at providing opportunities to local entrepreneurs to do business and promote products.
Mustazza said he came up with the idea for the event after attending the Tempatan Festival in Kuala Lumpur six years ago.
Since its inception in 2014, he said, BMF had received positive feedback from bands and entrepreneurs.
Mustazza said they had received inquiries from indie bands in West Malaysia and Indonesia.
BMF is supported by the Sabah Youth and Sports Ministry and the Society of Performing Arts Kota Kinabalu.