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Posted: 14 Mar 2013 04:04 AM PDT

BRITISH electronica legend The Prodigy is the main highlight of this Saturday's Future Music Festival Asia 2013 (FMFA) at Sepang International Circuit. This is no generic deejay/flaky hipster festival, and don't let that Korean one-hit wonder cloud your judgment on the festival's true cutting edge.

There is some serious firepower in this year's FMFA 2013 line-up. Add guitar rock and classic hip hop too. The hardcore festival crowd will have enough to chew on.

The Prodigy, featuring Liam Howlett, Keith Flint and Maxim Reality, will be muscled up by a backing band at the Warrior Dance Arena. Fans can expect a 90-minute full-on live set spanning the majority of the band's back catalogue (classics like Voodoo People, Firestarter, Diesel Power, Poison, Smack My B***h Up right up to recent material Jetfighter and AWOL).

Elsewhere, indie rock gets a big say with Temper Trap and Bloc Party holding down sets at the Flamingo stage. Pop outfit Fun is also a great pick for a singalong at the same stage. These bands are definitely a step up from last year's The Wombats, while legendary hip hop groups De La Soul and Naughty By Nature will prove there is more to the genre than just prancing about on stage (remember Flo Rida last year?).

Of course, the random drum 'n' bass/dubstep discovery is much anticipated and the fuss over Brit diva Rita Ora will be FMFA 2013's very own soap opera twist. Don't forget sun tan lotion, loads of water, vitamins and a rocking attitude, FMFA 2013 is not for the faint-hearted.

Fitter, happier days

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 04:04 AM PDT

Indie rock act They Will Kill Us All is ready to pump up its profile with a smashing debut album.

On The Great Glass City, the opening track of indie rock outfit They Will Kill Us All's (TWKUA) recently released self-titled debut album, frontman Edwin Raj screams out the lines, "We're starting a fire/Will never leave you out in the flames" as he shakes off the band's demons at the end the song.

That particular song could be a representation of so many things in the band's career and personal lives. It also embodies the ethos of TWKUA's main man.

In the homegrown scene, you'll be hard-pressed to find another frontman that is as passionate and fiery as Edwin, but at the same time, he's also one of the most down-to-earth characters you will ever meet.

For certain, it's been quite a journey for the 32-year-old vocalist and his bandmates – David Leong (guitars), 37, Amir Shazlan (bass), 33, Ihsan Ariffin (drums), 35 and new member Herwandi Saat (synths), 29 – to get to this point, the release of their debut album.

It was a quest plagued with many challenges and difficulties, from band line-up woes to recording delays and scrapped sessions. It's no wonder then that Edwin sounds almost philosophical when discussing the essential themes feeding into this album.

"The mistakes we made and paid the price for, the (band) mates we lost and couldn't replace and the paradigm shift you experience morphing from your 20s to 30s, all those themes are on this album," shared Edwin, before adding hopefully, "But we allowed our band to heal and the light illuminated our lives as we transitioned from negativity to positivity."

In the last few days, the band has been busy at rehearsals, polishing up its set for this Saturday's big appearance at Future Music Festival Asia 2013 at the Sepang International Circuit.

TWKUA will be sharing the headlines and stage with international indie acts like Bloc Party, fun. and Temper Trap.

Two months ago, it got back into fighting shape at the Mull; Debauch to Kuala Lumpur gig at klpac after nearly a year away from the spotlight.

This TWKUA – the 2013 version – is prepared for combat and more than capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with its international peers.

None of the members are full-time musicians, but their commitment to the cause has been intense. Outside their day jobs (TV production, banker, retail), the bandmates tend to stay close to the ground, immersing themselves in the local music scene while also hobnobbing with the filmmaking and art crowd.

For TWKUA, the recent burst of activity is a far cry from its dark days over four years ago.

Of course, the struggle to find a voice was a major one for TWKUA in 2009, as Edwin remembered.

One of the things TWKUA found it "couldn't replace", or at least found it difficult to, was a singer. It went through a revolving door of vocalists, while also losing original singer Fizul (who sang on its Secret Episodes EP in 2008) at a crucial point in its career in 2008. The band lost its momentum but not its desire to get on its feet again.

The frontman solution, ironically enough, was within the band's ranks all along.

"I found myself in a situation backstage at a gig in Johor when our temp vocalist couldn't make it," said Edwin, who is also renowned for his shimmering guitar sound.

"We didn't want to bow out in defeat and I stepped up to the mic. It was literally a plunge for me and miraculously we managed to pull it off."

With encouragement from his bandmates, he decided to take on the frontman job full-time.

"I started taking singing a bit more seriously and accepted the challenge."

Just as guitarist Loque (from Butterfingers) stepped up to take charge of the vocal duties for Monoloque, Edwin became another successful centre-stage transition story.

But you wouldn't think it was that big a challenge if you spin through TWKUA's debut album. Edwin tackles the nuances of singing with great proficiency, providing absolute contrast to Fizul's banshee-like delivery before.

If you recall, Edwin's first proper recording upfront after a rough cut version of The Great Glass City was a haunting version of P. Ramlee's Sepanjang Riwayatku from the Di Mana Kan Ku Cari Ganti: Satu Indiepretasi tribute album in 2010.

Right now, TWKUA's nine-song album is a statement of intent and there is no looking back.

This week, the band is gradually unleashing its Vulture sessions daily – a live video documentation featuring eight tracks from the album. The band, most definitely, is on solid ground. Talk about an end to a tumultuous seven-year journey that was marked by a crucial changing point in mid-2010 in a series of shows at The Esplanade in Singapore. On that stage in Singapore, the band rediscovered the joy of playing again, and the seeds for the debut album were planted.

"We were reborn on that stage," said Edwin. "We tested out our new songs live after months in the rehearsal studio. The band felt alive, we were back."

The new songs with the intricate guitar interplays between Leong and Edwin, who have formed the bedrock of TWKUA's sound, show the band on a mature songwriting platform compared to Secret Episodes. Tracks such as the moody marvel Under The Red Sky reflect a more restrained side of the band, while album closer Sons Of The Fearless (a tribute to a friend of the band who passed away) is a brooding epic lifted to the skies. But it is on the catchy single Sirens that the band's evolution is properly realised.

With sparkling synth work from Herwandi, Sirens is a fresh angle for TWKUA.

"It's not a departure, it's more like a development," explained Edwin.

"The songs were all guitar-based at the start, but we wanted to incorporate emotions or a certain mood in a song. We roped in Wandi to add extra colour."

Tellingly, the songwriting on this album is as direct as possible – no avant garde twists or obscure psychedelic turns.

"We focused more on producing actual songs on this album rather than focusing on guitar experimentation."

In the studio, Edwin added, the band members were their own greatest critics. "We played devil's advocate with ourselves and we killed our ideas over and over until everybody had a mutual response."

This is a band that also has the ability to excite people, proven by its collaboration with local artist Ilham Fadhli @ Kojek, who painted nine sensational pieces of artwork after listening to the songs on the album. That laid the foundation of the album's layout and design.

"We will soon be releasing limited prints of the actual artwork, so watch out for that," said Edwin.

In a scene that has seen many exciting bands have relatively short lives, it's heartening to see a band like TWKUA coming through the fire, undeterred by the flames.

"We had a lot to prove to ourselves firstly, and our audience. We wanted an album that is a reflection of who and what we are as a band.

"Truth be told, adversity inspires us musically and all the ups and downs the band has been through in the last three years have been transferred into these songs. Yes, it took a long time, but it was well worth it," he said.

> Find more info on TWKUA at theywillkillusall.com. The band is part of the Future Music Festival Asia 2013 line-up at the Sepang International Circuit this Saturday. It plays the Flamingo Stage at 11pm. Festival headliners include The Prodigy, PSY, Rita Ora, Fun, Bloc Party, Temper Trap, Naughty by Nature, De La Soul and over 30 other international and local acts. Book your tickets at ticketpro.com.my. More info on transport and schedules at futuremusicfestival.asia.

Former Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr dies

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 05:56 PM PDT

Former Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr, who played on the British heavy metal band's landmark first three albums, has died at the age of 56, the group said on Wednesday.

Burr, who had been suffering from multiple sclerosis, died "peacefully in his sleep at home" in London on Tuesday and had been in poor health for several years, the band said in a statement posted on their website.

"He was a wonderful person and an amazing drummer who made a valuable contribution to Maiden in the early days when we were starting out," Iron Maiden founder and bassist Steve Harris said in a statement.

"This is a sad day for everyone in the band and those around him and our thoughts and condolences are with his partner Mimi and family at this time," Harris said.

London-born Burr joined the band in 1979 and played on their self-titled 1980 debut album and its 1981 follow-up "Killers." His third and final album with the group was 1982's "The Number of the Beast," which topped the UK album chart.

Rolling Stone magazine called his drumming a "major ingredient" to the band's sound, which was noted for bringing the speed of punk rock to the heavy metal genre.

Burr left the band in 1982, a year before Iron Maiden began a string of big-selling albums in the United States that turned the group into an international act. -Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Khamis, 14 Mac 2013

The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

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