The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Put your party clothes on for GCMA Posted: Bukit Jalil is the place to be on Oct 5, with the gathering of Asia's brightest stars at the prestigious 13th Global Chinese Music Awards (GCMA). As one of the biggest Chinese music awards ceremonies, music fans can expect a glittering night. Among the stars to grace the event are Joey Yung, Raymond Lam, Gillian Chung, Charlene Choi, Kay Tse, G.E.M Tang Zhi Kei and Adason Lo from Hong Kong; Will Pan Wei Bo, Wei Li An and IO Band from Taiwan; Zhou Bi Chang, Hu Xia, Xue Zhi Qian, He Wei Jian, Jike Junyi, Liu Mei Lin from China and Singapore's Derrick Ho. Local stars such as Michael Wong, Gary Chaw, Penny Tai, Wu Jia Hui, Cheryl Lee, Gin Lee and Issac Dang will also be in attendance at this awards show hosted by 988. The theme this year is "Play. Music. Hard." featuring the fun element of Punk Fantasy. So, get dressed up and enjoy a night with your favourite stars. Tickets for GCMA, which will be held on Oct 5 at Putra Indoor Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, can be purchased at www.ticketcharge.com.my. Also on 988 this week The Feature (Mon-Tues, 9am-10am) World Vegetarian Day, which falls on Oct 1, is a day of celebration established by the North American Vegetarian Society in 1977 to bring awareness to the ethical, environmental, health and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of a vegetarian diet and what exactly is a healthy meatless diet for today's hectic world. Go, Go Weekend – He & She (Sat, 8am-9am) Host of the show Xiao Mah reckons men should have in possession a car, a house and a stable career before walking down the aisle. It's the way a man shows his sense of responsibility to the woman whom he wishes to call wife. Co-host Shiang Jiun, thinks otherwise. She reckons it depends on the circumstances such as the age of the couples, family-planning etc. What do you think? Feel free to join their discussion on Saturday. For more information, log on to www.988.com.my. Download the 988 app or stream it online at 988.com.my. |
| Posted: The fourth DFP Seni Festival concluded last weekend with a jazz treat. AFTER an eventful week of music and multicultural showcases, the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) Seni Festival concluded last weekend with a different spin: a jazz treat for the masses. In its fourth year now, the festival serves as a platform for local artistes to display their talents as the fest seeks to promote, nurture and strengthen the Malaysian arts and culture scene. The public got a sampler of everything. From asli singing by Datuk Andre Goh to a mak yong performance, classical Malay repertoire and a rock concert, the week-long DFP Seni Fest 2013 culminated with the MPO And All That Jazz, featuring the MPO Jazz Orchestra and vocalists Dina Nadzir, Atilia Haron and Elvira Arul. The trio, making their debut at the DFP, are established singers in their own right. While Atilia and Elvira are known as jazz singers in the local club circuit, Dina is also an actress and radio presenter, who has spread her wings in musical theatre. These ladies had the talent to burn. The night started off with Dina singing Itulah Sayang and Tudung Periuk, an old Malay number. No, it wasn't jazzy, but she knew how to keep a flow going. She mostly paid tribute to the music of yesterday. Her version of When I Fall In Love was so different that I could hardly recognise the arrangement.  Dina Nadzir's vibrant personality worked like a charm. She would've been perfect as Nikki Bronsky in Hairspray. The talented lass, who shot to stardom after emerging first Malaysian Idol runner-up in 2004, was funny, and witty. Under the spotlight, Dina sang with passion and her voice possessed power as she continued with Tak Rela. She ended her set with a tinge of sadness. Out came a medley of Obsesiku and Pergi Untuk Kembali. After Dina's upbeat personality and funny asides at jazz conductor Marques Young, Atilia proved to be a milder personality in comparison. While she lacked Dina's vibrancy, her voice was beautiful, smooth and went well with her gracious personality. Her audience interaction was limited as she concentrated on singing her songs, which included Sangkar, Old Love, Imagine, Breathless and Harus Bagaimana. Atilia's songs were sweet, melodious and at times, melancholic.  Atilia Haron's voice was beautiful, smooth and went well with her gracious personality. While Dina and Atilia had their strengths, the night truly belonged to the sassy Elvira. Her ability to switch from smooth jazz to a range of blues, funk and soul was remarkable. When she opened with the Malay classic Getaran Jiwa, the audience were hooked. Elvira, who was the opening act for Alicia Keys (2004) and Laura Fygi (2012) concerts here, had all the goods to hold her own concert and she showed us why. From Your Voice to Simple Love, the woman displayed an impressive vocal range and exuded an array of emotions that come out in each song. And at certain junctures, she'd narrate a personal story about how the song came into fruition. In Simple Love, written when she was going through a "not-so-interesting" period in her life, she got the audience to sing along. Obviously, as her first single released in 2009, she continues to be passionate about the song. Her rendition of Etta James's I'd Rather Be Blind was simply amazing. She captured the anguish of a dejected woman and the betrayal of a loved one with such fervour, it provided a hair-raising experience for the audience. Several people actually gave her a standing ovation after the song. At the start, she cheekily quipped: "I might be angry after this song!" She concluded her set with a delightful medley of Georgy Porgy and Diggin' On James Brown. We clearly wanted more of Elvira but she sashayed off stage. The trio then came back onstage and sang Buka Pintu (Dina and Atilia), Asmara and Bunyi Gitar. Their voices blended well as they twisted and wriggled their hips on stage. The audience went home delighted that we truly have some local megastars in the making. It can only get better. |
| Posted: The Killers took fans on a joy ride in Sepang, Selangor. AMERICAN indie rock act The Killers delivered an amazing show at the Sepang International Circuit in Selangor on Sunday night in what may possibly be the best concert on Malaysian shores this year. This gig had been a long time coming for music fans, as The Killers is regarded as one of the major names from the indie music revival in the last 10 years. In the flesh, frontman Brandon Flowers' signature croon hit all the right notes as he took the crowd on an emotional rollercoaster ride, from the uplifting Human to the sinister and oh-so-popular Mr Brightside; navigating bittersweet hooks and catchy choruses with style and confidence. Flowers, complete with leather jacket (which he took off after the first tune) and Las Vegas showbiz slickness, was in the mood to party in Sepang. Not many international rock bands would have attracted a crowd to Sepang on a Sunday night – but The Killers proved it could hold its own with a headlining show. According to promoters Future Sound Asia, the attendance for The Killers show was close to 7,000, which featured a mix of young college-going fans and an older rock crowd. As expected, Flowers was the life of the party. The 37-year-old vocalist was backed up by Dave Keuning on guitar, Ronnie Vannucci Jr on the drums and Jake Blanton filling in for Mark Stoermer on the bass, while the latter recovers from a back injury. Although the setlist missed a couple of the stronger songs from 2012's studio album Battle Born such as Miss Atomic Bomb (commonly dubbed as a sequel to the iconic Mr Brightside) and title track Battle Born, The Killers delivered a consistently excellent set that had fans dancing and singing along at the outdoor venue.  The Killers drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr powering the show with his robust rhythm and groove. Crowd-pleasers on the night included the evocative Runaways, the nostalgic and beautiful A Dustland Fairytale and of course, the anthemic All These Things I've Done of "I got soul but I'm not a soldier" fame. With four albums to its name, The Killers had enough material to keep the fans going. Driven by tunes mostly inspired by the band's hometown Las Vegas – with themes of redemption, lust, sin, love and desert other-worldliness – and more, The Killers' music made an epic connection here. Also encouraging the crowd to sing along was the curiously optimistic The Way It Was and the gorgeous tingling Spaceman. Brandon, as ringleader on stage, engaged with the audience in his straightforward, quick-witted manner – no waffling here and with just the right amount of friendliness. Instead of the usual boring Malay phrases visiting bands like repeating – "selamat petang, terima kasih" – Brandon repeated Kuala Lumpur's motto "maju dan makmur" to thunderous applause. The Killers also performed two covers in a set that ran nearly two hours – a catchy rendition of I Think We're Alone Now, originally sung by Tommy James and the Shondells, but made popular by 1980s teen pop icon Tiffany, as well as Shadowplay from Brit legends Joy Division, which lent a moody vibe to the concert. The band also obliged its adoring audience with a three-song encore: This Is Your Life, the bleak Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine and the magnificent When You Were Young. Screaming along to Human, jumping in time to Mr Brightside, swaying to an atmospherically delicate Read My Mind – fans were hoarse by the end of a show. The setlist also included Smile Like You Mean It, Bling, For Reasons Unknown, and From Here On Out. With so many major names playing in Malaysia recently (Guns 'n' Roses, Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins), it was good to see that The Killers made its first concert visit here matter. "I was devastated when The Killers cancelled their concert (in Singapore) in 2010, so I prayed they would come back. Now that they have did, I feel like I've accomplished a lifelong mission. I've been to many live shows but that was the best concert I've ever been to!" said writer Joe K, 27, who was thrilled to catch one of his favourite bands live. Student Sanjeev Ganesan, 30, thought Brandon Flowers was "amazing." "The show was really tight and Brandon didn't waste loads of time talking. His voice was great." Related story: |
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