By CHIN JIAN WEI and NABILA AZLAN

On July 23, the aptly named Tiba-Tiba RIUH took the Klang valley by surprise. Many Malaysians were left disappointed by the events that led to the cancellation of Good Vibes Festival 2023, so this could not have arrived at a more fortuitous timing to support the spirit of the local creative industry. In collaboration with the band Hujan, RIUH held the event at Jiospace, Petaling Jaya, from 6pm to 11pm on that day. The star-studded lineup comprised Talitha Tan, Capt’n Trips and the Kid, The Filters, and of course, Hujan.

As it was a free event, the venue was packed, with more people arriving than the allocated spaces provided. Those that did manage to make it in enjoyed hours of pulse-pounding entertainment as all the performers gave everything they had to ensure a memorable evening. If any of the performers had previously flown under your radar, here’s your chance to acquaint yourself with some of them, as BASKL seized the chance to get in a few interviews.

Talitha Tan

Talitha is a singer, songwriter and guitarist who rose to fame in 2016 with her debut single Okay, which garnered 1.8 million streams on Spotify in 2016. Please Stay, her second single, achieved one million streams on Spotify in under a year. Follow her Instagram page here!

BASKL: How’re you feeling?
Talitha: Speechless. I’m very grateful!
BASKL: How was the crowd tonight?
Talitha: Amazing! I’ve never felt so much local support. I felt the love was real, I really felt the love through the crowd, the voices, the faces. It was very overwhelming in a very good way.
BASKL: How did you prepare?
Talitha: No preparation! Because I was initially told about this at 3 today. I’m very grateful to my bandmates for wanting to do this and perform the set we did not get to perform. (Note: Talitha, like the other artistes in this line-up, was initially slated to perform at Good Vibes Festival before the event’s cancellation.) Especially because I wanted to dedicate the set to my mom. I can’t even explain how lucky I am to have this opportunity.
BASKL: What would you like to say to the people who couldn’t make it today?
Talitha: The food vendors missed out on so much, the people were so excited to perform for Good Vibes. I’m sorry that you didn’t get to be there for Good Vibes. I’m sorry you didn’t get to be here today because of how last minute it is. I hope you’re able to find a space for all the locals who deserve to showcase their work and food. I hope I can organise something for everybody or team up with a bunch of people because I think everybody deserves it.

The Filters

This self-described “Fractional Math Rock” band consists of Francis Khoo on guitar/vocals, Aiman Shakirin on drums, as well as bassist Reuben Ravi and guitarist Iain Chan. They’ve been playing together for 10 years at this point. Follow their Instagram page here!

BASKL: How’re you guys feeling today?
The Filters: Great! But also tired. We’re just relieved we had a show today. We only got the confirmation about it today in the afternoon.
BASKL: How was the crowd tonight?
The Filters: Good! We love the crowd, we love the energy. Good to see plenty of local people being so supportive.
BASKL: How did you guys prepare for the show?
The Filters: We were prepared for Good Vibes already, so there was no special preparation. We spent our time trying to get here. Then we just played.
BASKL: What would you like to say to the people who couldn’t make it today?
The Filters: There will be another day. There’s more to come!

Capt’n-Trips and the Kid

Capt’n Trips and The Kid is a six-Piece rock band established 2016. Currently consisting of brothers Jes Ismael and Jes Ebrahim, Yaqub Zulkifli, Sean Totten, Uzayr Khalid and Omar Aiman, they play psychedelic and alt rock. Follow their Instagram page here!

BASKL: How’re you guys feeling? How did you prep?
Capt’n-Trips and the Kid: Feeling great, very energetic. MyCreative has given us a platform to perform and we got to see a mini-riot outside of people trying to get in. I don’t think they were trying to get in to see us, but I like to think that they were (laughs). We woke up today thinking it was a whole day of sleeping in; we were jamming until 6am at the studio last night.
BASKL: How was the crowd tonight?
Capt’n-Trips and the Kid: Amazing! We ran into some technical issues at the start, but towards the end they came around and enjoyed the set. Their energy definitely helped us. I think this is the biggest crowd we’ve ever got.
BASKL: Which song do you think was the bomb today?
Capt’n-Trips and the Kid: Iteration 33 I think was good. It’s from our last album. Our current album we got into a more pop and fun kind of sound, but our true self has always been heavier, like Iteration 33. On top of promoting our new album, we kind of wanted to show these people our true self too.
BASKL: What would you like to say to the people who couldn’t make it today?
Capt’n-Trips and the Kid: Hopefully you guys get to catch more local shows in the coming months and years. There’s a lot that Malaysia has to offer. Save your energy and resources and spend it wisely. Support the local music scene!

Hujan

Formed in 2005, Hujan is an OG in the Malaysian indie music scene who found famous for songs like Pagi Yang Gelap, Aku Skandal and Kotak Hati. Helmed by frontman-vocalist Noh Salleh and guitarist AG Coco, bassist Izzat Uzaini and drummer Azham Ahmad later came in to make the band what it is today. Their melees of jazz and alt-rock spanning five studio albums and five EPs gave birth to a loyal fanbase, also known as Raingers. Follow their Instagram page here!

BASKL: What did you guys think of the show tonight?
Hujan: Coming from a group who does this on a normal basis, we think pulling off an event with a scale like this is crazy! But really, it proves a point to everyone that something like it is actually doable.
BASKL: How was the crowd like?
Hujan: Considering the capacity of the venue and given that it is a free show, we sort of anticipated the (large) crowd size! But still, seeing the overwhelming response, we can’t thank them enough for coming and waiting patiently by the gates to see our show.
BASKL: How did you guys prepare for this show?
Hujan: Honestly, when we received the news about the cancellation of Good Vibes Fest 2023, we were in the middle of a practice. We were supposed to prep for the Day 3 show (supposedly tonight) when news came on Twitter. From there on, we readied ourselves for the next shows. We decided to give this (impromptu) show a try.
BASKL: What would you like to say to the people who couldn’t make it today?
Hujan: We are in the line-up for RIUH Kuala Kubu Bharu (July 28 – 30) and for this we will be performing a full 60-minute set. Consider this round of RIUH a preview before the next one comes around! We look forward to seeing more fans as we go on a larger stage.

Feature photos of Hujan and The Filters by Nabila Azlan. Performers’ photos are sourced from their Facebook pages

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