The Wknd kicked off its 2019 music programming calendar with Buka Panggung, a modular showcase event held at Bentley Music Auditorium in Mutiara Damansara. The event attracted a large audience of music lovers, who spent a day that was capped off by a music showcase headlined by Indonesian folk artiste Silampukau and supported by The Wknd Sessions alumni NJWA, Deepset, The Impatient Sisters and Milo Dinosaur.
The event was announced via a crowdfunding campaign on pitchIN that ran from 9 November to 23 December 2018, which raised a total of RM28,740 from 236 backers, and was well-received by fans within the Malaysian music community.
In support of Buka Panggung, The Wknd organized various activities throughout the three-week period starting from 24 December to 18 January 2019. These activities included an online “Ask Me Anything” Q&A session with the artistes; online competitions organized by sponsors to win tickets for the show; and a special promotion that provided 25% discount off of flight tickets and accommodations for anyone coming to the show.
Buka Panggung’s Music Marketplace component involved ten merchants from the Malaysian music scene – Aussolusi, Metal Malaya, Gudang Suara Records, Musixhub, Derhaka_my, Tandang Records Store, The LP Freak Store, Ruas Store, Vinyl Whores and Bogus Merchandise. A wide variety of items were available for sale, ranging from CDs and vinyl to t-shirts and other music memorabilia.
Prominent DJs were also on-hand to entertain the crowd, with performances by Disko Santan, Sir Birdo of The SoulBreakers and CT Selekta of Public School spinning songs throughout the day.
From 4 to 6pm, Buka Panggung also hosted talks by The Wknd’s own Azzief Khaliq and BFM Radio – The Business Station’s Ali Johan.
The first segment was a listening session with Milo Dinosaur, one of the acts performing at the event’s music showcase. The discussion featuring two members of Milo Dinosaur focused on the music that inspired their band – from lyrical themes influenced their own lyrics, to how Scandinavian bands Lukestar and Hurula opened them to injecting pop sensibilities and melodicism without abandoning the band’s punk ethos – and offered insights into the nature of inspiration and influence.
The second segment was a panel discussion on the topic of band management in Southeast Asia. Hosted by Ali Johan, the session saw Anitha Silvia (manager of Silampukau) and Faris Izzuan (Universal Music, ex-manager of Bunkface!) sharing key insights on this often-overlooked and under-appreciated aspect of the business of music, such as the scope of a band manager, knowing when a band needs one and what’s important about this key role.
Buka Panggung’s music showcase started at 7:30pm, with Malaysian acts Deepset, The Impatient Sisters, Milo Dinosaur and NJWA kicking things off. The headline act, Silampukau, took to the stage at 10:30pm and entertained the crowd with their setlist of 13 songs taken from their most recent releases. Silampukau’s was complemented by a team of backing musicians from Malaysia, comprising of a string and a horn section.
During all five artists’ performance, the crowd could be seen enthusiastically singing along and cheering to their favorite songs. There was a general feel-good vibe across the audience, and this was especially seen in feedback over social media: overwhelmingly enthusiastic, with many from the crowd posting photos and videos of the artiste’s performance throughout the night and in the days after.
The event was a collaborative effort across many parties – from The Wknd’s crew of 22, to our official record store partners Tandang Records Store, Teenage Head Records, Coastal Store, Embrace records & distribution, Ruas Store, CORM and PBUY & Drinkä Store.
Buka Panggung would also not be possible without the support from official sponsors and partners Hausboom, Kampong Kravers, Roland Asia Pacific – RAP, Bentley Music Sdn Bhd, Tenaga Nasional Berhad and Traveloka.
The Wknd would like to take this opportunity to thank all parties involved in making Buka Panggung a success, especially the music fans who came for the show.
Terima kasih!
