The Wknd Sessions team was in Surabaya in August last year to record Surabaya-based indie-folk outfit Silampukau perform a hometown concert at the historic Gedung Kesenian Cak Durasim, and one of the songs we recorded was a new. as-yet-unreleased one, titled “Aduh, Abang Sayang”.
The song is sung from the perspective of a woman left behind by her lover, as he crosses the oceans in search of work, becoming one of the millions of Indonesians involved in unskilled manual labour all across Southeast Asia.
The thing about “Aduh, Abang Sayang” that immediately catches the ear is the completely different tone and musical style: the single sees the band taking a big departure from the folk sounds of Doa, Dosa dan Kenangan, opting instead for a slow dangdut jam, complete with an impassioned and steamy vocal performance by Lady on Ukelele.
Watch the performance below:
