The Pilgrims are local legends. They headline every show they play, and have done so for the past two decades. And although they surface only every now and again in these times, their presence in the music scene is crucial.
Their music and the entity itself is representative of the the gigging culture that was real eager, enthusiastic, raw and at every point of gathering, fun. Their significance in the music scene today is not to symbolize what it once was though, but rather what it has always got to try and preserve. Zero superficiality, truthful, and united in creating and shaping the sound they’d love to have at gigs, The Pilgrims, along with other pioneering bands, broke free from the dominance of metal and glam rock of the late 80s, slowly paving the path for a multi faceted Malaysian music following.
And the Malaysian music scene really has evolved into so much more since the release of Perfume Garden way back in 1992, the album that precedes almost every underground, or local music kids today would call, ‘indie’ albums that’s been produced since then.
To have been playing since the infancy of our little music scene, this legendary band would have witnessed it’s changes and it’s developments. The rise, the demise, the formings and the goings of Malaysian music projects in the past 20 over years. They’ve hung around for it, uncompromised. And their continuance to headline shows has got to be due to the respect they deserve for their truthful and honest level of love for the Malaysian underground, or indie music scene which has remained constant and uncompromised for those many years.
Our 60th and headlining act for this season’s The Wknd Sessions, The Pilgrims.
Written by Azam Hisham
