Mr. Sterile Assembly ready to clean ears

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 09/10/2006 7:48 AM  |  Life

Chris Holm, Contributor, Jakarta

Some bands are a little weird, some bands are really weird, and then there is Mr. Sterile Assembly.

With their flamboyant costumes, radical melodies and at least one extreme moustache, this New Zealand punk band is set to rock Jakarta on Monday night, supported by some of the city's more interesting musical acts.

Describing themselves as ""an anarchic cacophony of politics and fun"", the four-strong Assembly is led from behind by stick-man Mr. Sterile -- he of the waxed facial hair.

The band has toured and played extensively in New Zealand and Eastern Europe, where they spent time as artists in residence at the Czech Republic's Cultural Exchange Station in Tabor.

Now they are trekking across Southeast Asia on a shoestring as part of a do-it-yourself tour to confuse and amuse the locals in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Monday evening sees them headlining at Kemang's Eastern Promise garden bar, a venue fast establishing itself as a new home for original Jakarta rock music through its monthly Arisan Music and Film nights.

Arisan organizer Tika says the concept of the evenings is to showcase the new talent sprouting up everywhere in the city.

Bands put their names in a jar to play and are randomly selected for the next week's show, meaning ""you don't have to know the people organizing the show to get your gigs"". Any kind of band is welcome, she says.

Apart from the headliner Mr. Sterile Assembly, five other local groups are to perform on Monday.

Here's what Tika says about them: * Jalur Pantura: ""A group from IKJ (Jakarta Arts Institute), they usually have a couple of DJs and some singers and dancers; they're really going all-out about being silly. They play old hits from the 1980s you're ashamed to know, but you do. They're very, very embarrassing and also very entertaining."" * Afamous: ""A swing rock 'n' roll-style band like Jerry Lee Lewis or Chuck Berry. They have this really cool keyboard player who has this amazing charisma on stage and awesome skills, which gives the band a lot of soul."" * Her Spring Holiday: ""They were in last month's Arisan -- a lucky draw winner, new blood."" * Evacuate Cowboys: ""A 1990s-style alternative rock band, in the style of a group like Live. With all these trendy new genres like 'emo', you don't get much of this kind of music anymore."" * The Wild Zeros: ""They kind of pushed their way onto the bill. I haven't really heard much about them. Apparently, their Kiwi front man is a bit odd.""

Following Monday's show, the next Arisan is set for Oct. 31, after the Ramadhan fasting month.

Mr. Sterile Assembly will play at about 11 p.m. (live music begins after 7:30 p.m.) on Sept. 11 at Eastern Promise, Kemang, South Jakarta. Entry is Rp 25,000, first drink included. The band will be selling limited copies of their CD, 15-minute Crib, at the door.

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