F

or years, Jakarta's indie musicians were prevented from performing live, with no place of their own to showcase their music, making some of them mere Myspace bands. But this year, that all looks set to change.

In the hip area of Kemang, South Jakarta, a new hub for indie musicians has emerged at the Prost Beer House, where bands perform live at a thrice-weekly event: Black Hole.

The event started last December and became a routine in January. As of this month, entering National Music Day on March 9, eager musicians have responded with delight, sending their samples to Black Hole's organizers.

"The response has been wonderful. Dozens of bands have sent us their material," Black Hole spokesman Sam Alatas said.

Black Hole has band performances Mondays and Wednesdays, with DJ sets Wednesdays and Fridays.

"On each night, we get four to five bands, some of which have already released albums," Sam said.

On weekends, Black Hole collaborates with Sobat Indies to organize gigs for indie-pop bands.

The indie community welcomed the new arena after three years without a dedicated place to perform. Teenage Death Star vocalist Sir Dandy Harrington, who recently played at Black Hole, said the place had the potential to be the next center for Jakarta's indie music scene.

After the closure in 2006 of Parc, a small yet influential club in Kebayoran, South Jakarta, which saw the rise of indie bands such as Goodnight Electric, The S.I.G.I.T and The Upstairs, it has been difficult for indie bands to find venues for gigs.

Event organizer Triski Nurani said it was hard to find places that would agree to house an indie music event after Parc went out of business. With her friends, Triski organized an indie music event called Black Out in the Kemang area.

Before Parc, there was BB's bar in Menteng, Central Jakarta, which now focuses on reggae and blues. In the *90s, places such as the Manari open-air pub, next to Satria Mandala Museum, South Jakarta, which later became the Poster Caf*, was the place to go for underground music.

Without such places, young talents have little space to showcase their music. Jakarta has a thriving indie scene, with a choice of bands.

"The number of bands in Jakarta reaches a thousand. On Myspace and even in records you'd be amazed by the sound of the bands. But some of them would have never have even played live," said Sweaters vocalist Leornardo Merdi Simandjuntak.

With the lack of space, indie musicians managed to keep the gigs going in small events, such as Triski's Black Out party. A small store Hey Folks, in Mayestik, South Jakarta, owned by members of indie-pop band Ballads of the Clich*, also holds musical events in their parking lot. At the end of last year, Zeke held an event in his own studio-cum-house in South Jakarta.

"It's a bit self-indulgent, but it's good for the community," he said.

Black Hole's Sam Alatas said the organizers, who set up grunge shows across Indonesia in the *90s, wanted to give space to a new set of indie underground bands in Jakarta.