Mocca vocalist Arina Ephiphania performs in Bandung concert.

Bandung saw one of their musical heroes rise from the dead. Too bad it was only for one night.

Mocca returned to the stage after a 10-month hiatus. The old gang pulled themselves together once again to play a super-long set in front of their devoted fans, who were the main reason for their comeback.

The sold out concert was put behind another two dates: one in Makassar and one at Singapore’s Baybeats Festival. The comeback was celebrated in a good manner where everybody’s eyes were upon Arina Ephiphania.

The Mocca vocalist had made a temporary return to her home country after celebrating a new life in the US. So, with her here, there was no reason not to revisit the music she played back in the day.

“I’ve been experiencing a completely different life in the States and I didn’t actually expect to find myself back on stage where people come to see me and my band play. It’s not bad, is it?” said Arina.

Years ago, Mocca shook the industry by becoming a leading independent act, dominating MTV programs back in their early days. Their debut album, My Diary, created memorable moments for so many parties: the band itself, the label, the distributor and even the fans. It sold more than 80,000 copies in its first year on the market and the count is still increasing now, nearly 10 years after the album was made.

Although their first album’s big commercial success was never repeated with subsequent offerings, the band still retains a special place in the industry.

Mocca’s international reputation is also worth talking about. They are, to date, the country’s foremost musical ambassador, having toured many overseas locations and playing in front of foreign crowds, something that many major label artists can’t do.

A few of their songs even made it onto TV commercials in South Korea, where all of Mocca’s albums were released via a local label. And as the years went by, they also gained a following of loyal fans. These guys were the ones that the band lives for and they make a significant contribution.

“This concert is actually to fulfill their requests,” said Mocca guitarist and songwriter, Riko Prayitno. “It’s just for fun.”

“We don’t have any aims set at the moment. It’s just to perform our music together,” added Ahmad Pratama, or Toma, the bass player.

“Dear Friends”, the concert’s title, was a relaxed fun comeback on their home ground and it successfully attracted lots of fans from cities around Java. “The farthest that people traveled from, that we know of, is Malang,” said Indra Massad, the band’s drummer.

Bandung came alive again for one night only as the band played a crazy long two-hour set with 30 songs. “It’s tiring, of course,” joked Riko. “And we did make a few mistakes on stage,” admited Toma.

Prior to the concert, the band only had two rehearsals, but then, as they had played together for years, it wasn’t such a big problem. Judging by the number of smiling faces by the end of the concert, Mocca delivered a top-notch performance.

The band’s old tricks, such as Arina’s tap dancing and old jokes, were back in business on the stage that night. They also played rarities, such as their first Bahasa Indonesia single, “Hanya Satu” (Only One).

It was a long day for everyone. Fans arrived early to reserve the best spots in the indoor theater. A few of them had lined up for around five hours prior to the gig. As Indra had mentioned earlier, some of the more dedicated fans were considered a little crazy to travel so far from cities like Malang to Bandung just to catch the concert. And some unlucky ones were left empty-handed with tickets having sold out way before the main day.

“I’m very sorry for those who couldn’t make it here because we have no more spare tickets,” said Arina on stage.

Mocca pleased the crowd by playing their back catalogue songs, which had shaken up the industry, such as ”Life Keeps on Turning”, “Me and My Boyfriend”, “I Would Never”, “Lucky Man”, “It’s Over Now”, and many more. They also included their two cover versions: “I Will” from The Beatles and “Hyperballad” from Bjork.

And we musn’t forget that the band had only just arrived from Singapore earlier that morning. They played the Baybeats Festival in the Esplanade, Singapore – the city state that is also considered a home crowd.

“Well, you have to realize that after the age of 30, you require more stamina to play this kind of set,” said Arina on stage. She needn’t have worried, she still had the groove.

So, for one night only, she and the band delivered a great rendition of old-time nostalgia with Mocca playing the role of both idol and friends to the fans arriving for the show.

“I have no idea if there will be another gig in Bandung before I leave for America again. But yeah, of course, I will miss you all,” closed Arina. It was an emotional end.

Mocca bowed to everyone and that was it. Don’t except more than this concert, there will be no follow up on releases or new songs. They just live for today.

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