Back in the mid-1990s, the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ) had a very good music scene '€” making it one of the city'€™s breeding grounds for good talent.

There are many names that came out of the institute'€™s music scene '€” popular ones include Naif, Rumahsakit or Plastik. All have won special places in the hearts of indie music lovers.

Another legendary name is Bequiet. And recently, the band marked its comeback with the release of a new album, Age of Dinosaur, the first in a long time.

The band was set up in 1996, when guitarist Rizky '€œEkay'€ Fernando met Jimi Multhazam, the band'€™s drummer. The third member is Henry '€œBatman'€ Foundation, who plays bass.

Back then, they were performing as a cover band of The Cranberries, until the arrival of Reza '€œAsung'€ Afisina, the lead vocalist.

Soon, they started to explore other music and ended up adopting the Beastie Boys in their journey.

'€œIt was us who first played Intergalactic Album by the Beastie Boys back then,'€ Asung said.

'€œWith rock arrangements,'€ Jimi added.

Together, they play hardcore music, crafting their stories in a stylish yet organic way.

'€œWe were having a good time, playing from one place to another. We didn'€™t even care about the fees we were getting from each show,'€ recalled Asung.

Jimi said that once, they were paid with food and three bottles of vodka.

'€œFor us, it was fun, we just wanted to play some music,'€ he said.

The band later released its first album, titled Conosqi Questa Canzone? It'€™s Bequiet LP, via Rebel Records in 1998.

The band'€™s life after the release of its first album was chaotic as the country was rocked by political turmoil following the reform movement.

'€œIt was a really hard time for us all. Could you imagine, there were no real jobs and it was very hard to earn money at that time,'€ said Asung.

The need for survival mode also affected the way they worked. The band recorded a sophomore album '€” Maybe Someday We'€™ll Follow Him '€” but did not manage to release it until 2010, or more than a decade later, via Yes No Wave Music.

Only recently, the band released its new work, Age of Dinosaur '€” the members'€™ first new recording together since the end of the 1990s.

Jakarta-based Majemuk Records recently released the album in conjunction with the band'€™s special performance at the opening of the OK Video 2015 festival, which paid tribute to life under the New Order.

The band definitely had a good time as audience members welcomed them back with a bang.

The festival'€™s opening night saw Bequiet'€™s longest performance ever, where they played 29 songs straight.

'€œIt was so tiring,'€ joked Asung.

They managed to meet people'€™s expectation by performing most of their songs, including new tunes from Age of Dinosaur.

'€œThe adrenaline was still there, especially for me who just came back from Pekanbaru with my other band,'€ Jimi said. '€œWe now have to control our egos.'€

The crowd that night was huge, with CDs and merchandise selling out in record time.

Age of Dinosaur contains good quality material. Moreover, the band still has the same spirit and passion that make it, and its music, interesting.

'€œAll royalties were paid up front. It was the biggest sum of money we ever received,'€ said Batman with a chuckle.

Next in line is a plan to tour big cities in Java in the coming months.

'€œIt'€™s still an ongoing process, but we probably will be on the road around early September. If everything goes as planned, we'€™re off to see people in a few cities in Java,'€ explained Asung.

Jimi said the prospect of hitting the road with Bequiet was a big surprise for him.

'€œSince the very beginning, I was dreaming of touring with these guys. But yeah, time was not on our side. So now, when there is a chance, we'€™re doing it.'€
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Age of Dinosaur is available on CD or listen to some of the band'€™s tunes at soundcloud.com/bequiet-jakarta