With its diverse and multigenre lineup, noisewhore claims new frontiers as it pivots from the usual rock gigs in Jakarta.

Few generate excitement within Indonesia’s music scenes like the collective noisewhore whenever they prepare a concert. They have brought the best local rock, punk and indie acts to the stage, they have brought foreign indie rock beloveds from Snail Mail to Mitski to the country. When the going got tough, they even set up an independent platform where artists could benefit far more than they could from streaming services (thanks, The Store Front).

So it was with great satisfaction that people saw the return of noisewhore’s live music festival from June 25 to 26. But its cofounder Argia Adhidhanendra had done a lot of reflecting during the pandemic.

“There were many things that should have been done differently in live music shows for the sake of the next generation of concertgoers,” Argia said to the Post on June 20. “Not just in terms of COVID-19, but also about being a safe space for audiences. In terms of cigarette smoke, for example.”

“I used to be a bit scared going into Rossi Musik [venue in Fatmawati, Jakarta]. Its vibe is just intimidating,” he said. “I’m all in for underground shows, but as time went by, sometimes underground shows ended up being for these same people over and over again.”

Which is why this edition of noisewhore had a rebrand. Changing the place from Jakarta to the mostly-suburban South Tangerang, located in the playground facility and creative compound of Kandank Jurank, Ciputat, the show even removed the vulgar-sounding name to just its initials NW LIVE. Albeit always being open for all ages before, it is now even more accessible in its image.

“So now I want to say it loudly that this show is for everyone. Anyone can join in,” Argia said.

Celebration of genres

This year’s NW LIVE performers were pulled from different local music scenes and genres: there were hip-hop acts like Basboi and Joe Million, indie pop and punk darlings that made up bedchamber and Glyph Talk, the experimental artist KUNTARI, and the pop, jazz and swing that Mocca brought to the table.

Taking on a new, outdoor festival proved to be harder than expected. After almost a three-hour delay due to a windy downpour on the first day, the show finally started with sunny tunes from Bogor’s indie rock act Rrag, followed by Jakarta’s Kinder Bloomen who took no time to put some funk into the crowd with their psychedelic rock songs as the evening went on.

“The show lost money,” self-mocking text states on white and green armband tickets, “But look at that lineup, though! Worth it.” And this statement spoke best about NW LIVE’s power: if it seemed to not have the usual festivals’ pull with big names and stars, it presented a wildly satisfying mix of all things best from every corner of the Indonesian music scene. This was apparent in the set from Bandung’s reggae-dub act Rub of Rub, which easily became the highlight of the night as people huddled close to dance to their songs.

“It’s fun. Rarely is there a festival whose lineup is filled with bands who do not usually play in festivals,” said bedchamber’s frontman Ratta to the Post as he and the rest of the bandmates crocheted in the communal crafting space.

“noisewhore dared to give a spotlight to bands who usually play in gigs,” he added.

Asked about how it compared with noisewhore’s early live shows in Jakarta where they had played, guitarist Abi said that all of them have had the same spirit. “You can’t compare them,” he said. “But you sure can’t have a communal craft space like this in the Reading Room, Kemang,” he added, the rest laughing.

bedchamber itself produced a lot of noise from the audience as they satisfied listeners with hits like “Out of Line” and “Désolé, Du Soleil” and brought people to their feet with new singles. Meanwhile, Mocca remained a strong pop music force in the festival as it bewitched even the toughest crowd with “On the Night Like This” and made everyone sing along to “I Remember”.

Given this was noisewhore’s first time trying this format out, a number problems kept popping up left and right. But thankfully, the performers used them to their advantage. Rapper Basboi plowed through a technical problem by having an enjoyable chat with the audience. He was eventually able to perform hits from the Adulting for Dummies album with unrelenting charisma.

As the problems persisted onstage, rapper Joe Million even decided to come down to the crowd and use the opportunity by blasting songs like “CEPU” (Traitor) and “Kebanyakan Sinte” (Too Much Synthetic Cannabis) with insane vigor alongside the rowdy audience.

The second day was still not rainproof, but the show was able to switch things up by using Kandank Jurank’s upper-level indoor hall for the likes of punk-hailing Leipzig to dance-pop jammer Guernica Club. The outdoor acts also kept the same energy even after the rain with rap performances from Matter Mos and Tuan Tigabelas & Westwew before the adored indie-pop outfit Goodnight Electric formally wrapped things up.

“I really regretted not being a part of noisewhore the first time I saw its lineup,” experimental noise artist KUNTARI said to the Post on the second day after performing an intense, crowd-pleasing set.

Thankfully, his place on the lineup was meant to be. After rap group ENVY* canceled its performance due to medical conditions, the renowned jazz musician—real name Tesla Manaf—went straight for the opportunity, as can be seen on Twitter.

“I hit up Argia directly, ready to be a replacement for ENVY*!” he said.

Tesla left his jazz fame in 2018 to dedicate himself to the noise music scene, even volunteering to be the cable guy for some of the more senior acts.

“I wanted to start from zero, and it turns out that I really did have to let go of everything I knew in order to achieve what I want now, musically and performance-wise,” he said.

Tesla hoped daring festivals like this would be more common in the future.

“Because when you see it now, the audience is also in for it. That’s what makes it cool. They want to hear and try something new,” he stated.

From everyone, for everyone

During Rub of Rub’s performance in the evening, an interesting sight could be seen at the back of the Kandank Jurank field. Children were playing in the playground as their parents watched over them.

“I like this one,” 34-year-old Danny said about Rub of Rub to the Post on the first day. “I’m also into rock, country and jazz stuff.”

Traveling from East Jakarta, Danny came with his wife and two children—9 and 4 years old—to the venue. Without knowing anything about noisewhore, he decided to visit the place after going to a relative’s house nearby.

“This was just an impulse decision, but I had a blast, we’ve had very few music shows during COVID-19,” Danny said, waiting for Mocca to come on.

Younger audiences were also apparent during the whole festival, especially during the hip-hop sets.

“I’m really happy with the hip-hop inclusions, I enjoyed it here,” Joe Million said to the Post on the first day. “That’s what I said at a festival in 2018, when people asked why [I] wanted to spread hip-hop to people, make hip-hop songs. It’s because I want to live it.”

And seeing the success of rappers like A. Nayaka and Laze, he realized he could make a living out of it as well. Joe is now one of the bestselling artists on The Store Front music distribution platform with his recent album VANDAL.

“I don’t really hope for the local hip-hop scene to thrive, per se,” he claimed, saying it would not give any progress to the scene. “What I do want is for people to have more concept when releasing stuff. As artists, you have to be able to present your ideas well,” the rapper said, tired of the constant release of songs that have no “vision”.

That was why one of the things that pleased him during the festival was seeing Basboi, among many others. “He gives his vision like ‘this is my kind of hip-hop’. He created his world. I want more people to be like that in the future.”

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