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AKARTA: Local band Gugun Blues Shelter, which just made a global appearance at a music event in London, is complaining about the government’s lack of support for modern musicians in this country.

The band said the government, specifically the Culture and Tourism Ministry, only gave attention to musicians using traditional instruments.

“We are disappointed with the government. They don’t support the fact that contemporary music belongs to the public’s daily lives,” Bowie, the band’s drummer, said as quoted by kompas.com on Friday.

Bowie said the government had done a terrific job in promoting traditional music such as the gamelan (Javanese court music) or angklung (a Sundanese bamboo musical instrument), but did not place enough attention on modern music.