White Shoes and the Couples Company: The internationally acclaimed retro pop-funk ensemble was also on hand for Joyland.

Irresistible traffic and torrential rain are common in December, but the recently concluded open air music festival Joyland offered a big payoff for those willing to brave the elements, noth natural and man made.

Staged at the Krida Loka Park at Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan, Joyland, the second iteration of the two-day event offered the adventurous a place to enjoy music and film, eat, be spellbound by kooky Mexican decorations or just a chance to chat with friends while sitting on hemp sacks.

There were 19 indie performers took the stage at Joyland, including the 50s/60s genre pop group SORE, the internationally acclaimed retro pop-funk ensemble White Shoes and the Couples Company and Float, well known for its score for Riri Riza'€™s classic romantic comedy Tiga Hari Untuk Selamanya (Three Days Until Forever).

Between musical performances, a selection of short films curated by Anggun Priambodo were screened, including Vulgar, from Indonesian actress Ladya Cheryl; the observational love story Shelter, by rising star Ismail Basbeth, and the basic instinct story Mamalia by Tumpal Tampubolon.

Helga, a 23-year-old woman selling vegetarian burgers at the event, said that she was surprised by how many young people appreciated art and music than before her recent return from four years'€™ study in the Netherlands.

 '€œOutdoor three-day festivals in the Netherlands are pretty cool,'€ Helga said. '€œVisitors usually camp at the area. Here I feel the same enjoyment. Joyland limits the visitors, helping visitors with rain coats and hemp sacks. It was intimate and very well prepared.'€

Tickets were sold out on day one, despite seven competing events in Senayan. The venue was full of hipsters waiting to see poetic folk-accoustic duo Banda Neira, Bandung-based electronica group Rock '€˜N Roll Mafia and the blues-folk trio Dialog Dini Hari.

Enthusiastic: Bandung-based electronica group Rock '€˜N Roll Mafia rocked the venue.

One visitor, Hana Dameria, said she came to hear alternative-rock band Polka Wars and had been surprised by how much she liked performers from other genres.

'€œPeople this year are more enthusiastic, Hana said. '€œThey came for different bands. I enjoyed Rock '€˜N Roll Mafia '€” they combined dance music and well-prepared artistic visuals.'€

Joyland co-founder Ferry Dermawan echoed Hana, saying every artist had a different potentials, signified by the event'€™s diverse programming.

'€œThis is an alternative music festival where we invite good local artist. All of them have their own signature styles. One of my favorites is Space System.'€

While Ferry declined to say why he liked the electronica-instrumental duo, Space System thrilled the cowd through the rain with jaw-dropping music, combining traditional Indonesian gamelan sounds with the saxophone, keyboard and percussion.

Space System keyboardist Aryo said that they performed as a four-piece group to keep their music as performing arts. '€œWe want to keep it as a live performance ['€¦] a saxophone and percussion will do. But it is not just putting a cultural touch, we did a lot of research in exploring Indonesia'€™s music background.'€

Citing Rhythm Salad and Jakarta-based music and culture empowerment Sacred Bridge Foundation as influences, Aryo said the band also drew inspiration from the archipelago.

Under wraps: Joyland organizers provided gear for those ready to brave the monsoon rains outside Bung Karno Stadium.

'€œFor example the slow pace of life influenced the archipelago music pattern, such as pentatonic notes and constant tempo.'€

The festival closed with a performance from SORE '€” minus their bassist, due to the traffic. The hundreds of fans who had waited for them in the drizzle still welcomed them with applause.

Ferry said that the festival met his expectations, as thousands of visitors could enjoy their favorite bands and discover new talents, despite traffic and rain.

Aryo and Ojon agreed, saying that music is not just entertainment and that there should be no gap between familiar and unfamiliar melodies.

 '€œMusic is the fruit of our thoughts and our way of life, so people will still feel connected as long as we deliver a good harmony. And this has been proven here,'€ Ojon said.

'€” Photos by Kiky Makkiah