Indonesian psych-surf-garage rock with a little Rolling Stones

The first band to perform at this year’s Fuji Rock was Indonesia’s The Pantura, who will make two other performances: Crystal Palace on Friday night and Field of Heaven on Saturday afternoon, made a surprise appearance at the eve of the festival.

Hailing from Western Java, the typically performs as a four-piece, Abyan Nabilio (Vocals/Guitar), Rizal Taufikurrohman (Guitar), Bagus Patria (Bass), and Surya Fikri (Drums), but percussion and keyboards were added for the live performance.

The bass for the intro song of the first song droned like psych-rock, leading into the song titled “Khondam Buntut Lutung.” But vocalist Abyan Zaki wasn’t singing; he was more like making crazed monkey sounds, like the sound you would imagine if a monkey was hurling coconuts at you.

After this frontal assault on the ears, the band slowed it down into smooth rockers like “Can You See My Eyes on You?” By about the third song, they introduced an Indonesian trumpet, which sounded more like a kazoo. The strange sounds were enough to disarm the audience.

Later, the nerves began to settle in, and the band’s first Fuji Rock performance began to smooth out and downright rock in a manner that would endear their idols, The Rolling Stones.

While this seminal UK band has influenced music all over the world, it has had a significant influence on Indonesian music, particularly in their hometown of Bandung, where the band was a symbol of “new coolness” and a source of inspiration for young musicians.

The influence is so important in Bandung, the term “Jagger” has even been used to describe certain personality type which is certainly applicable to this band.

7/25 (Fri) 23:45-24:30 CRYSTAL PALACE TENT
7/26 (Sat) 13:20-14:20 FIELD OF HEAVEN