BMTH live in Jakarta 2024

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This time around Ravel gets it right and BMTH (Bring Me The Horizon) are headlining the Nexfest festival in Jakarta which also features Babymetal. In this format there is no seating - which makes for a much more intimate experience - although you do have to arrive really early if you want to pick a spot right up close to the stage.  We arrived about six hours before BMTH were scheduled to start their performance and bought plenty of drinks to stay hydrated in the tropical afternoon heat (mind you, some of those were Iceland vodka mix!) This was a gig I had long been looking forward to - especially after the debacle last year. Not everyone likes BMTH of course. For deathcore fans the band sold out. For metal heads the band is not purist enough. And for the wider mainstream audience, the band is too heavy. You can't please everyone of course but there are few bands in the rock world which can match the sheer emotional velocity of BMTH. To bring metal and even aspects of metalcore t...
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The US travel warning on Indonesia

I’m sure you’ve probably read it before. But here it is again: the “current” travel advisory on Indonesia issued by the United States of America:

The Department of State continues to urge Americans to defer all non-essential travel to Indonesia. The Department urges Americans who choose to travel to Indonesia despite this warning to observe vigilant personal security precautions and to remain aware of the continued potential for terrorist attacks against Americans, U.S. or other Western interests throughout Indonesia.

Potential for terrorist attacks? Fair enough. But what about the other risks? Like earthquakes. Or unsafe ships, like the one that sank yesterday off Sumatra leaving at least 43 people missing. Or the risk of getting wiped out by flash floods or even, bizarrely, by an oozing overspill of mud.

The US never offers travel warnings in these cases. It’s as if it’s only bad to get killed by a terrorist’s bomb, but if you die for some other reason, then well, that’s actually okay.

And the UK’s “still current as of 23 June 2006” travel warning has this:

Large public demonstrations are being planned in Jakarta and other cities in Indonesia to protest against fuel shortages and impending fuel price rises which will take effect on 1 October.

Derrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

Personally, I’m much more worried about the really big risks that Indonesia faces. Like deforestation and pollution.

And the fact that acid rain is already occurring in Indonesia:

Acid deposition has already occurred in several Indonesian cities with the pH (acidity) levels of rainwater falling on them over the past five years recorded at between 4.6 and 5.3…

… the cities where we monitored the acid deposition were Jakarta, Serpong, Bandung and Kotoabang.

Great. So this is what we have to look forward to, I guess:

And that’s why people like Avi and myself will continue to visit Bali. Despite what the American govt says.

That explains why I won’t be blogging for the next two weeks or so. Cheers!!!

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