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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Gugun blows away the crowd at New Star Kemang

Gugun and his band at New Star Kemang
Gugun and his band at New Star Kemang

Surprises spring up at the most unlikely of times and I have to be honest here – I was not expecting that! So many thanks to Mark at New Star Kemang for arranging this amazing gig by the blues maestro Gugun! 

This venue – if you have never been here – is small and intimate and it was such a privilege to be here as Gugun and his close-knit band mesmerized the audience with their set of blues rock classics by bands such as Deep Purple and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. 

Good music never goes out of fashion of course, but it’s still great to know that in this technological era sullied by crass commercialism and short attention spans, these old classics are still finding the light of day. 

Gugun really is a great guitar player. I don’t really have any recollection about where I was that night. His music just sucked you in, demanding your entire attention, and then the next thing you know a couple of hours have passed you by. Wonderful stuff!





For more information on forthcoming gigs at New Star Kemang, check out their Instagram account.

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