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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On Indonesia’s 2024 presidential election

A week is a long time in politics. And four years since the last election is a hell of a lot longer of course. But this time around, the pendulum seems to be swinging firmly in Prabowo's favour. 

I wouldn’t bet my house on it but since Gibran (the president's son) sided with Prabowo - and thereby giving him a lot of potential support from incumbent President Jokowo voters - the prospects for Ganjar and Anies have dimmed considerably. 

This act of betrayal by the incumbent was something out of a Shakespeare novel and it really infuriated Megawati as she thought she could count on Jokowi's support for Ganjar. But that didn’t turn out to be the case. And she’s still picking up the pieces. 

Prabowo is also galvanizing plenty of support from strongly partisan media (TV One owned by Bakrie, Detik.com by Chairul Tanjung etc) and more cannily social media, which influences the minds of so many people these days. 

In particular, I noticed that Tiktok feeds are jam packed with videos in support of Prabowo but not many for either Ganjar or Anies. 

Not only is Prabowo a clever chap but he has also done his homework on how to win this election, it seems. 

In addition, his solid performances on crucial TV debates and Gibran's potential appeal to young voters (as well as to the Jokowi cohort as I previously mentioned) should be enough to push him over the winning line. 

As part of the old guard, does this mean Indonesia is headed toward a more authoritarian and Suhartoesqe future? 

Well, it won’t be long till we find out...
 

2024 Indonesia presidential poster

It's difficult to believe that Gibran did not receive at least tacit support from his father (President Jokowi) for backing Prabowo's bid for presidency. This has left Ganjar with a huge uphill road to follow. 


2024 Indonesia presidential poster

Prabowo has galvanized support from the youth demographic by choosing a young running mate for vice-president and the astute use of social media - even if it makes Gibran look like a young boy in this poster! 

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