Got Issues

I can't help interrupting my Phuket posts for this little aside. Have you heard the song "Issues" by British girl band The Saturdays ? Lately I've been hearing it on the radio everyday on the way to work. It's one of those songs which sound catchy at first, but gets annoying really fast. When it gets to the chorus, I always can't help making up my own lyrics for it. The original lyrics are :

Me and my heart we got Issues

Don’t know if I should hate your or miss you

Damn I wish that I could resist you

Cant decide if I should slap you or kiss you

Me and my heart we got issues (Issues, Issues)

We got issues (Issues, Issues)

Here's my version:

Here in my car I got tissues

If you sneeze I’m not gonna kiss you

Get yourself one of those tissues

And wipe that silly grin off or I’ll hit you

Here in my car I’ve got tissues (tissues, tissues)

We got tissues (tissues, tissues)

What do you think ? What's your version ?

Rainforest World Music Festival 2008 - Till Next Year !

The last group to come on stage was Sheldon Blackman from Trinidad & Tobago. Their music is like Reggae - very dance friendly and definitely a crowd pleaser. 

At 12.00 midnight, the Concert was officially ended. The final concert is actually on Sunday Night, but I will miss that. So for me, it is goodbye RWMF till 2009 !

Rainforest World Music Festival 2008 - The Concert 2

One of the most popular bands of the night was a group from Poland called Beltaine. They are a Polish band playing Irish music - go figure ! 

Rainforest World Music Festival 2008 - The Crowd

The Crowd at the concert was lively but not rowdy. Everyone was getting into the beat - dancing and having fun. For me it is always the crowd that makes the concert.

I made a new friend, a fellow blogger Ahmoi Chantek. She's a lovely Iban lass from Kuching with a few of her friends. I know Ahmoi has been waiting for this post. Here's their picture. She's 2nd from the left.

It was her feet which first caught my attention. A clever way to keep dry - at first !

Rainforest World Music Festival 2008 - The Concert

Around 7.30 p.m. the show started. I was trying to keep my feet dry - away from the mud, but later on, caught in the heat of the music and trying to get better shots I had to just jump in !

The mud - actually a few inches of sand, wasn't too bad. It was dry at first, but as the night wore on, being trampled by thousands of feet, it become more and more muddy. And it was smelly too ! After a while all that was forgotten as everyone there - all 9,000 of them, were determined to have fun mud or no mud.

The first group to come on stage was local favourite Kani'd. Kani'd is made up of a few very good looking Kelabit sisters and cousins. They play ethnic fusion - a blend of Sarawakian ethnic music and rock. Their version of a Kelabit rock song brought the house down.

Rainforest World Music Festival 2008 - Before the Show

The show is supposed to start at 7.00 p.m. Around 6.00 p.m. people are already staking out their preferred locations. It rained the night before, so the ground in front of the stage was soft and muddy. Luckily the organizers brought in some sand to create a more friendly ground condition.







There was a Chill Out Bar set up at the Bidayuh Longhouse. Lots of people were there enjoying the calm before the concert.



Channel V was also at the scene.

Rainforest World Music Festival 2008 - Kuching

From Hanoi we go back to Kuching, my home town. Kuching recently hosted the 11th Rainforest World Music Festival. From it's humble beginning 11 years ago, it has grown into a popular World event attracting over 22,000 people over the 3 days. 

The event is held at the Sarawak Cultural Village which is about 45 min drive from Kuching City. It is set within a tropical rainforest, with the Santubong Mountain in the background.

I went to the 2nd day which was on 12th July. We got there around 5.30 p.m. It was still quiet, prople are just streaming in. Unlike rock concerts where the audience is usually restless and hyper before the show, here it is quite peaceful and idyllic. Maybe it is because of the setting -  being surrounded by the trees, and overlooking a beautiful lake.

There are workshops during the day for those who would like to exchange ideas and jam with the musicians. This year there was also a Craft Market featuring hand-made products from around the region. As you move around the venue you will bump into some small groups or solo musicians giving  impromtu performances.

As this is Kuching, you can't do without food ! There is a huge food bazaar selling all kinds of things like hawker favourites, BBQ, fried chicken, burgers, etc. Of course there's lots of beer !