Two days ago Agung and I went to our first concert of the year. It also happened to be our first solo show in ages—as opposed to the festivals we have been frequenting a lot lately. It was also our first solo concert together, so I was super stoked! And to have The Drums be the first artist we watched together in a standalone show seems absolutely perfect. Apparently, they, too, had only ever been to Indonesia once 13 years ago.
For us to have stumbled upon this show was entirely thanks to my friend Uta. She sent me the promoter’s teaser content with the suspicion that it would be The Drums. As a long-time fan herself, Uta was super excited about it. However, it turns out their concert date coincided with her trip abroad, so she decided to catch them in Bangkok instead (tonight!). So this post is for you, my concert mate in spirit. Have fun tonight!
Two days ago Agung and I went to our first concert of the year. It also happened to be our first solo show in ages—as opposed to the festivals we have been frequenting a lot lately. It was also our first solo concert together, so I was super stoked! And to have The Drums be the first artist we watched together in a standalone show seems absolutely perfect. Apparently, they, too, had only ever been to Indonesia once 13 years ago.
For us to have stumbled upon this show was entirely thanks to my friend Uta. She sent me the promoter’s teaser content with the suspicion that it would be The Drums. As a long-time fan herself, Uta was super excited about it. However, it turns out their concert date coincided with her trip abroad, so she decided to catch them in Bangkok instead (tonight!). So this post is for you, my concert mate in spirit. Have fun tonight!
📷 iPhone 11 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm + ASUS ZenFone 10 50 MP f/1.9, 23.8 mm
Before I die...
The concert took place at Bengkel Space in South Jakarta. According to Plainsong Live‘s social media, the event should be starting at 8PM, but the gates would already have been open by 7PM. Agung and I decided to grab a bite before the concert and parked our bike at Plaza Senayan—around 20-minute walk to the venue. Initially, Agung considered ordering an online taxi to get to there, but after we rechecked the distance, we decided to walk instead. It really wasn’t that far at all! After the show, we saw that apparently everyone else also decided to walk to nearby parking spots or public transports too.
We took off from Plaza Senayan at a little before 6PM and arrived there shortly before 7, yet somehow was met with a pretty long line of people already. Once the gate opened and the line started moving, I could see the little details Plainsong Live has put into this entryway—even before we entered the venue! Right by the gate you would be able to see the merch store—which was probably already sold out by then—and there were people milling about trying to sell cute little handheld fans with Jonny Pierce’s face on it.
While I loved the space and decor of the venue, there was one thing that bothered me a little bit: we weren’t allowed to bring water inside—even with our own tumbler. When we were about to enter and we were searched by the security guard—women for women, men for men—we had to throw away some of our water. It was a little heartbreaking for me, tbh ☹️ Thankfully, we were allowed re-entry so we could buy some water first before the show started—although the available nearby space sold water in triple its usual price. Well, you win some, you lose some, I guess.
The concert took place at Bengkel Space in South Jakarta. According to Plainsong Live‘s social media, the event should be starting at 8PM, but the gates would already have been open by 7PM. Agung and I decided to grab a bite before the concert and parked our bike at Plaza Senayan—around 20-minute walk to the venue. Initially, Agung considered ordering an online taxi to get to there, but after we rechecked the distance, we decided to walk instead. It really wasn’t that far at all! After the show, we saw that apparently everyone else also decided to walk to nearby parking spots or public transports too.
We took off from Plaza Senayan at a little before 6PM and arrived there shortly before 7, yet somehow was met with a pretty long line of people already. Once the gate opened and the line started moving, I could see the little details Plainsong Live has put into this entryway—even before we entered the venue! Right by the gate you would be able to see the merch store—which was probably already sold out by then—and there were people milling about trying to sell cute little handheld fans with Jonny Pierce’s face on it.
While I loved the space and decor of the venue, there was one thing that bothered me a little bit: we weren’t allowed to bring water inside—even with our own tumbler. When we were about to enter and we were searched by the security guard—women for women, men for men—we had to throw away some of our water. It was a little heartbreaking for me, tbh ☹️ Thankfully, we were allowed re-entry so we could buy some water first before the show started—although the available nearby space sold water in triple its usual price. Well, you win some, you lose some, I guess.
...I want to go surfing
On Bivi: Hand-me-down shirt + jacket // thrifted skirt (from 2012) // somethingstokeep tote bag // gifted shoes // old socks
On Agung: old shirt + shoes // thrifted pants + tote bag
Since we arrived at the venue pretty early, we had plenty of time to take photos together and of the surroundings. It gave off a pretty chill vibe, with people standing around and milling about everywhere. There was a bar on the right side, where you can order whatever kind of beverage you want. There was even a photobox corner where you can take fun photos with your friends before the show started. Agung and I decided to explore the venue and take photos together. Two lovely photographers from the event were sweet enough to offer to take our photos—can you guess which photos were taken by them? Once the place started to feel a whole lot more crowded, we took our place by the stage.
At around 07.30PM the crowd started to stand up and move in closer to the stage. Shortly after, the band came on the stage and the show officially started. The whole vibe of the show was really fun. Jonny’s stage presence is definitely more on the warm and chatty side—which is what I prefer, to be honest. He would dance all over the stage and hold out his mic to the crowd, encouraging us to sing even louder. The crowd seemed to move in the same rhythm, as if we all became one in that room that night. Unfortunately, Jonny told us that he hasn’t been feeling well lately, but he really didn’t want to cancel our show. In unison, we all agreed to sing all the songs we knew to help him.
The show was exactly as I had hoped it would be. The must-sing songs were played, of course, but I was super happy that my favourite How It Ended was also played. Agung, on the other hand, felt let down that his favourites Skippin’ Town and The Flowers didn’t get played. Aww, there, there, honey. Jonny put his own personal touches to a lot of the songs too, which made them sound different from the recorded version. I absolutely adore that. When he suddenly said goodbye, the crowd was of one mind and we called for an encore in unison—in which he played I Don’t Know How to Love and I Want It All. It was the perfect end to a wonderful show.
Going to this show has made me realise how different the music performance scene in Indonesia has become—or perhaps my priorities and tastes have changed. The last time I watched a standalone show in Jakarta was in 2008—Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance. Back then shows happened either in sports halls or convention halls—and there were definitely no beverage stalls available. I remember it feeling pretty tense—people were fighting to get to the front, mosh pits formed in the middle of the crowd and being out of breath was the norm. This new chill and more intimate vibe is more akin to my experience at a Lucy Rose concert in Germany back in 2013. I’m really digging this intimate vibe, hoping to see more shows like this!
Major thanks to Plainsong Live for inviting The Drums to Jakarta.
Cannot wait to see you guys again at Joyland Jakarta 2024!
On Bivi: Hand-me-down shirt + jacket // thrifted skirt (from 2012) // somethingstokeep tote bag // gifted shoes // old socks
On Agung: old shirt + shoes // thrifted pants + tote bag
Since we arrived at the venue pretty early, we had plenty of time to take photos together and of the surroundings. It gave off a pretty chill vibe, with people standing around and milling about everywhere. There was a bar on the right side, where you can order whatever kind of beverage you want. There was even a photobox corner where you can take fun photos with your friends before the show started. Agung and I decided to explore the venue and take photos together. Two lovely photographers from the event were sweet enough to offer to take our photos—can you guess which photos were taken by them? Once the place started to feel a whole lot more crowded, we took our place by the stage.
At around 07.30PM the crowd started to stand up and move in closer to the stage. Shortly after, the band came on the stage and the show officially started. The whole vibe of the show was really fun. Jonny’s stage presence is definitely more on the warm and chatty side—which is what I prefer, to be honest. He would dance all over the stage and hold out his mic to the crowd, encouraging us to sing even louder. The crowd seemed to move in the same rhythm, as if we all became one in that room that night. Unfortunately, Jonny told us that he hasn’t been feeling well lately, but he really didn’t want to cancel our show. In unison, we all agreed to sing all the songs we knew to help him.
The show was exactly as I had hoped it would be. The must-sing songs were played, of course, but I was super happy that my favourite How It Ended was also played. Agung, on the other hand, felt let down that his favourites Skippin’ Town and The Flowers didn’t get played. Aww, there, there, honey. Jonny put his own personal touches to a lot of the songs too, which made them sound different from the recorded version. I absolutely adore that. When he suddenly said goodbye, the crowd was of one mind and we called for an encore in unison—in which he played I Don’t Know How to Love and I Want It All. It was the perfect end to a wonderful show.
Going to this show has made me realise how different the music performance scene in Indonesia has become—or perhaps my priorities and tastes have changed. The last time I watched a standalone show in Jakarta was in 2008—Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance. Back then shows happened either in sports halls or convention halls—and there were definitely no beverage stalls available. I remember it feeling pretty tense—people were fighting to get to the front, mosh pits formed in the middle of the crowd and being out of breath was the norm. This new chill and more intimate vibe is more akin to my experience at a Lucy Rose concert in Germany back in 2013. I’m really digging this intimate vibe, hoping to see more shows like this!
Major thanks to Plainsong Live for inviting The Drums to Jakarta.
Cannot wait to see you guys again at Joyland Jakarta 2024!