Converging Malaysian festivals - Who loses out?

Recently, Daily Seni sparked the question of “clashing” festivals and what it meant to the festival-goers, the performers as well as the organisers in the local creative industry.

Add to the Moonshine Ninth Anniversary on Tuesday night, happening on Tuesday night at the familiar Laundry Bar in Damansara, as well as Kakisenifest and YSDAF 2014, is also free.

The Klang Valley's longest-running live music night is no slouch either when it comes to packing in the after hours urban nightlife crowds.

Free concerts on different days featuring a host of musicians and varying music that gives a jolt to Kuala Lumpur - all makes for a good night, no?

If not for the other thing. And that's that the audience pie is small, and everyone's time is delicate. The act of going out is a planned expense for some, if not most of the young people who come experience the performances. So the thing also becomes about knowing our audiences.

Who are they? And, have performer perceptions on them changed? And what does organiser-funder-marketer view on 'them' would be?

Conversely - is there an actual possibility that there is a shortage of performers? Yet more questions. Without delving into statistics and making this a tedious science, the point is, why not spread it all out throughout the year? Why all the goodness we get seems to happen all at the same damn time is still open for discussion (or wonder, endless wonder...).

Granted, the main events coming up this weekend in the thick of September each have different interests and specific niches to cater to.

And whether or not it is true that Malaysian festival calendar clashes are unavoidable - an "it is what it is" situation - is there a competitive element among organising committees and their corporate funders (most who play ball sincerely believing in the arts cause)?

If so, has crowd support for local live arts grown sustainable enough?

With all due credit to Malaysian arts practitioners, we're not all too far behind (not to mention the United States, Europe and Japan) - Australia, for all their world-class entertainment and infrastructure, still have their own share of industry issues.

To our credit, Malaysian arts and live entertainment organisers and their funders have a pretty good track record of at least daring to reach higher well in advance of the rest of South East Asia (barring our "first world" neighbours the Republic of Singapore).

According to veteran concert and event organiser Jennifer Thompson, a tireless Malaysian music industry champion with decades of experience deciding the outcome of the country's largest-scale and most visible live entertainment events: "We don't have an industry calendar nor do we have people that check what is going on.

"Everyone goes about doing everything themselves. If they get the sponsorship then the show runs ... sometimes following the sponsor's timing.

"Some of us bother to check when we're doing things like last time when managing Anugerah Industri Muzik, Anugerah Bintang Popular, The Shout! Awards, we do check on the quiet with others to ensure we don't clash shows ... does it happen elsewhere in the world?

"What I'm sure of is for the major shows they have an industry calendar. However the major shows are probably annual events, like festivals and such."

Beyond the bottom line, how much do we really care? More questions. Well it's Malaysia Day and it is a good time as any to ask if the industry is mature enough to transcend these choose-one situations for good. To continually breathe and revel in the enjoyment of consistently putting the arts-experiencer first.

What Some 'Industry Folk' Might Say

Spare a moment too for the stuff performers go through, notes Zakwan Ahmad, band manager for monoloQue, who are billed on two of the main events over the next 10 days, and customising their sets for both the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, all for the DFP Seni Fest and also KLPac theater for YSDAF 2014.

monoloQue

monoloQue will be performing at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas on Sept 16 - Photo from monoloQue Facebook

Be caution of the respective crossover audiences there, the group even took to staging a secret gig in mid-week, as 'Pawagam', at The Bee in Publika Mont Kiara as they seek to make new impacts over the next 10 days. Such is the level of preparation for serious practitioners when these big festival convergences come few and far between (well, closer to once a year) in the Malaysian entertainment calendar year.

Projek Rabak founder Mohd Jayzuan, a performer, writer and self-professed art-maker, fresh from overseeing the recent Liga Rabak KL reunion of underground artists view it from a more underground perspective: "Problem ni jadi sebab banyak organiser kadang buat tu semata-mata RM (untuk duit), tambahan fest atau events yang dapat fund and they don't care sangat pasal orang datang or tak as long as duit fund dapat dan depa buat something with it.

“Selalunya bila dapat fund ni kita ada certain period of time and date kena ikut, so kat situ kadang masalah dan organiser kena terus jalankan event walaupun sedar banyak lagi acara pada masa sama."

"Dan pada masa scene makin berkembang, fund makin mudah dapat, sponsors paling mudah cari - but kita start kekurangan crowd yang passionate dan sebab tu juga bands kadang selalu ulang-ulang mostly the same di satu-satu fest.

Sebab crowd yang tak passionate hanya nak nonton popular bands dan bukan lagi nak dig new stuff. Bila bands ulang-ulang, crowd yang sikit tu makin sikit sebab depa bosan with the selection of the bands, tapi dalam masa sama organizer pun tak mahu panggil band lain sebab takut crowd tak 'into' or kenal dan tak datang show depa," adds Jay in his typical candid Ipoh drawl and Northern accent.

On the side of those running magic on one of these big shows we are treated to Kakiseni president Low Ngai Yuen seems pretty affirmative about it: "It's simple. Let's say there's only one wedding shop - not many will come by.

Low Ngai Yuen

"I think it's more than anything I can ever ask for - that so many arts fests are happening at the same time!" - Ngai Yuen. Photo from Low Ngai Yuen's Facebook

But when there is a row of several wedding shops, suddenly that area becomes the place to go for wedding bajus. I think it's more than anything I can ever ask for - that so many arts fests are happening at the same time!

Finally we have the weight to pull (it off)! Honestly, I can't ask for this to be better designed or planned. (Especially) when the arts sector comes together and attacks!"

Burgeoning art star Takahara Suiko, performing as The Venopian Solitude at YSDAF 2014 for the mixed KLPac audience this weekend: "That's the norm of performing or even any line of work, really. Kalau semua gig satu organiser je handle, senanglah time schedule semua orang. Organiser lagi kesian sebab ada pula orang masuk line dan tarik crowd pegi event lain."

"Orang datang ke tak, walaupun mula-mula mestilah akan fikir, 'ee diorang ni sibuk je buat event sama kan dah takde orang', but we've practiced so jalan saja, main bagi sendiri seronok. Plus, it is good practice; practicing on stage - unlike big international bands who have their own stage to practice on."

Empathising with the faithful music-lover looking on and listening in - and festival-hopping - Takahara's take is simple: "Penat weh nak ulang-alik berkejar ... (it is exhausting having to rush from one venue to another)".

The world's first-of-its kind scene

Whatever has been said and wondered shouldn’t stop us from enjoying the fare on offer at the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra at KLPac and around Pavilion, Bukit Bintang and Damansara within the next few days.

Certainly the shows, exhibitions and participation promise no less than enriching two-way experiences between audiences and performers.

Whichever ones we will be spotted at, let's take a moment to breathe. To not just grow as an industry but much more beyond - as a community, as a society - may these lines blur and fade as our arts grow into, I don't know, maybe something more of a new world kind of scene, if not a first world one.