Post-Raid Brunei Music Scene -- where are we heading?

Written by Amal Murni

"On March 18th 2018 last year, based on Borneo Bulletin (2018), a sum of 176 individuals were detained over the weekend in a raid on a private business premise at Batu Bersurat by officers from RBPF, Royal Customs, Narcotics Control Bureau and Excise Department.

The raid uncovered dried leaves and tablets in which was believed to be drugs. Furthermore, some of the gig attendees were also found to be possessing controlled drugs after body searches were conducted.

Offences investigated fall under the Public Entertainment Act (Chapter 181) -- guilty parties will face a fine of not more than $10,000. Moreover, a Section 6(a) for possession of controlled drugs and Section 6(b) for consumption of controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act (Chapter 27).

Suspects inside the venue were all brought to the Central Police Station for further investigations.

The RBPF urges business owners to monitor all happenings at their properties and report any questionable acts to the police."

source: https://borneobulletin.com.bn/176-rounded-up-in-jalan-batu-bersurat-bust/

Apart from the non-jaded reality of the post-raid Bruneian music scene that shook the local bands to the core with fear and demotivation. It was worsened ten folds through a force-of-habit bad mouthing by the public via a rabbit hole known as the ‘epitome of typical Bruneians’ page, Brunei FM (Facebook) and WhatsApp and to be honest, the bands’ demotivation was valid.

But who could blame the public too, they did not receive much insight on what really happened that night, which led them to believe what they can easily comprehend: “music = drugs, sex and alcohol.” After knowing that, a scoff seemed like a natural reflex along with the thought of Brunei as a living proof of Footloose (minus the dancing and decorated barn).

The perception on things going backwards was at an all time high after March 2018. Prior to the incident, the Bruneian music scene was on its verge of evolution and growth and the future seemed bright. However, a couple of bad apples turned the local bands’ dreams and the scene’s progress into a rubble.

At post-raid, things were not as bad as it was made out to be considering the effort the local bands were putting in order to revive the scene as well as themselves. A considerable amount of local bands released their own albums and EPs last year and they were doing gigs outside of Brunei. Personally, it was a breath of fresh air being able to witness a couple of gigs in Kuala Lumpur and Miri by bands like Perfect Scums, Alexandria, Pemuzik Kena Reject, Tropical Hornbills, Empty Wallet, Hurricane Honey and Hangs. Although that was a fragment of an entire whole of the local bands and their activities outside of the motherland, it was evident that the people who attended the gigs were appreciative and genuinely… well, supportive. That is not to say that the locals are not, there are people who would go out of their ways to catch their gigs despite the distance, pay an entrance fee, and buy their merchandises. However, it is still not enough for the long run, but it will do for now.

Empty Wallet, Borneo X Semenanjung (August 2018)

Additionally, with the ongoing hash-tag ‘#sapotlokal’ (support local) revolving around the social medias, there is a blurry line between insincerity and sincerity, and it is hard to differentiate between the two these days. The point is, things are tough and doing gigs or selling merchandises is not one of the major sources of income. Some or most bands would pay to play just for the sake of playing even if the venue is an hour drive or two hours flight away and their slots would merely be for 30 minutes or less. The fact is they are willing to do whatever it takes to get their names out there and let their music be heard.

At the end of 2018, there were a few events conducted by companies with the support of the ministries to showcase talents in Brunei. It was a nice thing for them do especially in this post-raid time. However, due to the lack of expertise on sound engineering and set ups, everything was still… vanilla. Funnily enough, some bands that participated were not fazed by it and that begs the question; could this be because of their lack of expectation or they just wanted to get on with it for the sake of doing it? Despite the negative aspect, the organisers’ hearts were in the right places; providing a platform for the talents. One company that did it relatively right was Progresif. They were the beacon of last year’s gloom. Progresif lent a helping hand to the local music scene and gave them great exposures through their monthly ‘Locals Only Studio Album’ and events. Another underclass heroes that are worth mentioning are the men behind Where’s The Gig? An underground event for the local indie music scene which was active throughout 2018 and hopefully this year as well.

Surf Vampires, WTG2 (June 2018) [Photo by @hhaaffiiizzaayy]

Hurricane Honey, Indie Coco (December 2018)

Looking back at it and the current situation, it is a definitive fact that the Bruneian music scene in the 2010s are progressing more as opposed to the 2000s and seeing how the local bands are at the moment, opportunities and possibilities will be there as long as they do not stop doing what they are doing and continue to evolve further.

Yes, it is a tough crowd and you cannot please everyone. However, sincerity and passion are the two foundations that could cut through the burden of time and the end of the tunnel does not look too grim now as it was then.

Race Before Sunset (December 2017)

Race Before Sunset (December 2017)

Keep on keeping on,

#sapotlokal (for real)

Disclaimer:

This is purely an opinion-based article. For any misunderstandings and misinformation, I do sincerely apologise. Feel free to share your opinion on this topic.