Graphics promo poster courtesy of Rosevalley SG…
A good three weeks into the new calendar year and this is only my first entry. Been so busy of late I have not even had the time to update this domain with quite a number of events that I attended since way back in December 2017 and the past fortnight. This particular entry however, takes precedence seeing that the event is only less than a week away. As the title header of this entry implies, award-winning and popular Malaysian band Akim & The Magistrate will be performing this coming Friday 26th January 2018 at the Esplanade Theatre Hall at 8pm!!! This is the band’s first concert outside Malaysia, a landmark event for them ushering the new year. This concert is also special for the organisers, Rosevalley SG, as this is also their very first foray in organising a concert event, when the general public remember them more for their successful flagship biannual CelebFest expo events since 2016 and of late, the three-day Twilight: Flea & Feast event as well as the Singapore Modest Fashion Week.
For starters, for those who do not know who Akim & The Magistrate are, they are a seven-piece super group made up of members from different bands (Sofazr, 6ixth Sense, Hyper Act, New Boyz) and Akim Ahmad, the lead vocalist himself, a former Akademi Fantasia finalist, who came in third in the seventh edition of the popular reality singing competition in Malaysia. The group first introduced themselves to the music scene in 2014 and released their debut hit single, the haunting “Mewangi“, which topped the radio charts on both sides of the Causeway. This was swiftly followed by their second single “Potret“, which went on to win the 30th edition of Anugerah Juara Lagu in 2016. The group also won Best Performance on that unforgettable night and yours truly was fortunate to witness it live at Stadium Malawati in Shah Alam. Since then, they have produced several radio friendly hits like “Obses“, from their debut album “Patriot“, and “Lygophobia“, an official soundtrack single recorded for the movie “Bisik Pada Langit“. Of late, “Lagu Untuk Laila” has been given a lot of airplay on our local airwaves. This is the first single recorded for the band’s upcoming second album.
Mr. Fadzly Aziz, Media & Communications Manager for Rosevalley SG, hosted the media conference...
A media conference was held at Kaw Kaw SG on the afternoon of 19th December 2017 to promote the concert. The small event was attended by our local media representatives from Berita Mediacorp, Berita Harian, radio deejays from RIA 89.7FM, which is also the official radio station for this upcoming concert, as well as yours truly. We had to wait more than an hour for the band to arrive as they drove down straight from their base in Kuala Lumpur. With the rainy December weather, coupled with the erratic traffic conditions at the Causeway, it was inevitable that the band was late, but it did not quite matter that much to me, as I had a lot of time to mingle and catch up with my friends from the other media brigade as well as the good people at Rosevalley SG. Not all of the group’s members made their way down to Singapore. The ones who came for the media conference were vocalist Akim Ahmad, guitarist and group leader Zimi, as well as fellow guitarist Gjie and Afiez, who acts the keyboardist of the group. On a personal note, it was nice to meet Gjie again for me, as we both participated in a charity football match between Singapore and Malaysian artistes back in November 2016, in aid of cancer-stricken victims.
Zimi, the leader of the band (seated right), sharing microphone duties with Akim Ahmad (left)…
The media conference itself did not last more than fifteen minutes as most of the information needed were already found in the media release and with the group not wanting to reveal more than they had wanted to, as it would have eliminated the element of surprise that they intend to display for the upcoming concert. They were actually fresh from a two-day concert event at Shah Alam along with the likes of Faizal Tahir, Anuar Zain and KRU on the day of the media conference, so it was a good warm-up session leading up to their much-anticipated Esplanade display. An expected playlist of between fifteen to eighteen songs have been planned for the night, amongst them, their radio hits since 2014, a probable mix of covers as well as Akim‘s very own solo singles. Another song that they have recorded for their upcoming second album titled “Stereotaip“, will also make its debut during the concert. I was blown away when I watched them perform at Anugerah Planet Muzik in 2015 as well as Anugerah Juara Lagu in 2016. I am expecting nothing less than quality performances this coming Friday!!!
Group members (from left) – Akim, Gjie, Afiez and Zimi, cannot wait to perform at the Esplanade this Friday!!!
Tickets to the concert ($48, $68, $88, $108 and $148) are still available for purchase at www.apactix.com. For those purchasing the $148 tickets, you are entitled to meet-and-greet the group post-concert. Concessions of 5% are given to students, full-time National Servicemen and senior citizens who purchase Category 1 & 2 seats. Those of you who are coming in groups of four, you will enjoy significant discounts for Category 1 & 2 seats ($140, $102 and $83 each) and discounts are only applicable with every group bundle purchase from the same category. All prices mentioned do not include booking fees. Hurry!!! Get your tickets today!!!
Snapshots of #PlanetATMsg Media Conference
