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Live music combines seamlessly with combat sports
AT most concerts, punches are a reason for security to step in. At Off The Track X Malaysia Fight League: Throwdown, they were part of the fun.
Held at Sky Society, the Oct 10 event paired live music with boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai for one of the most energetic gigs in Klang Valley’s history.
Two stages faced each other, one for musicians and the other for fighters. Rather than having both compete for attention, organisers alternated six bouts with three performances, scheduling two fights before each act.
Fists and fury
The fights were no sideshow. Male and female competitors traded ferocious jabs and kicks, with several exchanges sending fighters stumbling or tumbling.
The crowd responded enthusiastically to every flurry. There was plenty of aggression on display, but also impressive commitment from the fighters, who kept returning to the contest after taking heavy blows. The bouts were exciting enough to stand independently of the music.
Watching one stage erupt with combat before the audience turned towards the other for a concert was a bizarre spectacle, but the arrangement kept the evening moving.
Dogtooth bites hard
First up was Dogtooth, comprising vocalist-guitarist Daniel Wilkins, guitarist Isaac Alexander, bassist Amir Ashwar and drummer Ming Han.
The young Malaysian band’s punk and alternative rock matched the aggression of the preceding fights. Their eight-song set opened with Not Around and moved through Hungry, Need You, S.M.G., Hiraeth, Special Kind of Sadness and Machines.
Wilkins delivered forceful vocals over tight, noisy instrumentals. The band seemed to relish playing somewhere so unusual, with the fast-paced closer particularly suited to an audience primed by the fights.
“It’s a whole new event. It’s unexpected. Yeah, it was really cool,” Wilkins told theSun.
Dogtooth closed with Nirvana’s Breed, an excellent choice for a crowd already running on adrenaline.
“It’s easy to play. It’s moshable, it’s fun. It’s just something for us to enjoy ourselves with,” Han said.
Wilkins said the three-year-old band had also introduced material intended for an album next year.
“We made new songs for today to showcase them,” he said.
Anything goes with Yeekee
Following two more bouts, Tay Yee Kee, better known as Yeekee, took over. Trying to pin his music to one genre would be futile.
The Johor-born performer blends nu-metal, punk rock, metalcore, jazz and country, yet his genre-hopping never prevented him from commanding the room at Off The Track.
His set featured If I Were You, Later Go Home Then You Know, OODADAYO, Jam! Jam! Jam!, Kacau Me and Don’t Check Your Bank Account. He drew enthusiastic responses, encouraged the audience to sing along and maintained control of the room throughout.
Offstage, Yeekee appeared relatively quiet. Onstage, he was relentless.
He also praised the originality of Malaysia’s independent music scene.
“All the Malaysian creators create their own sound. They are proud of themselves. They don’t want to copy other countries’ music. We do it ourselves. We build up our own scene today,” he told theSun.
Leaism brings the heat
After the final two bouts, Leaism closed the night at Off The Track. Anyone expecting the R&B singer to bring proceedings to a mellow finish was mistaken.
She opened with reggaeton influences and delivered an energetic set with OTT’s Moghul Miz on guitar, Bobo on bass, Kween Keela on backing vocals, drummer Rohaimin and keyboardist Jason.
Her powerful vocals carried Gerkkan Aku, Slow Down, Shadow, Murka Jiwa and In Lowest, while her accompanying musicians each received an opportunity to solo. Their contributions gave the performance more personality than a conventional singer-led finale.
“I love to showcase my bandmates. Especially whenever you perform, the highlight will be the vocalist or the lead guitarist or something like that. So, it’s fun to showcase my line-up,” she said.
The audience’s enthusiasm at Off The Track even prompted Leaism to remove a slower song from her setlist to maintain the energy.
Musicians against AI
Although their styles differed, all three performers at Off The Track had reservations about AI-generated music.
Dogtooth’s Han accused AI generators of stealing musicians’ work.
“Stop stealing music!” he said.
Wilkins wanted AI-generated releases taken down.
Yeekee doubted the technology could reproduce his approach to blending genres.
“I don’t enjoy listening to this kind of music. It’s not human. I can blend genres such as jazz and metal, but I don’t think AI can do that,” he said.
Leaism likened AI music to a meal prepared by someone else.
“AI music is like ordering nasi goreng that someone else has made. I eat it and it’s delicious.
“It’s something you pay for, not something you earn. It’s only half-honest. It’s like cheating,” she said.
A winning combination
Off The Track’s Mister Two Five said the seven-member collective hopes to keep showcasing Malaysia’s diverse independent acts through inventive events.
“We just want to make sure we keep people on their feet. We’re going to try and showcase independent music as best we can, as interestingly as we can,” he told theSun.
Off The Track X Malaysia Fight League: Throwdown made a strong case for that approach. Six fierce bouts, three excellent performances and scarcely a chance to catch one’s breath. Loud, sweaty and tremendous fun.
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