PETALING JAYA, Feb 4 — When a good friend first told me (well, he was actually raving) about this band called Kugiran Masdo (the Malay word kugiran literally means band in English), I completely had no idea who they were.

Honestly, as of 10 years ago, I stopped paying attention to the local non-mainstream music scene altogether for the simple reason that I felt most were bland and mediocre at best; for a scene that calls itself "underground” or "do-it-yourself”, it was filled with privileged middle-class kids who tried too hard to either sound depressed or rebellious.

Think Butterfingers, Bunkface or Custom Daisy. Middle-class rage, "Damansara punk.”

Right.

So with almost zero interest in whatever may be playing on the Malaysian-made channel on Spotify, what made me pay attention when my friend went on a non-stop fanboy ramble about Kugiran Masdo?  

Firstly, they are simple, honest working-class boys. Secondly, they sound familiar — tunes and sounds I literally grew up listening to (even if I wasn’t a fan): pop yeh yeh.

"I grew up listening to 60s Malay pop… my mom, who ran a food stall, used to play all these classic (Malay) songs and I mean they were tunes typically played at Malay weddings so the influence was huge on me personally,” Ali Sariah said when we had the band over for a chat.

Ali, who cuts a lanky figure, is the band’s charismatic and friendly guitar-playing frontman. He’s also considered the brains of the ensemble, writing most of the songs in their self-titled six-tracked EP.

According to Mawi, the lead guitarist with hair that reminds me of the lads from punk legend The Ramones, Ali’s eclectic taste in 60s Malay pop music and song-writing is what gives soul to Kugiran Masdo and its unique sound.

"He’s the main man. We complement him and that’s what makes us… well… us,” he said as he puffed on his cigarette.

The other two members are Putuceri (what a name, eh?) on bass with Ambobzeela behind the drums.

The former, another genuinely nice guy (he was my main contact when I wanted to secure the interview), was absent during the interview though. He was sick, but yet was nice enough to call his colleagues and remind them to be on time for the interview.

"Diorang lambat sikit ni bro tapi aku dah sound suruh cepat haha!” ("They are a bit late but I have told them to hurry up haha!”) See, really nice guy.

Ambobzeela, or just Am as they call him, on the other hand is likely the silent star of the band which is just reaching that turning point between obscurity and stardom. By the way, he is also the drummer for Hujan, quite possibly the biggest Malay indie band in the country at the moment.

Am is a bit quiet and shy. When I casually conversed with him in English (out of habit since I write in English) he was honest enough to indicate he wasn’t that comfortable speaking the language.

"Ni macam project saya bro (This is like my project, bro),” he said with a shy smile when asked what it felt like playing in two bands with two very different sounds.

But Am is not the only link between Hujan and Masdo. The former was also a factor in Masdo’s newfound popularity.

They are funny and they are real... Kugiran Masdo strike a familiar chord with their fans (left to right): Mawi, Ali and Ambobzeela. — Picture by Mukhriz Hazim

Fans of the band I spoke to said many of its followers knew of Masdo through the band members of Hujan ­— specifically, frontman Noh Salleh — who was said to have given his official "endorsement” to Masdo.

And big they became. The band just recently finished a nationwide tour and in the last concert they played, the 2018 GegaRia Fest in Setia Alam, Selangor, the reception was huge (see video!).

Masdo, despite remaining sort of an underground thing, is now playing next to award-winning acts like Hujan and other big pop acts like DeFam before a crowd of 20,000 strong.

But to say Hujan’s supposed bro-sanction made Masdo what it is today would do a huge disservice to the band. I have no doubt that Masdo have what it takes to make it big even without any "endorsement.”

Their music, while at times may sound like patches of Hujan, Indonesian indie bands and 60s pop yeh yeh, is solid.

Tracks like Bunga, likely their most popular song, shows immense capability in terms of arrangement. Teruna dan Dara, my personal favourite, has strong riffings and fluid progression.

Of course there were traces of The Last Shadow Puppets or a tiny bit of Arctic Monkeys (Ali admitted the two British bands are a huge musical influence on him), Mawi’s colouring and Putuceri’s bass lines gave it the jovial head-bopping or leg-twisting melody one would so often hear at your average kenduri kahwin in the kampung.

If the members of Kugiran Masdo make you think of the Sixties, it’s a deliberate thing on their part (left to right): Mawi, Ali and Ambobzeela.

And while there may be nothing novel about reviving 60s music, Masdo’s music is refreshing amid a scene saturated with average copies of Indonesian bands (many of whom of course also have no qualms about copying music directly from the West) or pretentious New Age rubbish.

Then there’s the image appeal. No, I’m not talking about their 60s, mod-ish uniformed get-ups. I’m talking about their working class appeal.

In an underground music scene often filled with inflated and self-flattering egos (despite their mediocrity) trying hard to be what they’re not, humility is gold.

"They’re real… Malay and not trying to be anyone else. Just simple guys playing some original and fun music that sounds like pop yeh yeh,” said Aie, who had only started following Masdo recently.

In any case I think it’s about time the non-mainstream music scene had a genuine band that is from (and for) the masses, not just the hipsters of Bangsar or Publika.

Good music is aplenty but real music is rare. Let’s just hope the Masdo boys know this and stay true to themselves even as they grow bigger.