GLASTO here we come! All set and stoked, the all-female Indonesian heavy metal trio Voice of Baceprot (VOB) will be taking to the stage at UK’s legendary open air concert Glastonbury Festival at the end of this month.
Formed a decade ago by guitarist and vocalist Firda Marsya Kurnia, drummer Euis Siti Aisyah and bassist Widi Rahmawati when they were still in school, VOB enjoyed a meteoric rise backed by of sheer tenacity following the release of their first single School Revolution.
However, the path to reach that point was paved with never-ending obstacles.
As hijabi-clad musicians in the religiously conservative small town of Garut in West Java, the group faced an array of criticisms due to how they looked, the music they played and gender stereotypes.
From Marsya’s perspective, some of their detractors have changed their opinions while others seemingly moved on to other topics to latch their toxicity into.
“In the past, we were bullied because they thought VOB only relied on our looks. After they found out our skills were not bad, they accused us of being big because we did cover songs.
“When they found out that we had our own songs with a lot of listeners, we were accused of bribing big festivals to be able to play there. Haters will always find a reason to hate. The people who support us (will continue to give support) as they do not care about what the haters say and (neither will VOB) as we continue to focus on our work,” she stated.
In the lead up to their highly anticipated appearance at Glastonbury, Marsya spoke exclusively to theSun on their journey and what fans can expect from the band.
