ONE of Malaysia’s foremost rock bands, Lefthanded, is all set to rock the crowd at the Musicians for Musicians Benefit concert 2020.
In an interview with theSun, lead guitarist Man Kidal walked us through their journey from the early days.
“Lefthanded was born in 1979 in Johor Baru, and never did we expect it to come this far,“ Man Kidal said.
“We started from the bottom. We played at wedding functions, funfairs, and eventually the club scene. Maybe we had luck on our side as we were offered a record contract.
“This was during the Malaysian rock music era.
There was a Battle of the Bands event and we made it through and it eventually landed us nine albums to our name.”
Lefthanded made a name after joining the Juara Rock competition in 1983.
The band was named after Man Kidal, who plays the guitar with his left hand.
Prior to recording their albums, Lefthanded had been active at live shows and would often accompany bands and musicians, including Datuk Ramli Sarip.
Lefthanded’s initial lineup consisted of Datuk Nashrudin Elias (Nash) on vocals, Man Kidal and Samad on guitars, Yan on bass and Man Dayak on drums.
“We played at several joints back in the day, including the Hard Rock Cafe in Taman Tun Dr Ismail and Piccadilly’s ... basically the club circuit.
“I think we have played the whole circuit about four times now,” Man Kidal said.
On the band’s unforgettable moments, he said they had a few.
“The first was during our concert at a music festival in Kedah. We were extremely shocked that we had 60,000 fans flooding the venue.
“The second was when we played at a police academy in Singapore. We had about 80,000 fans who came to watch us. Those were such sweet memories.”
Speaking on the importance of playing at the Musicians for Musicians concert, Man Kidal said it was their responsibility to contribute to local musicians.
“As long as it is for music, we are ready to contribute,” he said.
The current Lefthanded lineup consists of Nash on vocals, Man Kidal as the lead guitarist, Fly on bass, Ritz Metalasia on second guitar, Roza Rio on keyboards and the late Man Dayak’s son, Hafiz, on drums.
On March 7, the band also celebrated its 40th anniversary at the Capitol Theatre in Singapore in a concert namely “Seruan Concert”.
It was also a memorable one for the band as they were the first Malay musicians to play there since its opening in 1929.
The Musicians for Musicians concert will be held on March 15 at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre from 2pm to 12am, with a total of 30 bands performing.
Ticket prices start at RM100 per person or RM5,000 for a “Golden Hearts” table of 10.
theSun is the media partner for the event.
To purchase tickets, contact Edwin Nathaniel at 012 209 8849.
