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.
How are the preparations for Glastonbury going? Is the pressure heavier compared to the weeks leading up to the band playing at Wacken two years ago?
So far so good. We are working hard to give our best, but this time we have to work 100 times harder because it is hard for us to practise in a good studio, (which we do not have) in Garut.
We try to get around every limitation here and it turns out that it has made us more creative. We do all this because what we carry is not only the name of VOB, but also the name of Indonesia, (as we are) the first Indonesian band that will play in Glastonbury. The pressure is more than when we played at Wacken, but we are enjoying it.
A lot of metal bands tend to stick to a circuit of small-medium sized gigs or strictly metal shows locally before they are booked for gigs abroad. As blessed as the band’s music trajectory has been, does the band think they skipped past paying their dues after VOB skyrocketed into international fame with its debut hit single?
We do not think we skipped past anything. Even though we thought that this was too fast, we also realised VOB went through all the stages like other bands. We participated in many band competitions, played at many small gigs, and we even experienced being left behind by the audience in the middle of the show.
We’re a band that grew on the stage. Even though everything looks fast, it does not mean it was easy. There was always a price to pay and we believe that each band has its own process which is equally difficult.
Retas, your debut album, came after around five years of releasing singles, on top of another four years after forming the band. For a metal band, that is an unnatural release pattern. Does VOB have new songs planned and can fans expect a second album to come faster?
You know what, the release of our songs depends on when we have the money (laughs).
VOB does not lack the song material. Even after releasing our debut album, we still had at least ten other songs. [We are trying to release] as much as we can and have started saving to do so.
Right now, we are working on new songs. We hope that next year our listeners will be able to (listen to them) in a full album.
What comes after Glastonbury? Will VOB continue its tour-heavy schedule or will you three be doing things differently, especially now that the band is independent?
We have a few shows after Glastonbury, in Indonesia and abroad. We have already announced some and others are still in the discussion) stage. Apart from that, we are also building a studio in Garut and will finish it after returning from the UK. We are excited!
