LOKO, consisting of four young people with diverse personalities who share the same goals and aspirations, is now seeking to establish itself within the local indie music scene.
This alt-indie-rock band was already well-known among adolescents in the country. Aside from performing at various locations such as the Klang Valley indie scene, the band has been actively taking on the university gig circuit.
It all began when the band members were jamming together in high school and decided to pen a song for fun. It then became their first single that was released on YouTube three years ago, titled Pujaan Hati, and managed to gain more than 1.4 million views.
The band currently features vocalist and rhythm guitarist Ashraff, lead guitarist Aliff, bassist Iman, and drummer Hisyam. It has been noted that this is their latest line-up after several replacements since the band’s official inception in 2018.
As the Covid-19 outbreak worsened, the band was forced to cease their touring activities, despite having their rockstar moment, performing in numerous states.
Due to the government’s implementation of MCO (Movement Control Orders), the band, along with everyone else, was forced to ‘stay at home’ as there were no shows to play.
According to Ashraff during our virtual interview: “We were at our peak during the time before the pandemic started, as we [were hired for] a lot of shows everywhere, and suddenly the pandemic hit, so we couldn’t do anything about it. Everything was cut off.
“However, after the pandemic, we started getting calls for shows, and now it’s back to business as usual. We are so grateful that [gigs] have gradually increased.”
The band had just finished performing in Tebing, Bandar Dato’ Onn, Johor, and they remarked that the experience was wonderful. Even more entertaining is the fact that they enjoyed going from place to place for a performance.
“We love travelling. Since it always falls on a weekend, we take the chance to make it a holiday as well,” Ashraff said. “It is not only about the show, but also about the journey, and adventures shared by the entire group. This is how we all learn and get to know one another better, which happens only during the journey.”
Ashraff then continued talking about the crowd’s perspective, claiming that the band was appreciated more in Johor, since the crowd there was truly supportive and held a special place in the band’s heart.
“We are always thrilled when we received an invitation to perform in Johor. [I] can’t deny that every state has its own unique audience, but in Johor, for instance, the students at UNIKL were all roughly the same age, thus they were indeed our target audience,” said Ashraff.
Apart from the band’s success with its debut hit, an adventurous road trip together, and extraordinary crowds, the band members know their fans’ favourite tunes as well and are always willing to play them.
Aliff stated that the tracks Pujaan Hati, Untuk Dia, and Benci from their debut album Mata Kaca (EP) have always been their fans’ favourites.
“During every show, we always bring four to five songs from the Mata Kaca album to play, as well as some new unreleased songs that are still in demo acoustic version. And Benci has always become a favourite for our fans to riot over. It was the most awaited song,” claimed Aliff.
The success of this Shah Alam-based band has proven that the local indie music scene in this country is still relevant despite some hurdles and obstacles.
The band’s vocalist’s declaration that the group would continue to perform “until the very end” demonstrates their undying devotion to music.
“The idea of disbanding was the last thing on anyone’s mind. We have decided that we will keep on nurturing this band until our last breath. We will keep on moving, no matter how slow or fast it is. What matters is that we are moving,” said Ashraff.
As a band on the rise, their man-in-charge also plays a crucial role as well. Syakir, who claims to have been present since day one, has also spoken and contributed to the conversation during the interview session.
He puts up words saying: “Even as a student, I set my own schedule so that I would have the flexibility to manage and study at the same time,.”
Syakir then added: “This is also my passion, and I won’t give it up easy.”
Following the release of Loko’s single Kritikan last October, which was produced by Shahrizal Jaapar and the band at Bilik Hijau, Studio 21:05, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, the band is currently preparing to release a new song this November, which was previously released as an acoustic demo earlier in the year.
You can stream Loko’s music now on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Sound Cloud, and also YouTube.
For more information on the band’s next show and music updates, visit their official social media pages on Facebook (facebook.com/ lokoband), and Instagram (instagram.com/lokoband).
