DURING an album launch show by premier metal band Mothflesh in February, local punk band Armpunk Sindicate was one of the opening bands.
Once the band began playing, with lead singer Zaid Nazim (Zed) playing a ukulele in the midst of the band’s pulsating drums, electrifying riffs and pounding bass, it became obvious why they were part of Mothflesh’s specially curated bands for the show.
Introducing the next song during their set, the band’s bassist Akmal Hakim called for solidarity from the crowd in opposing all wars and oppression, regardless of race and religion, before the punk band descended into a frenzy for “Darah Palestina”, a song dedicated to the Palestinian struggle.
The group’s infectious energy and uncompromising ability to inject the punk attitude and songwriting into a variety of other subgenres demanded further attention.
Armpunk Sindicate dropped its debut EP, Fakulti Kaki Lima late last month to raving success within the underground, with manager Paknoi saying it meant a lot to them that the release has drawn admiration that extended beyond punk circles.
“Friends from the rock and roll, metal, rap [and other] communities also voiced out their admiration for the EP,” he explained.
Unflinching punk identity
As a punk band, Armpunk Sindicate are natural rebels, but rather than blindly slapping together previously released singles and new ones, the band had to be precise with the vision and message for the debut EP.
Though the band received requests for more “traditionally punk”, anti-oppression, pro-justice songs to be on the EP – like “Korupsi” and “Darah Palestina” – Akmal explained the band decided to include songs that pushed a different side of punk.
“We included songs that revolve around the themes of unity, mental illness, corruption, and drug abuse with the intention to empower our listeners,” Zed said.
For Fakulti Kaki Lima, the songs included the previously released “Dadah Durjana”, “Satu Bendera” and “Noisy Punk”. The remaining three songs, “Selamat Malam”, “Gula-Gula” and “Seterumu” are completely new.
In particular, much of the “marketing” for the EP was focused particularly on “Seterumu”, not just because the music video for it stars the actor Namron, but due to its message.
Close to their hearts
On the surface, Akmal seems like any other person, and during shows, he’ll be climbing speakers and expressively playing his bass overlooking the crowd moshing below.
However, underneath the exterior, Akmal is in a constant battle against his own mind, or rather, mental health.
“[He] has been open with his challenges as someone with mental illness, and he dedicates much of his life normalising the conversation around mental health,” said Armpunk Sindicate’s drummer, Muhammad Elby Danial (Elby).
“So when he came to us with the idea to push for this agenda, we loved it.”
Akmal believes that despite how much exposure the issue of mental health is getting, it still remains a taboo in the Malaysian society due to the stigma around it.
“There have been times when I felt alone, hopeless, and aimless. And I told myself that I will do all I can to make sure that nobody else feels the same way I have,” said Akmal, who has been struggling with anxiety attacks for years.
“There are so many people out there who feel like they don’t have a voice. You realise that, for the most part, you’re expected to play catch up with the rest of the society.”
And, thus, “Seterumu” was conceived, with guitarist Miely explaining that they worked with illustrious producer Shamsul Cairel to bring the pro-mental health song to life.
Standing for something
Due to the “A” symbol that the band uses, theSun asked the band if they were anarchists, particularly because the of values and messages that Armpunk Sindicate proudly wear on their sleeves, such as their unbiased community outreach.
Zed explained that they aren’t.
“We styled [the “A”] that way because we truly admire the spirit of Anarchy and Equality, and we try to put that in practice. But, are we truly anarchists? I can’t say for the rest of the band members, but as a band, we do not claim to be solely associated with one particular ideology or movement.”
“But what you just described as Anarchists’ practices of providing aid regardless of race, creed, gender is something that Armpunk Sindicate has truly practiced from the beginning of our band,” he said.
During the MCO period, Zed started a food bank in Ampang for the needy called “Dari Marhaen, Untuk Marhaen” (From the People, For the People), while the band launched a t-shirt sales campaign to raise money to be distributed to NGOs during the entire “white flag incident”.
In the spirit of punk, the band continues to be open to collaborating with NGOs for the social causes that they support, such as mental health and animal welfare.
“We are always on the search for different NGOs to work with,” Elby said, welcoming people and NGOs to reach out to them through social media or email.
With the EP released, Elby says the band is hoping to tour nationwide to promote Fakulti Kaki Lima.
“Hopefully after Raya, everything will be set in stone and we’ll go on to play in cities and gig spaces we’ve never played before. Hopefully we can see you all there!”
