Pesta KeChill Rantai: I Met My Celebrity Crush?!

Since some people got curious about the whole "celebrity crush" thing, and I previously thought about making a new post about this event... So, here it is. A blog post about "Pesta KeChill Rantai" that took place from 30th to 31st of October 2021. Hurm, actually it has been awhile since the last time I came down to physical events or shows due to the whole COVID-19 fiasco... I think the last physical event or concert that I went was around March 2020 at Safehouse KL. I remember seeing acts like Adrian Danial, Distorted Material and Fi7i during that show.

Ok... I came for the 30th of October one, but stayed for the afternoon show only. I arrived super early as compared to other people (at 12:30 p.m.) and I was dead bored. It turns out that I read the timeslot wrongly and performance only starts at 1:30 p.m. However, the boredom gets killed with the presence of almost 20 vendors at the venue. Some of the vendors involved in the event are "Transbakery", "Scoopi", "Gadis Buku" as well as "Jointix Tiles Magnet".

The setting.

The performance session kicks off with a solo act named Hadi (also known as "itshadey"). Originally, I thought Hadi is a band. You know, like the vocalist's name is also the band's name. Being a first time listener to his performance, I can see that we like the same kind of music. This is simply because he covers a lot of Pamungkas songs during his set. I also assume that this is his first time performing because he sometimes looked nervous, but kudos to him for not making his nervousness as a reason for him not to deliver his best! I think both him and the sessionists did splendid job throughout the set. Oh, and frankly speaking, I would love to hear more original songs from him.

The performance set continues with another amazing performer, Hasha Roslan. When I first saw him, I felt that he looked familiar. Like I have seen him on TV, but I could not pinpoint where I saw him. I know he got into the finale of "ALI2020", but I am confident that I have seen him somewhere else way before that... Throughout the performance, I am in the state of mesmerized by his soulful voice and wondering where I have seen him before. The funniest thing that actually happened to me at that show was... Hasha thought I was a vendor because I was playing around with one of the games provided. Hahaha... If that is not ridiculous enough, I accidentally blurted out about me not being shortlisted twice for "Anugerah Lagu Indie" right in front of him. Immediately after saying it, I feel like hiding and never show up in front of him. I actually said it out loud because I would love to work with him, but it comes off as a whiny remark. Ah, yes... I am teribble at expressing myself, so pardon me if any of my sentences come out differently. I managed to take a picture with him before we parted... And after I stalked him, I just found out that he was a former contestant of "I Can See Your Voice Malaysia"! No wonder he looks familiar!

With Hasha Roslan.

To cool off the heat from the wonderful performances by the two singer-songwriters, a poetry slot gets inserted. I got a bit confused with the tentative because there are two poets who supposed to perform, but there was just one poetry performance instead. The poet is known as Fie (under the alias "Ruang Sensitif"). I have seen her reciting poems during an online show named "Freedom Art Fest" and seeing her again in person was lovely. She looks adorable on screen, but even cuter in real life. Out of all her poems, I like "Perempuan Sial" the most. Though I pick that poem as my favourite, her other poems are wonderful as well and I hope to see her writing more relatable pieces like what she is doing now.

With Ruang Sensitif (Fie).

There was quite a long break before Servants came on stage. I assume that it is due to the absence of the second poet, but it is a great moment for me to sit and munch on brownies by Transbakery. The brownies are SPOT ON! It has this crackly exterior, but dense and moist on the inside... Most importantly, it is not sickeningly sweet and that is very important for me because I do not want to make myself feel bloated with water. Especially since the next performance is Servants. LOL.

Brownies by Transbakery.

The excitement kicked in as Servants arrived and the vocalist of the band, Mirul waved at me upon his arrival to the venue. As a fangirl, I would love to scream to everyone in the mall about Mirul waving at me. Hahaha... Oh my, I am wearing a face mask at that time and he recognizes me?! Mind-blowing moment right there. Well... As for their performance, they single-handedly showed why they are one of the best emo bands in Malaysia. There are some technical issues here and there during their slot, but the band handles it like a professional act. This performance is remarkable since it is actually my first time seeing Servants in its original lineup. Though I missed the presence of Aziem, Imran Khoo did a wonderful job filling in the void. If anything, I hope that Servants continue to gain more recognition locally as well as internationally. This band deserves it a lot.

With Servants.

Up next is the champion of "Laga Maya", Transitions. I have seen Transitions a couple of times, but this is my first time seeing the band with a brand new lineup. The screamo Shahril was absent for the performance, which I find it a bit sad because I was keen to hear his scream vocals in person. Another notable member that was missing during the show is Andrew (also known as Droo). Despite the lack of members, Transitions showed me that they can nail any songs effortlessly. I enjoyed it a lot... Until Adam (the clean vocalist) decided to leave us hanging. The ending feels anti-climatic and I lowkey wanted to punch everyone because I got frustrated with how they ended their slot.

With Transitions.

The last performer to wrap up the afternoon slot was Brainstew. I actually wore Brainstew's t-shirt for this event as an act of support towards them. As a newcomer in the music scene, I must always support other musicians without any prejudice... Unless if that musician or band got some issues or beef with me. Alright, back to Brainstew's performance, I think having them as the closing act for the afternoon spot is a great move. The band gave a really chill performance, which is fitting to the theme of the event. They even invited Andi Zephyr to warm things up a little bit. While enjoying Brainstew's performance, I bumped into Moja Husni (of "Late Night Frequencies" and "Shuuna"). It is my second time meeting him in person and he is still as friendly as he was years ago. Yes, I met him way back when he performed under the band "Shuuna". Gosh, that feels like an eternity...

With Moja Husni of LNF.

Haa... That is pretty much it for the event. I bet some of you wonder, where is the celebrity crush part? Well, good news: The story starts here. After Brainstew finishes performing, two members of Empty Page! just arrived at the venue along with their manager Amin. Before all of us part ways, the Empty Page! members (along with me) greeted the members of Transitions who were waiting for food at the food court. As all of us about to leave, we bumped into a few members of SOG (also known as "Sekumpulan Orang Gila")... I have been waiting for YEARS to meet him. Gosh... Help me please, I am blushing while typing. Hahaha...

Ok, so, my celebrity crush is Amsyar Saiful from SOG. I first got interested in him when I saw him in "Terbanglah" music video back in 2017 due to his good-looking face and marvelous guitar skill. Unfortunately, he was absent when I went to two SOG shows in the year of 2018.  I presumed that he left the group, but there was no announcement being made about his departure from the band. I remain hopeful and praying that I will be able to meet him someday, even as a non-musician. Luckily, he made his return to SOG around the year 2020 and I felt like my prayers have been answered. Nevertheless, I keep on falling to the unlucky side as I failed to secure a ticket to this year's SOG show at Angkasa Space... Oh boy, I am an unlucky fangirl indeed.

Throughout the short-lived meeting, I keep on telling myself multiple times to act calm because Adam (of "Here Comes July") told me not to act like a fangirl if I wanted to create a friendship with someone who is within the music scene. Regrettably, I did ANOTHER stupid mistake. Amsyar was busy high-fiving everyone and he accidentally high-fived me, which made us screaming in unison. I texted him via Instagram the next day to seek for clarification and turns out he screamed because he considered it as "a bit awkward", while I screamed because I cannot believe that our hands touched. I was freaking out with excitement honestly.

To make it worse, I got no makeup on while meeting him. Oh my God, I cannot believe that I showed up in front of my celebrity crush while looking like a sleep-deprived zombie. Nevertheless, we had a good chat on Instagram the next day... But, I somewhat regret not sending this particular message to him. I wrote something about genuinely wanting to know him better as a person and maybe we can develop a friendship out of this since both of us are in the same scene, but I got so shy that I ended up clearing the entire message. Well, maybe someday I might find the courage to write that line to him...