#fail
And then suddenly everyone seems to be talking about Urbanscapes coz they're excited to see Yuna and Sigur Rós. Yuna I understand, but who is this Sigur Rós????! Since when did an Icelandic band become so famous in Malaysia? Lol.
#fail
So here I am at Padang Astaka, Petaling Jaya on 24 November last year. As Urbanscapes 2012 was in its 10th anniversary, the creative arts festival was the biggest one yet, and it was held over the weekend.
Truth be told, I was kinda excited about being able to go to the festival for FREE. And get to watch performers like Sheila Majid, Yuna, Guba, Darren Ashley, Narmi, The Impatient Sisters live for FREE! Plus, just looking at the list of vendors (especially accessories and food) was enough to make me think that I would end up broke on Sunday night.
24 November 2012, Saturday
Met Kenneth - my media partner from Star Two - at the entrance and after taking my media tag, we walked around the big field to see what was Urbanscapes all about.
If you remember, it has been raining almost everyday in November. As expected, the field was wet and muddy - what a great way to enjoy a festival! It didn't rain on the first day (thank God) but the clouds couldn't contain the weight of the water towards the end of the second day...
And people actually wore boots lol. Spotted some bright yellow PCK (Phua Chu Kang) boots as well :P
The Volkswagen Stage aka the main stage.
R.AGE Open Mic started off a bit later than the scheduled 2.30pm at The Next Stage. I was there early... to observe the surroundings (not really).
The first act was Avalanche, comprised of Nicole Ng, Kareshma Martin (both vocals and percussions) and Malsa Shiyam (guitarist). I think their goosebumps-inducing harmonisation was what caused the talented group to receive the highest video views and "likes" on their Youtube video. I admit, I immediately fell in love with their rendition of Party Rock Anthem in the first round of the competition.
They delighted the festival-goers with their cover of Fun's We Are Young, Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem (woohoo!) and an awesome mash up of Thriller and Gangnam Style. Whoa, totally did not expect that to happen!
She was accompanied by her sister Tania and friend Basil on the violin and guitar respectively. She sang Bob Dylan's Make You Feel My Love, original composition June 18, and Coldplay's Charlie Brown.
She very kindly invited her friends Jumero - also the winner of Open Mic - on stage for her last song Little Talks by Of Monsters And Men.
Then it was Jumero's turn to grab the spotlight. Made up of Michael Lim, Jared Lim (brothers, both vocals and guitarist) and Ryan Gomes (drummer), they sang three of their original songs namely Shot Down, Stand Up and Fantasy Killer, including a pop-rock version of Adele's Rolling In The Deep which I think deserves a standing ovation!
But since we were all standing and clapping hands already... hmm...
So my work was basically done after Open Mic, but I stayed throughout the whole day nonetheless. I wouldn't wanna miss Guba, Narmi and Darren Ashely who were all performing on that day, and obviously Yuna, the LAST act of the day at 10pm -__-
Kenneth and I went around looking at things. These are all the "accessories and cool stuff" vendors.
FOOD vendors! Food is quite expensive here, and you can't even bring outside food and drinks so it's a you-either-buy-or-starve-yourself-to-death kinda thing T.T
The Last Polka! I've been waiting to try their ice-cream since forever, so I'm really glad they had set up a booth here. But their ice-cream so friggin' expensive, one mini tub for RM8 so I decided to share with Kenneth (yay for him!).
I was so tempted to try all their flavours though T__T Maybe next time. Their best-seller salted gula melaka was not bad; it has small chunks of gula melaka inside :D
We walked to the Green Stage in time to catch Froya. I don't know why but I initially thought this was an Indonesian band lol. Well, they are Malaysians and lead singer is pretty lady Michelle Lee. For those who have never heard of Froya, you should check them out!
The Bee, for 18 and above ;) Luckily I'm above 18 already, hehe.
Since 99% of the field was muddy and wet, Kenneth decided to walk barefoot from the start of the festival. He asked me to take off my shoes too but I was reluctant... What if I step on shards of glass or something sharp? But I figured better to take the risk than to have my beloved pair of shoes stained.
Not much risk involved anyway, as the grass was soft and squishy :D Good massage for the feet eh haha! I told Kenneth, "Hey you're right! I feel so free now without my shoes on!" and was a little annoyed when he said "I told you so!" and at the look of his face like "I won". :P
I'm starting to feel like a festival-goer! He said to take a picture of our muddy feet and I did.
Spot any hipsters?
At the Green Stage, I saw huge bubbles coming our way! Waaaay too cool ;D
Super random lol. Yup, these things happen at Urbanscapes.
Kenneth The Journalist busy at work ;)
We stopped by at this stall called Anonymous (LOL). As we were intrigued by its name, Kenneth thought of interviewing the owner so I went around taking pictures.
Is he pouting?!?!?! HAHAHAHAHA. :P
Hipster accessories; not my thing :x
I like the socks though!
We went next door to this stall called Momage, where the owners turn tree trunks into photo frames. They go about looking for Cengal trees if I'm not mistaken, and all the photos - mostly portraying an "old" feel - are taken by them as well. You can also choose whether to light up the photos, which is a very interesting and unique concept.
However, some people may find it too bulky, and let's not forget that it's very costly as well. One box can cost up to few hundred ringgit..
Super journalist interviewing a family business (it seems). The brownies were absolutely RIIIIIICH in chocolate. Ahhh my indulgence!!!
Yummy snacks make me drool.
Aiskrim potong!
Woohooo Guba at 5pm ;D I interviewed him for the Get Personal column in R.AGE a while ago, but it was done through email as he wasn't free to come to the office for the interview D: But from his replies, you can tell that he's a funny and relaxed kinda guy. He's from Sabah and therefore has exotic looks that captivate people, hehe.
After his performance, I found him and took a picture with him!!! Happiest girl in the world then lol. Very very unfortunately, my camera battery died *facepalm* so Kenneth helped me take the picture with his phone. I still haven't gotten it yet but I will soon! Heehee.
And yes, it also meant that I DID NOT take a picture of Yuna. What in the world?!?! Grrrr so angry at myself. But I am indeed grateful that I had the chance to watch her sing live. It's such a wonderful experience! :')
Oh and before I forget, it is so NOT fun having to buy a bottle of mineral water for RM5 and spending close to half an hour just to clean your feet and legs all caked in mud.
25 November 2012, Sunday
On the second day, I was looking out for Sheila Majid, The Impatient Sisters and Sigur Rós (to see what the big deal is all about).
Melody from Star Two says don't have to go so early as the more important acts don't start until late afternoon. I arrived in time for The Impatient Sisters and oh my their matching outfits are so cute! I immediately fell in love with their vocals and harmonisation.
Andddddd I took a picture with them as well! Yeayyyyy! They're so sweet :D
Dark and looming clouds...
Love the sky on the other side, lol!
I was all alone on the second day as Kenneth was busy. Sighh lonely me. Went into Levi's to see what's inside.
Umm, okayy.
Nowadays, people tend to flock to chargers.
The place is air-conditioned (thank God for that!!!) so I lingered around for a bit.
Surprise surprise! Spotted Nadhira on top of the Puma Playbus when I was walking around! So I heard her sing Tear Us Apart live :D Couldn't believe it when I saw her at first haha.
Lanterns beginning to light up!
I think it's The Trees And The Wild.
Oh wow if it wasn't for the blue banner, I wouldn't have thought this was the AV Backyard. It looks like a backyard alright.
Got a picture with Nadhira after a few moments of hesitation, lol.
Ahahahahaha old uncle.
Still The Trees And The Wild.
Tired people all dying of exhaustion. I was nearly dying myself.
Was super bored by 7pm. I pitied myself man, sitting down by the pavement all alone with aching legs :( This is what happens when you don't have any friends at the festival.
Luckily Donovan was there to teman me the whole night, otherwise I swear I would've died at the pavement! After he finished packing up the Do Good Volunteer booth, we walked around aimlessly. It started drizzling, and then we saw a white colour dome-shaped thingy inside The Bee and we were curious.
So we went inside, and there were cigarettes everywhere. Okay maybe not everywhere. Maybe just along the walls of the entrance. OMG. They seem to be promoting cigarettes or whatever I have no idea. But if you ignore the cigarettes, staying inside while the rain poured outside seemed like a good idea. And the best part was that it was air-conditioned!
There were a few mini games and activities - not related to cigarettes though, lol - and I think we tried everything. Prizes were given out, and I got like three stainless steel soaps =.= Later, I regretted choosing the soap over the lighter every single time coz the lighter looks so cool and I thought it would be cool to have a cool lighter.
Just for the sake of having it (and maybe playing with it). I don't smoke.
In the middle of the dome, a couple of "chefs" were standing behind a round countertop cooking/brewing/creating SUPER WEIRD RANDOM BUT COOL STUFFS for the public to try. I think that section was called Gastronomy Centre or something like that. Pity I didn't take pictures :( Well, I did something that I'd thought I'd never do in my whole life, so I was glad I was feeling adventurous that time :D
After that, we were starting to get bored so we had no choice but to head outside in the rain, ughh. That night was one of the worst nights of my life man seriously. Plodded through the thick mud (thanks to the pouring rain!) while battling the rain and crowd with a hungry stomach, finding food and forcing myself to finish every bit of the disgusting meal I bought. Whut .__.
Then we walked over to the Volkswagen Stage to watch Sheila Majid. Because it was still raining, we didn't stay for long.
Went into Levi's (for the air-cond) to just chill for a bit before the last act of the day came on stage. Donovan asked me to signed up for Levi's membership for the free gifts so I was like, free stuffs? Ooooh!
I got a Levi's bottle, electric fan, and a small tub of Bobbi Brown makeup (gave that to my mom). Oh and a Levi's membership card. But I never buy stuff at Levi's so whoever wants it can come take the card from me.
After giving my legs their much-needed rest, I got a text from Sharmila saying that they're giving out FREE Chatime. Say what?! Thank You God for free Wintermelon Tea with Aiyu when I'm in such a dismal condition T____T
The staff were trying to clear the stock as soon as possible, so the more Chatime you take, the happier they get. Was tempted to take a second cup of Wintermelon Tea (since when did it taste so good?) but I didn't.. I mean, I had to finish the first cup first right? Lol.
And then all of a sudden this weird music started and the crowd began to shout and scream, and we guessed right - Sigur Rós finally on stage! The band was like a magnet and the crowd was like paperclips. Seriously, the size of the crowd was even bigger than Yuna! Whoaa.
The lead singer only repeatedly sang "oooooh" in different lengths and different pitches and after finishing the "song", the crowd erupted into cheers. Uhh someone please explain to me what just happened...
No offence, but seriously I don't get it. Pffft whatever. Time to go back! I went to Levi's and washed my feet - once again - but this time with free cold water from the water dispenser hehehe. Stupid me didn't realise Levi has free water earlier! So I didn't have to waste RM5 on water the day before -__-
So yeah the lighted alien doggy was also some random thing la LOL.
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Bye bye, Urbanscapes! Till next time.
Hah no way am I coming back! Tickets so pricey, come here to suffer with the hot sun on top of you (or worse, rain) and dirty mud below.. Ish, I'm just not hipster enough for festivals like these.
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At least I get to keep the media tag this time round ;)
Oh yeah and I spent almost all the money I brought for Urbanscapes. I didn't actually spend on a lot of stuff; just the Urbanscapes official T-shirt (super expensive but I know I have to get one like a souvenir and the quality is really good), a special something for someone, food and drinks. That's all! :x
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