Battle of the Bands: - Sime Darby Plantation

Cover StoryKisah SampulHere’s the run-down of the entire BOTB in chronological order:4.00 pmPre-EventAs soon as one entered KL Live, they were greeted by asea of pink banners, pink buntings, pink wrist bands andstaff clad in pink. Yes, the theme was pink, thanks to ourPresenting Sponsor, GoFresh Pink Guava Juice of Sime DarbyFoods.It was a full house.Penuh sesak.Eager concert go-ers and die-hard supporters started arrivingas early as 4.00 pm, clad in a kaleidoscope of colours. Theycame complete with large rubber hands to support theirfavourite bands and some even with banners!5.00 pmThe BackstageAs the musicians got into their costumes and brought outtheir show-stoppers, we managed to catch up with some ofthem as they waited for the show to begin.Last year’s winner, Northern Connection was back for moreand ready to go all-out this year.“It is now more challenging for us as the other bands seemto have improved tremendously and there are new entrants,”said En. Zaidi Jamaluddin, one of the vocalists from theband. “Still, I know that we will enjoy this year’s BOTB evenmore as we love doing this,” he added.As for Darbian Revival, they meant business. En. HamkaUsman, who was the lead singer for the band last year,decided to ‘step down’ and let the band’s back-up singersto shine and show off their talents. We even caught up withPn. Sharifah Mahani, mother of lead female singer DayangNormonalisa, and she revealed a secret.“Dayang actually got through the final stage of the auditionfor Akademi Fantasia but she got a job offer from SimeDarby Plantation, thus she chose to pursue her career,” saidPn. Sharifah.She beamed with pride as she talked about her daughterand was impressed with the hard work put in by the bandmembers during their practice sessions.Sacred Crow, representing the Plantation Head offices,recalled how as college students, they individually aspired tobe part of a professional rock band.“The meaning of Sacred Crow came about as we lookedfor two words which had opposite meanings. ‘Sacred’represented the bright side and ‘Crow’ represented thedark side”, exclaimed band member, Syed Umar. Were theyconfident in winning?“Our strengths are within ourselves. Each band plays adifferent genre, and it depends on the judges’ taste as well.From stage rehearsals, we saw that the band from R&D(Calix Phenomenal) have stepped up their game. Whateverhappens, we wish to return again next year,” said SyedRidzwan, another member of the band which was onlyformed in October 2010.The same goes for Minamas Band, Tune 10, CalixPhenomenal and River of Life, who were spotted doing lastminute preparations and prepping up their rock appearances,clad in leather of all shades and hairstyles from the days ofElvis Presley right up to Mohawks and spike-dos.6.30 pmOpen Sesame!As doors opened at 6.30 p.m., KL Live concert hall wasfilled with an air of excitement as Sime Darbians startedclaiming strategic spots to get the best view of the stage.The first order of the day? Food! A variety of food items wereoffered to staff and guests, who needed no coaxing to digin. Sponsors Pink Guava Juice Drink also had a stall sellingtheir wares.First order of the day.... an array of sumptuousfood.Pesanan pertama pada hari itu..deretan makanan yangmewah.7.50 pmReady, Get Set... ROCK!It was time to rock the night away!Everyone waited for the show to begin. First up was ourresident emcee, En. Amir Mahmood Razak appearing onstage in a pink-white ensemble and got the crowd going wild16.Seedlink January 2011