[MALAYSIA] HYUKOH Brings Love and Happiness to Kuala Lumpur

Last Wednesday night, a crowd 3000 people strong converged at the hotspot KL Live in Kuala Lumpur, eagerly anticipating their date with the night’s long-awaited artist Hyukoh. The crowd was warmed up with the performance by a well-suited opening band for the night, Lost Spaces, whose catchy indie-pop songs served as the perfect pre-empting of what was to come.

The ambient soundscape music that was playing set the tone for when Hyukoh walked on stage and the crowd welcomed them with great enthusiasm as they launched straight into “Sky World” – a gentle, slightly carnivalesque introduction to the night.

Frontman Oh Hyuk began chatting amiably with the crowd, a stark contrast to the last time he did so onstage in Kuala Lumpur a couple of years ago, when he seemed so much shyer, and a little antagonised by a wayward guitar string! He pointed out that the last time they were here, the venue was much smaller, but today, there were three thousand people in the crowd – something the audience were happy to cheer for!

Begin Driving

They began with the oh-so-familiar stark and quiet guitar opening to “Wi Ing Wi Ing”, a song that could possibly be one of their most recognisable songs. The song itself is like its vocalist, at first gentle and quiet but then bursting into husky, raw exuberance with an undeniable force. It was followed by the dreamy and lilting “Graduation” with its surprise adrenaline rush breaks from their latest album “How To Find True Love and Happiness”, and the lush, waterfall-guitar sound of the crowd favourite “Panda Bear”.

Apply Torque

They amped up the fervour a little with “2002 World Cup” and then sustained the intensity with the battle-chanting “Wanli”, before reaching peak revs with the hotrod-engine driving power of “MASITNONSOUL” and the rockabilly “Citizen Kane” which could have walked off a Tarantino movie if not for the surprise tribal chant right in the middle of it!

Set the Mood

After the fast-paced high of the last songs, “Hooka” brought down the mood a little with its sultry soul sound before they offer up the atmospheric and almost orchestral dreaminess of “Goodbye Seoul” and then slowing right down with the bittersweet “Ohio” from their album “20”. Unlike the previous two songs which were heavy on the bass, “Ohio” is sweetly stark and plaintive. These were followed by “Gang Gang Schiele” and “Gondry”.

Then came “TOMBOY”,a tuneful, anthemic ballad that inspired the audience to chant along with them, holding up their phones for lights and waving.

Seal the Deal

Hyuk stopped to talk, stating that the reason why he named the album the way he did was that he was looking for those answers, and that he hoped that we will find our love and happiness too.

Throughout the night, his unique voice ranged from quiet and sweet, to husky, dynamic and raw. The energy from bandmates Hyun Jae, whose guitar sound effortlessly veers from gentle indie vibes to atmospheric throughout this ride; In Woo, whose rollicking beats kept the momentum always forward and dynamic; and Dong Gun, whose driving bass kept the songs pumped with funk and rock and delicious indie vibes – all this and the amazing songs make up the phenomenon that is Hyukoh.

They signed off with the joyous and exuberant “LOVE YA”, leaving the audience chanting for more.

They didn’t disappoint, returning to the stage with the almost ska, not quite rockabilly “Tokyo Inn” with its awesome refrain that had the whole audience singing along – followed by another crowd favourite, “Comes and Goes”, which showcased his soulful voice perfectly. They round out the set with the train ride of a song, “Settled Down”, bringing the evening to a satisfying close with a final jam session.

All in all, a night with all the hallmarks of a good date!

Thank you to the promoters and organisers U Mobile and UpFront for having us!

Keep up with Hyukoh on their social media:
Instagram | Twitter

Stay tuned for more events here!

Written By: Christina O
Photos By: All Is Amazing and U Mobile

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