Seconded By: Riccardo Magherini
I never set out to change the world with a camera. I started by following the feeling. The way music moves people. The way it brings strangers together. The way it says what words sometimes cannot.
Over the past year, I photographed concerts across Malaysia. Not to document the industry or chase big names, but to understand how music touches people here. In small venues, independent gigs, and crowded halls. What I found was more than sound. I found presence. I found truth. I saw moments where people stopped pretending and allowed themselves to feel.
This series brings together artists across generations and genres. From legendary Malaysian rock icons to new voices in post-rock, punk, and experimental sounds. Most of these shows took place in Kuala Lumpur, but the spirit of collaboration extended beyond borders. Bands from Singapore and Indonesia stood on our stages and played for our people. The sound was local, but the emotion felt universal.
Some performances were loud and chaotic. Others felt quiet and intimate. But in each one, I witnessed something real. I saw fans cry quietly in the middle of the crowd. I saw artists overwhelmed mid-song. I saw a single lyric unite strangers. These were not moments I could plan. Only moments I could wait for.
To me, this is where music holds its power. It may not fix the world, but it gives us a place to carry what we feel. It creates space where people stand side by side. In a region shaped by culture, struggle, and identity, these moments remind us that we still belong to each other.
This project is not about fame or spectacle. It is about the emotional space music opens up. A space where honesty lives. A space where people are allowed to feel fully without apology.
It is rooted in Malaysia, but it speaks across borders. The feeling is something we all understand.
This is where we belong.
And this is what music still makes possible.
Ready To Start
Captured at a small gig in Kuala Lumpur. The setlist of Petisuara, a rising post-rock band from Malaysia, rests beside the guitarist’s pedal. The show has not begun yet, but the space already feels ready for feeling.
A Complete Unknown
At a Butterfingers show in Stadium Melawati Selangor, the guitarist plays under the lights wearing a traditional Malay tanjak. In that moment, music became more than sound. It became memory, identity, and pride shared with everyone in the room.
Turn On The Bright Lights
The Changchuters, a rock and roll band from Indonesia, performed during their Kuala Lumpur tour stop with relentless energy. In that moment, there were no borders. Just noise, movement, and a crowd brought together by the same electric pulse.
No One Knows
At a small local gig in Selangor called Atas Angin, new voice performer Kay Izwan stood in front of a modest crowd. No big stage. No spotlight. Just a voice finding its way and a room willing to listen.
Come As You Are
During Zainal Abidin’s concert at Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur, the dancers stepped into the crowd. As the lights followed, music became movement. In that shared moment, there were no roles. Just joy, rhythm, and people dancing without hesitation.
Surf This Love
At a local gig in Selangor, OAG’s guitarist was lifted into the air while still playing, carried by the crowd’s hands. It was not just energy. It was love in motion, a moment of trust, noise, and complete surrender.
Smells Like A Teen Spirit
At a local gig in Penang, a member of the crowd was lifted above the sea of bodies. For a few seconds, they let go of everything. No names, no status. Just sound, movement, and a crowd willing to carry.
Riders On The Storm
Butterfingers performing “Kabus Ribut” in the middle of a heavy downpour at the ASEAN Youth Festival 2025 in Dataran Merdeka. The storm came without warning, but the band played on. The crowd stayed. No one flinched.
Knocking On Heaven’s Door
In a quiet room behind the stage in Petaling Jaya, Butterfingers gathered with their crew and tech team for a short prayer before their show at Peristiwa Angkasa Jio. It was a moment of grounding, gratitude, and shared intention.
This Is The End
At the end of a Nusa Fest concert in Kuala Lumpur, the guitarist raised his instrument toward the sky. Smoke, confetti, and cheering hands filled the air. It was not just the end of a show. It was a release.