Sweet As Revenge: Serving it hard and cold

“We really love being here,” says Febri, the bassist of Jakarta’s post-hardcore band Sweet As Revenge about them being in Kuala Lumpur. He and his Indonesian band mates were in Penang days earlier, and Febri can’t help noticing the differences between the capitals of Indonesia and Malaysia. “Jakarta is a very busy city. We do think that KL is a busy place too, but there is still a laidback atmosphere here. Something that we miss in Jakarta.”

Nevertheless, Sweet As Revenge are probably going to have to get used to being away from home. The band, consisting of Dinand (vocals), Qzoot and Mamie (guitars), Febri, Nisha (keyboards) and Nanda (drums), formed back in late 2003, and their combined influences–everything from AFI to The Cure–bring a unique taste to their music, which often talks about personal experiences in love and life. Their first single ‘Broken Lines And Empty Smiles’ was released in August 2004, and reached number one on MTV’s Cutting Edge programme, where it stayed for seven weeks.

In 2008, the band released an EP entitled Birth Of Expectations. Yet despite the relatively recent release, it has been very well received, as the band discovered while in KL. Nanda adds, “There were people who memorised the whole EP and sang along from the beginning to the end of our performance,” says Nanda. “It was truly unforgettable. We never thought that we were well accepted in another country.”

With two girls in the band, there is no doubt that Sweet As Revenge attract extra attention wherever they go. “Nanda and Nisha definitely attract more male fans,” chuckles Dinand. “Some guys love the way Nanda plays the drums, and Nisha–well, that doesn’t need any explanation.”

Despite the quick success though, Sweet As Revenge have not compromised their basic principles. All the band members save as much as they get from gig payments and have worked hard to get endorsements from clothing companies like Crooz Fashion Distortion, PeterSaysDenim, Macbeth, Johnny Zebra, Blast! and Baby Cakes from the UK.

A full-length album is in the pipes for 2009. And with Indonesia’s thriving underground scene continuing to open up, chances at home and abroad are aplenty. “We are lucky that now there are many music labels that support our kind of music,” says Febri. “Even though it might be more of a trend, at least the society is being more open than before. We love being in KL, but we still love our own country.”

WORDS ELLYN PHOTOS SENSELESS ART
www.myspace.com/sweetasrevenge

*Taken from Junk's June 2009 issue