It’s been over three years since my last official live performance. The weirdest part is, it didn’t even feel that long ago. I still remember it pretty clearly. It rained heavily. I played Sunflower. Van backed me up with a cajón. We explored a couple of art galleries waiting for our turn.
Nobody knew the world was going to change in a matter of months.
Fast forward to May 2023. Earlier this week, I visited Open Mic Malaysia’s debut at twenty/eight @telawi. Some performers pulled out last minute and I was asked to fill an empty slot. I had no practice, had to borrow someone else’s guitar (which was tuned to standard), and had a few drinks in me – a recipe for disaster. How could I say no?
Fifteen minutes later, I was on the stage, fumbling with my first song (not too different from my regular performances). After that, I got into the groove of things and successfully completed my set. It wasn’t an outstanding performance by any means but it felt good to shake off years of rust.
Three years is a long time. A lot can happen in a thousand days. Shit, a lot could happen in a month. Just like how I suddenly got transferred to a different department at work after a month of barely getting comfortable in my previous role. But that’s a story for another day.
Either way, the ad hoc performance was a pleasant way to ease myself into the music scene again. It was about time it happened anyway. We’re already five months into 2023 and I’m nowhere near the goal of twelve shows this year.
I’m happy to announce that my performance wasn’t bad enough to get me banned from the bar, so I’ll be returning to twenty/eight@telawi this upcoming Monday, 8th May, to play my second show of 2023. The gig starts at 8 pm. Google Maps.
If you have the time, drop by for some beers and chill tunes. If not, I’ll catch you at the next one.