Festival
15 Years of Urbanscapes in Malaysia
A walk down memory lane of Malaysia's longest running music & arts festival – it's been quite a ride
Urbanscapes rather loftily dubs itself as ‘Malaysia’s creative arts festival’, but the truth is, not many would argue against it. The first edition played host to just a couple of hundred guests but recent editions have seen thousands filling up venues all across the Klang Valley to get a piece of the action. 15 years is a long time for almost anything these days, and for Urbanscapes to still be generating buzz after all these years speaks volumes about its influence on the Malaysian creative arts landscape. So we thought we would take a casual look back at the festival’s history and how far it has come.
The first five years of the festival (2002 - 2006)
The festival began almost discretely, at the now-defunct venue of Grappa Soho on Bintang Walk back in 2002. The concept by organisers Freeform was always clear though; a mixture of the arts and music, a compendium event of sorts to its flagship publication then, KLue. The festival took a year’s break and came back in 2004 supersized, and held in the relatively undeveloped spot where the bustling KL Sentral area now sits. Amidst unfinished construction panels and structures, the festival grew up in a year, featuring an expanded artiste roster, a chill out section and a headlining slot featuring Butterfingers as well as slots for meteoric upstarts such as Telebury.
Fest fact: The second edition of the festival in 2004 saw the sporadic appearance of a person dressed in a chicken suit at various times throughout the festival. The identity of the perpetrator is only spoken of in hushed whispers.
One of the many music stages at Astaka in 2011
© Urbanscapes
The bustling foyer at KLpac
© Urbanscapes
The next five years of the festival (2007 - 2011)
The festival took a lengthy four-year hiatus before returning in 2008 with a brand new home in Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac). It was a suitable venue for the festival, with an obvious art-based energy running through the scenic grounds, finally giving Urbanscapes a more distinct festival feel. This period saw the festival’s lineup retain a decidedly local feel but with a step up in names it could attract, ranging from top hitters such as Love Me Butch and Estrella.
The festival finally switched home in 2011, going from the eclectic aesthetics of KLPac to an ... open field. Granted it was the almost-iconic field of Astaka, a recognisable landmark in the Petaling Jaya suburb. Revellers had to contend with the muddy puddles and sweltering heat but they still came, taking in the super-sized bazaar featuring pop-up clothing stores and stands by up and coming cafes.
Fest fact:Zee Avi actually performed at the festival in 2009 under her previous moniker KokoKaina.
Local heroes, Bittersweet, at KL Live in 2016
© Urbanscapes
MAEPS, a short home for the festival in 2013
© Urbanscapes
That proposal in 2016
© Urbanscapes
The last five years of the festival (2012 - 2017)
The last five years have really seen Urbanscapes grow to become one of the foremost festivals in these parts. Where previous editions of the festival featured a mostly regional lineup, the 2012 edition saw the surprise announcement of Icelandic post rock giants Sigur Rós as headliners. The festival has been featuring international headliners since, with the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Tame Impala and M83.
But in many ways the last five years have also been the vagabond years, with the festival venue hopping around, even ending up at the Horse Ranch in Resorts World Genting in 2014, the furthest it has ever been. In many ways it was perhaps a minor contradiction to the original spirit of the festival, which started as a physical representation of the energy and vibrancy of the KL arts scene.
However, 2016 saw the festival return to its roots in many ways. Decentralising from a single venue festival, into a hotchpotch of events happening all over KL over a two week period, with music gigs happening from the bright lights of KL Live to the sleepier suburbs of Taman Desa and art exhibitions being held in 2 Hang Kasturi (dubbed the Urbanscapes House).
Fest fact: The festival had its first proposal in 2016 when William Koong proposed to his girlfriend Shirley Cheok on stage at the festival’s closing party.
Urbanscapes 2017
© Urbanscapes
Urbanscapes 2016
© Urbanscapes
Urbanscapes 2014
© Urbanscapes
Urbanscapes 2013
© Urbanscapes
What's happening in Urbanscapes this 2017?
This year’s edition, held from May 5-21 will feature musical juggernauts such as Mew, Cigarettes After Sex and Yellow Fang mixing it up with art collectives such as Art For Grabs and photo projects such as #THISISKUALALUMPUR for a holistic art festival that celebrates what it is like to be an artist here in the heart of KL (and perhaps a little more).
Fest fact: Malaysia’s very first Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) alumni, The Venopian Solitude, will be hosting the festival’s first ever RBMA Couch Session on May 12th at 7pm as part of Urbanscapes 2017. She will be sharing about her experience at RBMA in Montreal, 2016. Join the event here.
For more information on what is happening at the rest of Urbanscapes this year, check out their Facebook page.