Dom Lawson, Chief Editor of Metal Hammer Magazine, discussed the future of Indonesian metal music scene at Bandung Metal Affair on 24th June 2019. Organised by ATAP Class, Bandung City Museum and supported by the British Council, the discussion session was also enlivened by Luuk Van Gestel (NL, Doomstar Booking Agent), Iman Rahman Angga Kusumah or Kimung (Bandung, Atap Class & Karinding Attack), and Samack (Malang, Solidrock) attended by 100 participants from metalheads, music journalists, to radio and TV announcers.
Dom highlighted the pivotal role of local music journalists to shed a light and promote Indonesian metal music talents to the global audience and foreign music journalists. Talent must be known for it to grow. He accentuates that the articles covering the local metal scene must be written both in Indonesian and English with distinguished quality. Iman Rahman Angga Kusumah mentioned that there are at least 40,000 metalheads in Bandung’s metal music community today, one of the biggest and oldest community being Ujungberung Rebels and Homeless Crew.
Bandung has been one of the most important hubs for Indonesia’s heavy metal scene, the home for Bandung Berisik since 1995 - one of the biggest and most high-profile metal music festival across the archipelago. Bandung is also very well connected with metal music communities in other cities in Java such as Surabaya and Malang since the early 1990s, where the three cities share their passion for zine culture, and merchandise production within the heavy metal scene.
Between the buzz, Dom Lawson had a chance for exclusive interview with Nuran Wibisono (Tirto.id), where he nonchalantly said, “I think there are still many hardline music fans who still want to read good music journalism. The problem is finding ways to pay for the product. That's the challenge now. Because now many people can get many things for free on the internet”
Check out the full interview: “Jangan Jadi Jurnalis Musik”