Footage from the band’s set has been posted on YouTube and the commentary accompanying the footage is effusive. The key to Kelompok Penerbang Roket’s credibility, the author declares, begins with the band’s genuineness.
“I’ve been inspecting their onstage vibe keenly and their energy is raw, honest and mesmerising. You can argue that rock is primitive and predictable but KPR boys have proved that by being genuine, your music will easily elevate to the next level…”
John Paul Patton, bass player and vocalist with Kelompok Penerbang Roket – KPR, if you’re abbreviation-inclined – is flattered by the observation. “I think we’re lucky to have those things said about us,” he says. “We love our music. We love to play on stage. It’s natural.”
Kelompok Penerbang Roket was conceived almost by happenstance. Each of the members – Patton, guitarist and vocalist Rey Marshall and drummer I Gusti Viki Vikranta – grew up listening to the classic ‘70s rock sound of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. The band’s now-manager introduced the three members and after a series of jams, the trio entered the studio and began recording. Kelompok Penerbang was born.
Like fellow Indonesian band Mooner, who will also be appearing at Cherry Rock, Kelompok Penerbang Roket was inspired by the psychedelic nuggets found on the Those Shocking Shaking Days compilation of ‘70s Indonesian bands. Like many of his contemporaries, Patton was surprised to discover that Indonesia had such a rich heritage of psychedelic and heavy rock.
“I first heard those bands about seven years ago, when I listened to Those Shocking Shaking Days, the compilation of ‘70s psychedelic Indonesian rock bands,” Patton says. “I listened to it, and I was surprised at the old stuff of Indonesian rock. Indonesian rock, especially in the ‘70s, has a distinctive character. The melody and style of vocals are often different from western rock, the music that came from the US and the UK.” The inspiration for the band’s name even came from a song on Those Shocking Shaking Days, Duo Kribo’s Chartering a Rocket.
Patton refers to the distinctive element of Indonesian rock’n’roll as the “’Melayu’ element” (Melayu was an ancient kingdom located on the eastern coast of modern-day Sumatra).
“I think the public in Indonesia are now more familiar with the older Indonesian rock music because of social media. People are sharing the music they listen to, so people are becoming more and more familiar with it.”
In 2015, Kelompok Panerbang Roket released its first album, Teriakan Bocah (‘screaming of a kid’). The band’s bio describes its seven songs as “echoing protests, critics and honest depictions of Jakarta and Indonesia.” Patton agrees that the songs reflect how the band members feel about their immediate metropolitan and national surrounds. “Living in Jakarta, it’s very polluted, lots of traffic, very intense,” Patton says. “The songs we write about Jakarta are simple songs with simple beats. We just sing about how we feel in Jakarta. It’s a simple concept.”
By Patrick Emery
