DBKU Music Festival heats up Kuching Amphitheatre with electrifying showcases

KUCHING (Aug 20): The DBKU Music Festival 2024 lit up the Kuching Amphitheatre last Sunday night with the electrifying performances by a dynamic line-up of Sarawakian artistes.

The event, organised by Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) in connection with the Kuching Festival 2024, featured Bob Yusof, Carrie Geres, Tuku Kame, Jayc Panganiban, Roxy Ixzy, Mal Imran, and Dewi Liana Seriestha.

The dazzling musical accompaniments were courtesy of the Prodigy Music Centre and also the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Orchestra.

Panganiban opened the show with his rendition of Santana’s ‘Maria Maria’ by Santana.

Roxy Ixzy later captured the audience’s attention with her raspy vocals and engaging stage presence, delivering a compelling performance of the evergreen rock ballad ‘Kamelia’, a hit from Sweet Charity.

Mal Imran impressed with his deep and resonant voice, performing the well-known Malaysian song ‘Isabella’ by Search, engaging the audience to sing along.

He then concluded his set with a medley of Michael Buble hits, including ‘Feeling Good’ and ‘Haven’t Met You Yet’.

Tuku Kame enchanted the crowd with the sounds of traditional Sarawakian musical instruments, including the ‘sape’ (Dayak traditional lute). They heated up the stage with their instrumental number, ‘Kacak’.

Dewi Liana came in later, serenading the concert-goers with a Spanish song, ‘Somos Novios’ (It’s Impossible), followed by a solo rendition of ‘All I Ask of You’ from the ‘Phantom of the Opera’, which added diversity to the evening’s performances.

Carrie Geres got the scene upbeat with her cover of Sheila Majid’s ‘Sinaran’, followed by her own Bidayuh track ‘Areh! (Mekat B’Tandak)’, which translated to ‘Come On – Stand Up, and Dance’.

Upon his appearance on stage, the ‘Man with a Golden Voice’ Bob Yusof commanded everyone’s attention immediately.

His rendition of ‘Sayang Sarawak’, ‘My Baby You’ by Marc Anthony, and ‘Lemak Manis’, each received a thunderous applause.

In addition, the music fest also held an awards ceremony for the winners of the ‘Battle of the Bands’, where Deputy Minister in Sarawak Premier’s Department (Law, Malaysia Agreement 19 63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali and Kuching North Datuk Bandar Hilmy Othman jointly presented the prizes.

The evening concluded with a ‘poco poco’ dance by the concert-goers and guests, being accompanied by Sarawak’s iconic song ‘Bekikis Bulu Betis’.