Heavy metal in hijabs: VoB to make history as first Indonesian band at Glastonbury

Record ID: 1824747

  • Title: Heavy metal in hijabs: VoB to make history as first Indonesian band at Glastonbury
  • Date: 23rd June 2024
  • Summary: JAKARTA, INDONESIA (JUNE 21, 2024) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) 24-YEAR-OLD VoB VOCALIST AND GUITARIST, FIRDA MARSYA KURNIA, SAYING: "(There was a time when) if we were at a concert, there would be someone saying, disturbingly, 'Allahu Akbar! (God is great)' and 'Kaboom!' (mimicking the sound of an explosion). It was from the audience, so it was as if we were c
  • Embargoed: 7th July 2024 06:29
  • Keywords: Firda Marsya Kurnia Glastonbury Festival Muslim women United Kingdom VoB Voice of Baceprot Widi Rahmawati band heavy metal hijab women hijabi band metal genre music
  • Location: JAKARTA, INDONESIA
  • City: JAKARTA, INDONESIA
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Music
  • Reuters ID: LVA008256921062024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: With their Islamic headscarves, socially-conscious lyrics and high-octane metal music, the women of the Indonesian band Voice of Baceprot (VoB) have played stages from the United States to France. But they are nervous about this week.
    In England on Friday (June 28), the trio will be the first Indonesian band to play at the Glastonbury Festival, one of the world's biggest, sharing space with the likes of Coldplay and Shania Twain.
    Fans of the heavy metal hijabi group say as long as it is not against their religion, everything is still allowed.
    "In my opinion, in this day and age there are many women who wear the hijab too. So for metal bands who wear the hijab, it is actually good," said 25-year-old hijab-wearing fan Jihan Afifah.
    "Wearing the hijab does not mean it is a barrier to playing music with any genre."
    For VoB, Glastonbury will be their biggest stage yet, far away from their home village in Garut in the West Java province.
    "Not only do we carry the name of VoB and its members, but also the name of our country Indonesia," bassist Widi Rahmawati, 23, told Reuters.
    With the brash strums of their guitars and intricate drumming, the Voice of Baceprot - a word meaning "noise" - has made the cover of Britain's New Musical Express magazine and earned plaudits from former Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
    The three young women – Widi, vocalist and guitarist Firda Marsya Kurnia, 24, and drummer, Euis Siti Aisyah, 24, – had each been immersed in Indonesian pop music and Islamic music as kids. They met at an Islamic school and formed the band in 2014.
    Their love for metal came after they heard the album "Toxicity" by the American band System of a Down. They had listened to it on the computer of their school guidance counsellor, who they said was their biggest supporter. It filled them with an adrenaline rush, Marsya said.
    So they started playing music of their own.
    Since then, the three have set out to challenge the stereotypes that Muslim women are demure and weak, or that Muslims in general are violent militants, said Marsya.
    The band sings of female empowerment - lamenting a fixation on looks instead of the music - and the environment.
    The most difficult challenge for Voice of Baceprot was dealing with the stigmas overseas and at home.
    "In our village, metal is considered as satanic music — not suitable for women, especially women wearing hijabs like us," Widi said, referring to the headscarves.
    Marsya said her family once suggested that she seek an Islamic healing ritual, hoping to expel her love for metal.
    People in a U.S. audience once called them militants, she said.
    "It was as if we were criminals and terrorists in their eyes."
    Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, with Muslims comprising 90% of its 270 million people. The nation is secular and the vast majority practise a moderate form of Islam, although there are some conservative strongholds.
    After Glastonbury, Marsya said the three would work on a new album and a song "Mighty Island", which she said was about corruption in Indonesia. They also want to build a community with aspiring musicians back home, she said.
    "We'd like to empower the community there," Marsya said.
    (Production: Johan Purnomo, Heru Asprihanto, Zahra Matarani)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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