A Ray of Monochrome from Cigarettes After Sex on We The Fest 2019
JAKARTA (7/21) – We The Fest is known for many things, one of them happens to be the great summer festival ambiance with people dressing to the maximum with such bold and bright colors. However, the colorful aura didn’t apply to Cigarettes After Sex‘ stage who performed on the last day of the annual music festival. The ambient pop group lived, breathed, and emanated a strong hue of monochromatic colors. Led by Greg Gonzales who played his guitar gently that evening, Cigarettes After Sex brought “Affection” as their first song. The crowd seemed to absorb a melancholic feeling that this band exuded during their set. Sultry, sensual, and dreamy at times are the three words that best describe Cigarettes After Sex’ live performance. With such a pronounced guitar effect and low thump of bass in most of their songs, we might think that We The Fest 2019′ might be a little too crowded for the band. Their hazy sound and intense ambiance need to be played in a smaller venue, like when they first came to Indonesia in 2017.
Seeing the enthusiasm coming from the audience, this band might gather a larger listener in the archipelago than what they used to do a couple of years ago. You can’t blame them for being good in their own lane. Despite our concern, Cigarettes After Sex delivered some of their hit songs rather fantastically. Songs like “Crush”, “K.”, “Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby”, or “Apocalypse” were played out upon the crowd at This Is Bananas stage. The usage of monochromatic light that put the spotlight on Greg Gonzales with a minimalistic play on the LED further lamented this band’s consistency and a love affair for noir. Not to mention the band’s wardrobe with all-black ensembles. Overall, we enjoyed this New York-based band’s stage. We wished to see them on a more intimate setting with a smaller crowd and more songs added to their setlist.
Photos: Narisha Zulkarnain/Yordan Ariandy
