Review: Plainsong Live Outdid Themselves with Joyland 2024 Jakarta!
[JAKARTA] Proclaimed by a slew of festival goers as one of the most enjoyable music festivals in Indonesia, it was only right that we placed a high hope for the annual Joyland Festival 2024 Jakarta which was organized by Plainsong Live. The event took place at GBK Baseball Stadium, Jakarta for three consecutive days from 24th up to 26th of November, 2024. The festival boasts a spectacular line-up of acts from national to international level like Air, St. Vincent, Hyukoh x Sunset Rollercoaster, Maliq & D’essentials, The S.I.G.I.T, John Caroll Kirby, Buu, Silica Gel, White Shoes & The Couples Company, The Adams and many more. Not only musicians, Joyland Festival 2024 Jakarta also invited a renown stand-up comedians like Rigen, Musdalifah, Nopek Novian and more comics who were curated by Soleh Sholihun as well as renown F&B tennants like Eatlah, Nasgero, Lawless Burger Bar, Maiku Tiramisu, Demie Bakmie, Fumo Chicken, and many more.
- Day 1 of Joyland: Great Improvement and Better Flow
During the first day, the rain was pouring from the afternoon but it stopped around 5PM. As we entered the venue, the whole area layout changed compared to last year. It was far more effective and walkable as we didn’t find many puddles on our way to the stages. Similar to last year’s format, there were three main stages for musical performances namely Plainsong Stage, Joyland Stage, and Lilypad Stage. There were also White Peacock area for family and children activities, Shrooms Garden where we could watch comics doing stand-up comedies, Cinerillaz for onlookers to watch selected short movies, Monkeys area dedicated for adults to enjoy DJs selection while sipping their favorite liquors, as well as Joyland Village that was ready to satisfy the thirst and hunger of the visitors.
Our first attention went to a South Korean band called Silica Gel who performed an attractive set to a mostly young girls audience, albeit doing less talking due to language barrier. White Shoes and The Couples Company delighted the Lily Pad stage with their everlasting songs. They were very honored to be appointed as the curator for all the acts who performed at this particular stage and hoped that the audience could enjoy their handpicked acts as well as they do. Los Angeles’ ambient pop act Bubble Tea & Cigarettes had to perform with only two remaining members as their drummer fell ill. With this handicap, the duo delivered their performance well while they shyly greeted the visitors as if it was their first time ever performing in Jakarta. The S.I.G.I.T proved that age is just a number by performing an energetic show as the audience sang along and danced to their songs. Indie pop unit, Real Estate, greeted their fans warmly as they sang songs like “Had to Hear”, “Wonder Years” as well as “Darling” during their set. St. Vincent pulled out a theatrical set with various gimmicks to keep the audiences’ eyes and ears peeled to her stage. The singer whose real name is Annie Clark took turns playing guitar, dancing, singing and goofing around with her bandmates. She even did crowd surf while singing “New York”. DJ Daham Park who goes by his stage name YESYES played a selection of Asian songs hailing from East Asia up to the Middle East. Last, but not least, AIR’s long-awaited performance was welcomed enthusiastically, especially those who grew up with their songs in the late 90’s.
- Day 2 of Joyland: Larger Crowd with Merrier Acts
Moving on to the second day, the outpouring heavy rain stifled Jakartans from mobilizing from early to late afternoon. After the rain turned to drizzle, Joyland Festival 2024 Jakarta started to liven up. A few uncovered areas which had the potential to gather puddles and mud were quickly covered with plywood and carpets, ensuring the safety and comfort for the audience. Automatic was the first act that stole our attention that day, followed by Maliq & D’essentials who asked the audience to dance and sing along to their songs. Performing a rendition of older and newer songs, the never-ending singalong proved MAD’s undying popularity among multiple generations. As we enjoyed dishes provided at Joyland Village, we went on to see activities happening on White Peacock with children singing in a choir, gleefully playing around the playground arena, joining a painting workshop, and drawing freely on a white board provided in the Quiet Area. The Panturas fully channeled their inner Sundanese while performing songs from their mini album “Galura Tropikalia”. Superchef from Australia served a combination of instrumental jazz, funk, and soul during their set while the visitors grooved with them. John Caroll Kirby proved that instrumentals also had the power to move people as the musician along with his bandmates encouraged the audience to dance to their uplifting soulful tunes. Comedian Rigen Rakelna managed to draw laughter from the audience at Shrooms Garden as he chronicled his unique experience. Simultaneously, Efek Rumah Kaca returned with their renowned ‘Rimpang’ set.
As we strolled through the area, we heard something interesting from Lily Pad Stage and it was Japanese rock & roll grandmas The 5.6.7.8 who captured our hearts on day two. The three ladies didn’t miss a beat and pushed through their performance while hilariously greeting the crowd with one or two Indonesian words. If last year’s star was Otoboke Beaver, we had to give it up to The 5.6.7.8 who surprised us this year. We would definitely add them to our daily playlist rotation. Hyukoh with Sunset Rollercoasters drew a large crowd to their stage as they played songs from their joint album like “AAA”, “Glue”, “Kite War”, “Young Man” and many more. The two bands hailing respectively from South Korea and Taiwan also had the chance to cover each other with their songs like “My Jinji”, “Wanli”, “Love Ya!”, “Hogi Hogi LaLa Jo” and many more. Each member donned ridiculous hats and wigs, in contrast with their serious performance. Afterward, Majelis Lidah Berduri or formerly known as Melancholic Bitch presented a theatrical play for their newly released album “Hujan Orang Mati”. The night ended with Ali’s electrifying set on Joyland Stage.
- Day 3 of Joyland: More Families, More Picnics, Lots of Laughter!
As we reached the last day of the festival, we saw a great number of families with their toddlers and children during Sunday afternoon. The weather, although wasn’t dry enough, provided a perfect opportunity for families to gather and roll out their picnic carpet with music performances as the background. The Adams, who requested the organizer to be placed in the afternoon slot, carried out their set greatly per usual. Japanese post-rock Gods, Mono, pleased our ears with their perfectly pitched and well engineered sound design. We were awestruck and bewildered on how they came up with the sound setting as if we were listening to them with noise cancelling headphones. Meanwhile, Sal Priadi ditched the stage and opted White Peacock area to become a storyteller for children for one day and managed to capture the attention from his little entourage. Legendary Blueboy came on stage and sang songs like “The Joy of Living”, “Meet Johnny Rave”, “Sea Horses” and more from their 90’s catalog. Prior to their performance on day 3, Blueboy member, Gemma Townley, was spotted enjoying performances on Joyland. Some fans who recognized her took pictures with the leading lady of the band, who used to be under Sarah Records. Pesta Sihir that was composed of Lomba Sihir and Hindia (yes these two acts are fronted by the same man, Baskara a.k.a @wordfangs) unfolded their joint discography upon the stage. Comedian Musdalifah Basri’s first time at Joyland was met with a packed crowd on Shrooms Stage, proving her popularity especially those who are familiar with her comedic skits on Tiktok or IG Reels.
As we refilled our water tumblers with available water stations across the area, we heard people cheering their football team as Vidio’s booth provided a live streaming match between Liverpool vs Southampton. The night grew darker, and liquor cups kept streaming in and out at 21 Monkeys area which were located in two separate places with live DJs. South Korea’s hip hop collective, Balming Tiger, pumped up the crowd with their energetic set. They were originally set to perform last that day. However, Joyland’s decision to part ways with musician Banks, due to public’s outrage for her stance towards Palestinian genocide, prompted the hip hop unit to perform earlier than expected. And oh boy, we did not miss anything, because Balming Tiger could really move the crowd! Our legs were sore from jumping around, but we kept some energy left for Bombay Bicycle Club who returned to Indonesia after 12 freaking years. They opened their set with “Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)” and continued their performance with nostalgic hits as well as newer singles. As the closing musical act that day, the UK band poured out their hearts as Joyland became their last live performance in 2024. What a night as we were blessed with their presence.
Those three days of Joyland Festival 2024 Jakarta were nothing short of magical. We had to applaud Plainsong Live as the organizer that was able to deliver the best they could despite some setbacks. They outdid themselves compared to last year, and we could see how well-prepared the team in order to face the rainy season of Jakarta. A few notable improvements that could be made for the next installment are more toilets for regular ticket holders (placed in more than 1 area), more varieties in non-alcoholic drink choices (yes, we need more iced coffee from various vendors), and more lighting for the water station area. See you later on Joyland Bali 2025!
Editor: Novita Widia/Photographer: Bonifasius Eiji
