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Hype Malaysia
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hype Malaysia
Concert Review: Energy Went Through The Roof At CENTRAL MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT FESTIVAL 2025
On 26th April, music lovers were on their feet the entire night as Zepp Kuala Lumpur was set ablaze with energy and culture as the CENTRAL MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT FESTIVAL 2025 made its highly anticipated stop in Malaysia. Fans from all walks of life came together to celebrate a shared love of performance, creativity, and connection, with performances by ATARASHII GAKKO!, Creepy Nuts, and Tatsuya Kitani, alongside local opening act K.O.I. The KL show marked the grand finale of CENTRAL's overseas tour, following a sold-out night at Zepp New Taipei. True to its mission of 'Bringing the Sounds of Japan to the World', the festival delivered not just a show but a fusion of genres, cultures, and artistic expression that resonated deeply with Malaysian fans. Here's what went down: K.O.I (Opening Act) Words could not begin to describe how blown away we were when K.O.I. walked onto the stage to open the concert. The local group, known for wearing masks to conceal their identities, proved that they belonged there, delivering a thunderous performance that was every bit as powerful as the three main acts of the night. Goosebumps rippled through the crowd as vocalist Mya Nana began singing the chorus to their famous track 'Meta Dermaga', demonstrating amazing vocal projection and breathing technique before her bandmates showcased their incredible rap skills. Although they are a Malaysian group, their opening song proved they were the perfect choice to open the show, incorporating traditional Japanese elements into their performance. If the crowd had not been familiar with the band before, their performance would certainly have convinced everyone to check them out. The live versions of their songs, including 'Tiwikarma', were a perfect fusion of rock and hip-hop, leaving us wanting more. K.O.I. earned cheers and nods of approval from a crowd eager to embrace a cross-cultural musical experience. They closed their set with 'Niskala Suaka'. Tatsuya Kitani After an exhilarating performance by the opening act, the energy did not stop there. Tatsuya Kitani took to the Zepp Kuala Lumpur stage, greeted by a crowd poised to absorb every note, every lyric, every emotion he was about to unleash. He opened his set with the electrifying track 'Scar', the opening theme of 'BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War', which instantly sent a shockwave of excitement through the crowd, particularly among anime fans. The second song, 'Rapport', saw Kitani's heartfelt delivery pulling the crowd deeper into his world, followed by 'When The Weak Go Marching In', which had everyone headbanging along to the beat. After a brief interaction to thank fans for their support, the singer launched into more of his fan favourites, including 'Promise Me', 'Chained', and 'Bakeneko'. Throughout the entire set, Tatsuya Kitani showcased exceptional vocal technique, effortlessly transitioning between chest and head voice—even during high-energy, uptempo numbers. Fans erupted in cheers the moment he began singing 'Zutto Issho!', followed by 'Preview of Me'. If those reactions weren't loud enough, his final song, 'Where Our Blue Is', from the anime 'Jujutsu Kaisen' Season 2, sent the crowd into a frenzy (figuratively speaking, of course). Though it was hard to say goodbye, Tatsuya Kitani thanked the audience once more before leaving the stage. Judging by the electric energy in the room, we're confident it won't be long before he returns to perform in Malaysia again. ATARASHII GAKKO! As the lights dimmed and the sound of a school bell rang out, the crowd erupted with excitement as it was time for ATARASHII GAKKO! to take the stage. Returning to Malaysia for the second time, the group kicked off their set with their trademark eccentric charm and boundless energy. The self-proclaimed 'Youth Representatives of Japan' stormed the stage in their iconic school uniforms, layered with yukatas, making an unforgettable entrance. They opened with 'Omakase', followed by the viral hit 'OTONABLUE'. One of the standout moments of their set was the performance of their fourth song, 'Arigato', where the members cleverly used broomsticks as mic stands for the disco-inspired track—a playful touch that perfectly captured their quirky stage presence. Also known for their energetic, fun and distinctive choreography, the band had everyone smiling and cheering as they lit up the stage with their performance. Much like the act before them, ATARASHII GAKKO! showed no signs of slowing down, with each song more upbeat and dynamic than the last. Between songs, the members spoke to fans in Japanese and English, expressing their excitement to be back in Malaysia. We were definitely impressed by the girls' stamina and breath support as they danced, ran and jumped on stage throughout the entirety of their set. They segued into 'FreeYourself', and the audiences were quite hyped up by the time. Another highlight of the night was ATARASHII GAKKO!'s performance of 'WOO! GO!', during which each member showcased their dance skills, prompting screams of excitement from the crowd. The audience's energy peaked when 'Tokyo Calling' began, and the group closed their set with their new pop anthem, 'One Heart', a warm, unifying moment that saw fans dancing, singing and smiling together. As the show came to an end, the group shouted, 'Terima kasih!' ('Thank you!'), and the audience responded with a sea of hearts raised high, ending the night with an outpouring of love and joy. Creepy Nuts Finally, last but by no means least, the act everyone had been waiting for all night: Creepy Nuts! From the moment DJ Matsunaga dropped the first beat and R-Shitei took the mic, the crowd was completely theirs. The audience moved in sync, captivated by every word as the iconic duo launched into 'Yofukashino Uta', one of their signature tracks, evoking the energy of a sleepless city night and the rush of speed. One of the standout moments of their performance came during the third song, '2way Nice Guy', a funky, disco-inspired track that had fans jumping and waving their hands side to side with infectious energy. The vocalist took a moment to pause the show and engage with the audience, praising them for their incredible energy and giving a shoutout to the other performers of the night. He shared a light-hearted joke, saying they were 'just Japanese', which served as a clever segue into their next song, fittingly titled 'japanese'. Throughout Creepy Nuts' entire set, DJ Matsunaga showcased his exceptional turntable skills, reminding everyone why he's hailed as 'Japan's No.1 DJ'. Meanwhile, R-Shitei delivered not only slick rap flows but also impressive breath control, particularly during high-speed tracks like 'Doppelgänger' and 'Nidone'. As the performance neared its end, a powerful sense of unity swept through the venue during 'Dandadan', the opening theme from the hit anime series 'Dandadan'. The crowd raised their hands, sang along, and roared in appreciation of the duo's electrifying presence. Naturally, no Creepy Nuts set would be complete without their most successful hit to date, 'Bling-Bang-Bang-Born', a global sensation with over 700 million streams. The moment R-Shitei delivered the opening lines, the crowd erupted, singing along word for word, creating a truly unforgettable finale to end the night on a high. The KL performance marked not just the end of a tour, but the beginning of deeper cultural exchange through music and artistry. As CENTRAL wraps its inaugural international tour, the success of both the Taipei and KL shows signals a new era of cultural exchange and artistic diplomacy through music. From Yokohama to the world, CENTRAL has proven itself as more than a festival—it's a movement for global resonance.
The Guardian
06-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Trump's tariffs may be perilous for small, heavily indebted countries in global south
'This is very messed up. If Trump wants Cambodia to import more American goods: look, we are just a very small country!' Khun Tharo works to promote human rights in the Cambodian garment sector, which employs about 1 million people – many of them women. 'I think they are very concerned about their jobs, and I think they are very concerned about their monthly pay cheque. And that has significant effects on the livelihoods of their dependent family,' says Tharo, programme manager at the Centre for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL), a Cambodian workers' rights organisation. One of the most wilfully destructive aspects of Donald Trump's shock and awe trade policy is the imposition of punitive tariffs on developing countries across Asia, including rates of 49% for Cambodia, 37% for Bangladesh, 48% for Laos. For decades Washington had championed economic development through trade. Now, at the same time as slashing overseas aid budgets and retreating from its role in supporting developing nations, it is ripping up that idea entirely. In its place, Trump intends to impose his will on the US's trading partners. Some are all but powerless to exact concessions, given their small size, and dependence on the mighty American market. Cambodia hastily offered to cut tariffs on US goods on Friday, in a bid to propitiate Washington. Contrary to Trump's bombast about the US being 'pillaged', the tariffs are not in any sense 'reciprocal'. Instead, they relate to the size of the US goods trade deficit with each country, and the value of its exports. (Side note: the 10% paid by the UK has nothing to do with Labour's negotiating flair – it just came out of the fact that Britain buys about as much stuff from the US as it sells the other way). Ironically, many of the countries in the global south hit by Trump had benefited from preferential schemes offering low or zero tariffs, precisely because building up exporting capacity is an accepted path to development. Alice Oyaro, the chief executive at the charity Transform Trade, which works with producers in some of the worst-hit countries, says: 'Our biggest concern is that the additional costs are pushed down to those in the supply chain who are least able to pay. Small farmers exporting everything from green beans to cocoa, and women workers in Bangladeshi factories are already finding it hard to make ends meet. They will see their incomes squeezed even more.' Tiny Sri Lanka, which has an economy 0.3% of the size of the US's, faces a 44% tariff despite being bailed out by the International Monetary Fund two years ago and continuing to negotiate debt restructuring deals with its creditors. 'It's a highly vulnerable situation,' says Ajith D Perera, the chair of the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 'Sri Lanka will lose export income and see a hit to GDP and employment – and that comes at a time when it is just coming out of bankruptcy.' He fears the scale of the tariffs could compromise Sri Lanka's ability to meet the conditions of the IMF bailout deal. Trade is meant to be a key prop for growth, as it rebuilds its shattered economy. 'I think the fundamentals have been challenged by the US decision,' he says. '25% of Sri Lanka's exports go to the US and 70% of that is garments. I think the government needs to start discussions with the IMF immediately.' As his warning suggests, there is a risk that a grim side-effect of Trump's trade war will be to exacerbate the debt crises already hitting heavily indebted poorer nations. Even countries that have escaped the most punitive tariff rates could still be hit hard if the prospect of a global downturn depresses the value of the commodity exports on which many rely. Keir Starmer and other leaders of the developed world have been preoccupied with their own domestic responses since Wednesday's bombshell briefing in the White House Rose Garden. But the severity of the probable impact for the global south calls for a concerted approach, too – albeit one that will have to bypassWashington. Most of the hardest-hit countries can already trade tariff-free with major markets under projects such as the EU's Everything But Arms programme and the UK's Developing Countries Trading Scheme, which are designed to help the poorest nations to develop through trade. But if Trump's tariffs stick, multinational brands focused on the US are likely to switch production rapidly to countries hit with lower rates. One garment buyer in India told me on Friday she was already hearing of factory owners in Bangladesh being told by US brands that they would now be manufacturing their sweaters in Peru, which has a rate of just 10%. The social dislocation in some of these hardest-hit economies could be profound, if such rapid shifts result in mass layoffs. And the case for debt write-offs, already clear, may become all the more pressing, if the resulting the looming global downturn sweeps vulnerable countries over the edge. The fact that the British government's deep cuts to the aid budget now sit alongside a probable global economic downturn and heavy US penalties for exporters in developing countries makes that decision all the more shameful. Back in Cambodia, Tharo says: 'The industry right now seems to be in a little bit of a hectic situation. The government is also extremely worried because they are not seeing any alternative markets at the moment. And we don't have significant goods to be exported to any other country. 'Trump doesn't care,' he sighs.
