medcom.id, Jakarta: The S.I.G.I.T is going to conduct Australian tour from April 27 to May 8, 2016. The Bandung rock band brings Indonesia's name to another country.
Some Indonesian musicians promote Indonesian culture such as batik or other local traditional arts when they appear in foreign country. However, The S.I.G.I.T prefers to introduce Indonesia in a different way.
"For me, Indonesia's image is not determined by what we wear," said Rekti Yoewono, vocalist and guitarist of The S.I.G.I.T, when contacted by Metrotvnews.com, some time ago.
As a rock musician, Rekti understands what is appropriate for their performance.
"The band represents Indonesia with their own way. It is inevitable both my gesture and music on stage represent Indonesian-ness," he stated.
"That what happen to us. Many (foreigners) wonder about our 'unusual' rock music. There, we introduce Indonesia," he continued.
"(Moreover) it is not appropriate, as I am not a traditional artist or musician, or a traditional fashion designer," explained Rekti.
Showing of local identity through visual when performing abroad is common thing among Indonesian bands. Balinese punk rock band, Superman Is Dead (SID), did that during their American tour in 2009.
At the time, SID played at Vans Warped Tour arena with Balinese traditional clothes. It made the audience curious about the band.
The S.I.G.I.T is well known for exploring Indonesian elements in some of their songs. For example, The song Red Summer from the album Detourn. Even though the lyrics are in English, the music is influenced by Papuan traditional music. The fusion of traditional music with rock is able to create captivating atmosphere.
"I think nationalism is not always about language, but also feeling. We have tried (to write Indonesian lyrics). It is not that we cannot do it but it does not feel right when we try it," he explained.
In Australia, The S.I.G.I.T will perform in Sydney, Newton, Newcastle, Melbourne and Wollongong.
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