Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
by Jason Cheah
One can't really deny the popularity for British boy band 911 in this part of the world. The trio's debut album, The Journey did better in Malaysia, where it sold 175,000 units (that's a seven times platinum sales award), than in Britain.
911 - Jimmy, Lee and Spike with their's seven Platinum Award
And to date Lee Brennan (23), Jimmy Constable (25) and 24-year-old Spike (Simon) Dawbarn's follow-up ablum Moving On has already broken the double platinum 50,000 sales mark locally since its release in July. It isn't surprising, then that 911 would find 3,000 screaming fans at the KLIA - Kuala Lumpur International Airport welcoming the boys on their special promo visit last month. (7-10 Sept 98)
KLIA - Kuala Lumpur International Airport
But while many bands or groups would think of moving forward after another Top 10 British ablum, the boys don\rquote t seen to think so. The strains of the Bee Gees classic More Than A Woman preceded the entry of the group for a press conference at a local hotel - Hotel Concorde, Kuala Lumpur and one suddenly realised that it was actually the trio's latest cover song.
The three young men are set to release another ablum before this year is out. And it's covers-version territory this time, Constable revealed.
"We'll be coming out with a covers ablum which should come out before Christmas," he said, adding that it would include many of their all-time favourite songs. More Than A Woman could just well be one of them.
In any case, 911 aren't strangers to cover versions, with previous hits such as A Night To Remember, Rhythm Of The Night and single track Let's Go Crazy all being covers.
But the style on Moving On is still very much 911,which means pop, rhythm and blues and a little pop-rock, with some soulful ballads thrown in.
The boys announced that they now have a new management company, Ferret Music, having pratically dumped their former management, Backlash, due to differences in vision and objectives.
And along with the new management comes a sightly newer image, at least for Brennan, who was sporting a new short spiky haircut, almost to the point of overshadowing fellow member Spike.
A precursor of things to come perhaps?
"It was a decision we had to make," said Constable. "We realised we need we need fresh, new ideas and some changes."
You can't escape the feeling then that the boys aren't exactly 100% satisfied with their nw ablum.
"Mre like around 70% satisfied," according to Brennan, although he did admit that the ablum is more adventurous with an added touch of maturity to it.
Listen to the harder pop-rock version of Prince's Let's Go Crazy and perhaps one can see where the boys might be heading.
"We wish we had more time for the ablum. The recording was done in a bit of a rush," Brennan added.
Besides he admitted How Do You Want Me To Love You wasn't the best choices as a single.
"it's all right as an ablum track, but not as a single," he said.
At least the trio still holds a certain amount of say in their ablum, writing and co-writing eight of the tracks on Moving On.
According to their record company, EMI, 911 will always be involved in decision-making although there would be some changes under the new managemant as different people would be involved as the group's A&R people.
911 with DJ John Boy of Hitz FM
Imperfect ablum or not, you can't deny the popularity of the boys when 6,000 screaming fans from as north as Kedah - Northern Malaysia and Japan turned up for the 911 showcase at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre two days later.
An hot afternoon during school holidays may perhaps be one of the reasons for the rather high turnout, but that meant some major headache for the security personnel and event managers, who made things worse by forcing many of the fans to wait, seated on the dusty floor (those in miniskirts are not exempted), at the car park amidst large doses of car exhaust fumes before admitting them into the center. Obviously, a less high-handed way in managing such an event must be found.
In any case, it still wasn't fair of the fans to somewhat jeer, if only for a few minutes, the apperance of local pop-quartet Indigo who began the proceeding that after-noon with a short showcase of their own.
The respone was justifiably better when local girl group Elite took to the stage to sing a few songs before 911 was ready to perform.
The local pandemonium that broke out when the announcement that 911 was ready to take to the stage wasn't surprising, and despite repeated attempts by the the announcer to persuade the fans to sit down throughtout the whole mini-concert, the fans stood anyway.
And to roar of a good sound system, Brennan, Dawbarn and Constable duly made their appearance with a medley if two early hits Love Sensation / Don't Make Me Wait.
They then slowed down to How Do You Want Me To Love You and Baby Come Back To Me for which Constable took over lead vocal duties.
Party People...Friday Night was next after which the boys did implore their fans to wave to a video camera crew behind them.
"We wabt our British fans to see our Malaysian fans screaming their heads off," one of the boys yelled to the crowd.
The boys went crazy after that, almost matching their fans on their fans on their raunchy cover of the Prince's Let Go Crazy before slowing slightly to sing The Day We Find Love.
They had a break here and gave the crowd a chance to cool down.
The crowd didn't cool down but the boys come back to deliver All I Want Is You before singing the Bee Gees cover More Than A Woman to a rather perplexed crowd of still screming teenagers. (The song is, afterall, a 70's disco classic)
Bodyshakin' perked up the teenage screamers before the more than 50-minute set with Moving On.
Of course, you can't fault the quality of the show, and the boys are goood acrobatc dancers, pleaseing the audience with their stage antics, various back flips and some very good and controlled vocals particularly from Constable who proved he could sing lead just as well as Brennan.
Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre
However, the fans' behaviour was a totally different story. It seemed odd that one could split the audience down the middle and actually see where all the trouble, hysterical reaction, pushing and shoving was coming from - the right half of the audience as you face the stage.
All the girls who had to be pulled out of the front of the crowd because they were being crushed from that section of the crowd.
And, contrary to some reports, although some 30 to 40 were pulled out, barely half of them fainted in the first place.
One wondered why no such problems occured in the other half of the audience, who where vocal enough in their screaming but, generally speaking, were very considerate to each other in not pushing anybody.
If anything, it was this part of the crowd that deserved the fully showcase in the end. There was some worry whether the whole showcase could be completed at one point when the boys went off for a few minutes.
But finish the showcase the boys did and it would be quite safe to say that with Brennan, Constable and Dawbarn's popularity here, the young men are certainly going to make this region one of their haunts over the few next year.
The Star
Section 2 - Entertainment
6 Oct 1898