Malaysian rockers Search return to their Singapore roots after 30 years

SINGAPORE – When Malaysian rock veterans Search take the stage at The Star Theatre on Jan 19, the show will be a homecoming of sorts.

Some of the band’s best-known songs, such as rock ballads Fantasia Bulan Madu (Honeymoon Fantasy, 1987) and Kejora (Venus, 1985), were recorded at Lion Studios, a music studio in Queenstown.

Fronted by iconic Malay rock singer Amy, they last performed in Singapore in 2013.

Amy, who was born in Johor, also spent a large part of his growing-up years in Singapore, where his late father worked.

“Singapore is like my second home,” says the 65-year-old singer, whose real name is Suhaimi Abdul Rahman, as he reminisced about how he used to sell kueh and nasi lemak in Sembawang and soto in Geylang Serai.

Concert organiser Muse+ took Amy and his bandmates – guitarists Hillary Ang, 61, and Man Kidal, 59, as well as bassist Nasir Daud, 64 – to some of their old Singapore hangouts in December 2023.

At Lion Studios, the band were delighted to find out that the master tapes containing their old recordings, as well as instruments they used during those sessions, were still there. These included a drum set played by Search’s late drummer Yazit.

Filmed footage from the visits, which include locations such as a neighbourhood in Toa Payoh, can be found on Search and Muse+’s social media platforms.

Amy, who holds the honorary title of Datuk in Malaysia, recalls that their earliest fans came from Johor and Singapore.

“At that time, in Kuala Lumpur, music fans were more into blues and reggae music. So, it took some time for us to penetrate the KL market with rock songs,” he says at an interview held at Permata Singapore, a restaurant in Kampong Glam.

Search were formed in the late 1970s and Ang is the only member left from the founding line-up, which included former singer-guitarist Zainal Rampa and Yazit.

Ang came up with the band’s name, which was inspired by the title of a television documentary that he liked to watch.

The early days were not easy, the Johor-born musician recalls. “When we moved from Johor to KL, we had to sleep in the same club that we performed at because we didn’t have a place to stay.”

Soon after the release of their debut album Cinta Buatan Malaysia (Love Made In Malaysia) in 1985, the group found themselves at the forefront of the burgeoning 1980s Malay rock scene.

Their first three albums, including 1987’s Mentari Merah Di Ufuk Timur (Red Sun On The Eastern Horizon), were recorded at Lion Studios.

In 1989, they scored a massive hit, Isabella, from fourth album Fenomena (Phenomenon), which led to sold-out stadium shows in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, as well as the larger Indonesian music market.

Search consistently released albums and songs throughout the 1990s and 2000s, even as rock music’s prominence waned as other genres such as pop, hip-hop and R&B started to dominate the mainstream.

Their most recent and 12th studio album, Katharsis, was released in 2017.

Nasir says the band have been discussing material for a new EP, which he says will likely be inspired by genres such as alternative and symphonic metal music.

Search’s line-up has been fluid over the years. Both Amy and Ang, for example, left and rejoined the group several times, and have released solo albums.

Confusingly, there is also another version of Search that started making the rounds in 2021, led by Malaysian guitarist-brothers Kid and Din, two long-time members of the band, and fronted by Indonesian singer Den Den.

Still, Ang says that he could not have imagined that Search’s music would still have an impact on their fans more than four decades after they started out.

“It’s a blessing to see Amy and the rest still jumping around and being active on stage, even if we’re in our 60s.”

Book it/Search: Fantasia Bulan Salju Live In Singapore 2024

Where: The Star Theatre, The Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green
When: Jan 19, 8pm
Admission: $88 to $268 from Sistic (go to www.sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555)