A Weekend of Nostalgia at The 90s Festival

Last weekend, I attended the 90s Festival in Jakarta. I had been preparing for this event for a while, having mentioned it several times—once in my previous post and another time in an older post about a different festival I attended last year.

The 90s Festival is the kind of music festival I knew I would thoroughly enjoy. The festival's premise revolves around the 90s, and since I grew up in that decade, it felt like the perfect match for me.

The lineup was not bad at all, with Suede as the biggest act. I love Suede. I admire how they’ve managed to stay relevant to this day. Their music was great back then, and it still is.

Since the festival was all about the 90s, I expected some vendors and tenants to align with the theme, and they did not disappoint. Some brands managed to decorate their booths like time capsules. We could play arcade games, Super Nintendo, listen to cassettes via Walkman, and enjoy many iconic 90s snacks and toys. It was delightful.

The festival spanned two days, and I bought a two-day pass. I had a blast.

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Day 1

The first day of the festival was calmer. The lineup focused more on boy bands, with Ronan Keating and A1 as the headliners, and the day was closed by Slank, one of Indonesia’s biggest rock bands (which is still active and going strong today).

I arrived at the venue when La Luna was on stage. It was a lovely performance. They sang their sweet pop songs, which brought back many memories of my high school years. They were a major label band that successfully kept their indie sound, more like twee pop with some minor tweaks.

I don’t enjoy Ronan Keating and A1 as much as I enjoy rock music, but the atmosphere was still great. There was a rock band on Day 1, Steelheart, who had this big hit: “She’s Gone.” I didn't watch their performance, though, as I needed some rest and food.

I particularly loved how the festival managed to book two local Ska bands that were big in the late 90s. On Day 1, Jun Fan Gung Foo successfully got some middle-aged men and women to pogo.

Jamrud also gave a rock-solid performance, successfully making thousands of people sing along while raising their fists in the air.

The highlights of Day 1 for me were the performances by Elfa's Singer, the legendary vocal group, and Iwa K, the legendary rapper.

Elfa's Singer brought back a lot of memories by singing old songs from the late 80s to the 90s. I remember seeing them on an old TV show, with 90s art aesthetics. And they did just that, bringing that old energy to the stage, complete with some 90s choreography. Some loyal fans from the Philippines were spotted in the front row. Respect!

And Iwa K still has the energy and swag he had during his prime in the 90s.

I particularly loved one of Iwa K's performances where he rapped in Sundanese. This made me realize that many acts at this festival were from Bandung, West Java. In the 90s, Indonesia’s music scene was filled with acts from Bandung—a vibrant city that produces many artists across various art disciplines, with music being just one of them.

Day 2

The second day of the 90s Festival was much more enjoyable for me. First of all, there were more people attending, perhaps due to the Suede factor. They are still producing new music, and their fan base continues to grow.

I planned to arrive in time for Noin Bullet’s performance, a Ska band from Bandung. However, it was too hot, so I postponed my schedule a little.

I arrived just as Ebiet G. Ade was on stage. Ebiet G. Ade is a respected veteran artist whose songs predate the 90s. His music is the kind our parents loved to sing, making his performance special. Perhaps we were all just missing our parents back home as we listened to Ebiet singing his songs.

The festival had a tight schedule, with every performance expected to stay on time. However, Ebiet G. Ade was the only artist who managed to make the audience forget the schedule and ask him to sing one more song, even after his time was up. His humility and strong connection with the audience made the experience unforgettable.

Later, I met up with a friend who was working with one of the bands performing on the same stage. “I was tearing up during Ebiet's concert,” he said. I understood the sentiment; his father had passed away a few months ago.

After Ebiet G. Ade’s wonderful performance, I moved to the other stage. It was time for Frente! to play. I love Frente!, even though I only know a few of their songs. They performed some of their well-known tracks, including their cover of "Bizarre Love Triangle" by New Order. It was a lovely rendition. They closed their set by singing "Something Stupid" just as the sun was setting. It was such a warm and beautiful gig!

There were a lot of bands after that; there were three big stages. But I picked only a few because I wanted to reserve my energy for Suede.

I spent some good times watching AB Three, one of the most prominent Indonesian girl bands in the 90s, as well as performances from Rumahsakit, a Jakarta pride, and a pioneer of the indie scene.

I had a good laugh watching a performance from P-Project, a band known in the 90s for their parodies of popular songs.

The highlight of Day 2 should also go to Dewa 19, who attracted thousands of people, making other stages look empty. What a great band indeed, dominating the music scene from the 90s until the 2000s.

A performance from Search, the Malaysian band, also highlighted the festival. They were still rockin’. They put on a great show, especially their lead vocalist, who nailed those high notes with such quality. And the guitar solos were just amazing. For my Indonesian fellows who grew up in the 90s, surely their song “Isabella” or “Cinta Kita” was a highlight.

The atmosphere was incredible. And then the time came for Suede. So many people patiently waited in the front row, even while there were still two or three performances on other stages. I was among them. I was ready for some Suede tunes, ready for Brett Anderson’s distinguished vocals and sexy stage presence.

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And then they started to play the intro to “She.” The happy fans started to scream. And Brett Anderson slowly walked onto the stage, clapping his hands in a very Brett Anderson manner. I jumped around and sang out loud when they played "Trash" and "Animal Nitrate." I’m super grateful they played “She’s in Fashion.” I had checked their previous setlists, and this song was rarely played at their shows. And it’s one of my favorite songs from them. I’m lucky :)

I grew up in the 90s, so my musical taste is not far from those alternative rock bands and their derivatives, mostly from the US and UK. It was like a pendulum swinging between those two. Suede was one of the biggest waves that hit my teenage years, along with their Britpop compatriots such as Pulp, Oasis, Blur, Supergrass, The Verve, and many more. Those songs accompanied me through the good times and bad times.

And the rest of the 90s festival was just good times. Of course, Suede closed the show with “Beautiful Ones” and gave one encore with “Saturday Night.”

Thank you, Suede, for making my teenage years super fun and for making last weekend super awesome! Seeing them live was a teenage dream come true. I still want to go to Glastonbury Festival, and Fuji Rock or Summer Sonic in Japan. Wish me luck.

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