With very little pure heavy metal at this year’s Glastonbury, the sight of three Indonesian teenage girls as one of the only representatives could be seen as a token example by cynics. If you’re one of those people, think again, because Voice of Baceprot easily justify their position on the Woodsies Stage with a fantastically powerful and often genuinely moving set of passionate old school metal.
An impressively large and intrigued crowd gathers to see the band early in the morning, and 45 minutes later, that curiosity has visibly turned into genuine excitement. The reasons for this are clear: Firstly, all three members of VOB have mastered their instruments well beyond their years. Bassist Widi Rahmawati imitates Steve Harris and gallops up and down her fretboard with impressive dexterity. Even a late drum solo by Euis Siti Eisyah, normally the ultimate moment killer, draws loud roars of applause.
The real star, however, is singer/guitarist Firda Marsya Kurnia, who manages to belt out beautiful, soaring vocal lines while also ripping out riffs that KK Downing and Glenn Tipton would have been proud of at the peak of their careers.
This band is full of passion for the issues they tackle in their music, and while there is an obvious language barrier, the environmental and anti-war sentiment seems to come across more strongly thanks to the unique perspective they bring. But even if you choose to ignore that side of the band, this is as rousing a set of metal in the vein of Priest, Maiden and Sabbath as you’ll hear at Glastonbury this weekend. The fact that it’s delivered by these three individuals only makes it more remarkable.
At the end of the set, Firda is in tears.
“This is the best performance ever!” she screams, visibly overwhelmed, as the Woodsies roar their approval. You’d have to be a cynic with an iron heart to disagree with her.
