Voice Of Baceprot – often abbreviated as VOB – are an Indonesian all-girl rock band formed in Garut, West Java in 2014. Consisting of young hijab-wearing trio Firdda Marsya Kurnia (vocals and guitar), Widi Rahmawati (bass), and Euis Siti Aisyah (drums), the word “baceprot” from their band name comes from the Sundanese language meaning “noisy”. It was chosen to represent the type of music that they play.
VOB began to turn heads when a video of the band performing a cover of a song by Rage Against The Machine in 2015 became popular on YouTube. The three-piece continued to produce more videos of them covering songs by their idols, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, and Slipknot, which garnered even more attention from both local and international media.
Besides their obvious prodigious musical talent, it was also the unique and contradictive combination of heavy rock/metal music and their wearing of the hijab that caught the eye of media from across the globe.
“Wearing a hijab has not been a hindrance for us so far as we attempt to chase our dreams of becoming musicians. We are free to express our creativity through rock music, while also fulfilling our responsibilities as Muslims,” says frontwoman Marsya.
VOB quickly went viral. When Guns N’ Roses held a concert at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta in November 2018, the three band members were personally invited by its legendary guitarist Slash to meet him backstage. Further confirmation of their burgeoning reputation came via personal shout-outs from their idols Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea on social media, along with Living Color guitarist Vernon Reid.
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The trio first met each other as if by fate through the medium of theatre when they were still students at Madrasah Tsanawiyah (moslem Junior High School) in their hometown of Singajaya, a small village two hours’ drive away from the city of Garut, West Java.
“We were perceived as rather rebellious students during our time at school. We kept getting called to the office, scolded, and even punished by our teachers. That was why we were sent to join the school’s theatre club as a way to channel our energies,” reminisces drummer Siti, who has been a close friend of Marsya since they were in primary school.
After being cast as members of a band during one of the theatre club’s shows, these three young girls went a step further from their made-up roles and learned the musical instruments they were assigned to for the show.
Their counselling (BP) teacher and theatre coach Erza Satia – or Abah, as he is fondly referred to – became their mentor, providing musical references from the songs that he had on his laptop and teaching them the basics of playing musical instruments by improvising with whatever equipment that was available to them.
Abah encouraged the newly-formed VOB to immerse themselves in music by registering them to perform at band competitions in Garut and other places in the city’s surrounding area. Abah subsequently became their manager while also doubling up as the band’s lyricist for their original songs.
Starting out by performing covers of their idols, VOB have since developed their own sound that incorporates their various influences, which they baptized as the other side of metalism. Ranging from rock, rap-rock, and funk rock to nu-metal and funk metal, meshing them into a unique style of rock music furnished with frontwoman Marsya’s virtuoso guitar riffs and distinct vocals, drummer Siti’s hard-thumping, blast-beating beats, and Widi’s trademark bass slaps.
In 2018, VOB signed a deal with Jakarta-based booking agency Amity Asia. Not long after, they released their long-awaited self-written debut single “School Revolution”. Produced by renowned producer Stephan Santoso – who also plays the guitar for Musikimia – the single propelled them to international stardom. They became a point of discussion for high-profile global media, including The New York Times, NPR, BBC, DW and The Guardian, featuring them in the pages of their online publication. Meanwhile, a slew of invitations to perform at celebrated festivals and events came pouring in from around the world.
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Shortly after they graduated from high school at Madrasah Aliyah (moslem Senior High School) in 2020, Marsya, Siti, and Widi relocated to Jakarta. Apart from their intention to develop their musical skills and knowledge even further under the tutelage of senior musicians such as Hellcrust drummer Andyan Gorust and bassmeister Alan Musyfia as well as Andra & The Backbone and Deadsquad guitarist Stevi Item, the move was also precipitated by their desire to learn how to live independently while establishing their career in the world of music.
In early 2021, VOB returned to the studio to work on the follow-up to “School Revolution” with Stephan Santoso. It is scheduled to be released in mid-2021.
Between recording sessions at the studio, VOB have also been invited to perform at several local and international virtual music festivals. They notably played a set at WOW (Women of the World) Festival UK 2021’s WOW Sounds, where they were introduced to the Duchess of Cornwall HRH Camilla Parker-Bowles during the International Women’s Day celebrations and shared a (virtual) stage with other remarkable female performers from around the world. The festival significantly raised their profile, bringing them to the attention of more major media publications, including UK’s foremost heavy metal and rock magazine Metal Hammer, which dubbed them “the Metal Band the World Needs Right Now”.
VOB also made an appearance at Global Just Recovery Gathering 2021, which focuses on a just recovery from the pandemic while tackling the climate crisis at the same time. It saw the trio stood side by side (virtually) with the likes of Greta Thunberg, Patti Smith, Gilberto Gil, and many other climate leaders from across the globe.
The future is loud and bright for VOB.
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