Music

Amma mia! Indian-Malaysian band Darkkey goes viral in Italy

A rave review on YouTube has put the outfit on the map

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 02 Feb 2021 8:00AM

Amma mia! Indian-Malaysian band Darkkey goes viral in Italy — YouTuber Mark The Hammer (left) and Darkkey of Darkkey and The Keys. – YouTube pic, February 2, 2021

by Arjun Mohanakrishnan

IF you haven't heard of the band Darkkey and The Keys, it's time to head over to YouTube and check out their videos.

Darkkey and the Keys is a peculiar band. Their songs are in Tamil, and one could say they are a rock or metal band – although, metalheads would crucify you for it. Even so, Darkkey and The Keys' music have punched through the racial divide in Malaysia, given that their Tamil rock songs are popular with many.

Now, it seems their popularity is gaining in Italy. Yes, the band's lead singer does have hair like pasta, but that's not why they started going viral in that peninsula. An Italian YouTuber called 'Mark The Hammer' reacted to Darkeys and The Keys' in a video titled 'INDIAN METAL IS AWESOME!!!'

Why did he find it awesome? Probably the same reasons a lot of Malaysians did. The music video and audio production seem pretty cheap, but that was not an obstacle for the band to go over the top. Their song 'Puli' starts off with the image of a tiger and their lead singer shouting the word 'puli' (tiger in Tamil) in a high pitched tone to a crummy guitar riff. All the while doing his best Michael Jackson dance moves.

Yes, this is a Tamil heavy metal song, probably about a tiger, where their lead singer imitates the King of Pop. We tried translating Mark The Hammer's reactions, who says at the beginning of his video: "Let's start the new year with one of the most trashy and hilarious things I've ever seen in my life".

Mark The Hammer then went on to comment on how the song's guitar riff sounds like the soundtrack of the Nintendo game 'Doom'. As a result of Mark the Hammer's video, Italians have gone on Darkkey and The Key's 'Puli' music video to comment, with some asking the band to perform in Italy.

Of course, we don't know if the band is going to say "arrivederci" to Malaysia and "buongiorno" to Italy any time soon, but this isn't their first international debut. Their lead singer, Darkkey Nadaraja, was featured in Rajnikanth's hit movie, 'Kabali' – which was filmed in Malaysia.

'Puli' is already a guilty pleasure for many Malaysians. Those interested could also check out their other hit, 'Akkamage' which is a must-play at Indian weddings. – The Vibes, February 2, 2021