LOCAL rock quintet Kyoto Protocol have released a rockumentary titled 'TEN' marking their decade-long collaboration as a band.
Released on Thursday (December 9) it captures the essence of what loyal fans of the band love, showcasing not only the energy of their live performances but also their personalities through behind-the-scenes footage.
The documentary release was accompanied by the band's maiden 20-track live album, available now on all streaming platforms.
The album includes the band's top hits and fan favourites, includes their tracks 'Jelita', 'Tiada Lagi Kidungmu', 'Delta Wing', and 'The End', among others.
The band said with the lack of live events in 2020, it decided to release the footage from their tenth-year concert shot at live venue The Bee, Kuala Lumpur last year, turning it into Kyoto Protocol's first-ever documentary.
At the time of the concert's recording, the band did not know it would be the last public performance they would be allowed to hold, due to disruptions caused by the global Covid-19 pandemic.
The band told The Vibes the concert footage was shot and edited by Denhouse & Co, the team that produced the music videos for the band's songs 'Now You’re Gone' and 'Guilty Plea'.
The interview footage was done by Kyoto Protocol's drummer Shanjeev Reddy, who has a separate illustrious career as a video investigative journalist with R.AGE.
Meanwhile, bassist Shakeil mixed the concert audio, and it was mastered in Australia via the band's label Breaking Music.
On reaching its 10-year milestone as a band, frontman Fuad Alhabshi said there was no clear defining factor on how Kyoto Protocol managed to stick it through and survive for so long.
"Maybe we got lucky? Outside of the band, we’re not just friends, we’re family. One thing I know for sure is, after how far we’ve come we can’t stop now," he said recently.
'TEN' the documentary is filled with unfiltered, never-before-seen footage of the band. The 10-year concert was also recorded in high definition and is tipped to be the closest fans can get to a full-on live concert experience from the comfort of their homes.
"The performance itself was a state of euphoria, given that it's already been a year later where unfortunately the world of live music has sort of collapsed," Fuad said in a press release.
"It's nice to be able to look back on the performance and provide our thoughts, feelings on it while also recapping 10 wonderful years as a band."
Despite Kyoto Protocol's absence from concert stages, Fuad said the band is excited to hear about what people think about 'TEN', and whether it lived up to their objectives of giving their fans the best Kyoto Protocol experience in 2020.
"I hope they feel our sincere gratitude for giving us the purpose to be making great music over the past 10 years," Fuad added.
On the most memorable moments of being in a band, Fuad said some of the highlights included playing shows during the Singapore F1 race in 2017, the Baybeats Festival in 2018, opening for the group's heroes, American indie band Death Cab for Cutie.
"That being said, nothing beats a gig when we have that special connection with the audience and our hearts and minds become one," he said.
"When we started out it was already a mind-blown moment when complete strangers started showing up to our gigs and knowing the lyrics to every single song. We’re just grateful that we get to do what we love and have others love it as well."
Kyoto Protocol's previous album, 'The Pen is Mightier' launched in 2018, and has amassed over 350,000 streams across all major music streaming platforms.
There was also a nationwide tour for the album called #MilikKita, which was supported by the likes of Urbanscapes, MINI, and Fred Perry.
The band's biggest hit so far, Jelita (featuring Liyana Fizi) amassed over 800,000 streams across all major music platforms since its release in 2013.
In their early days, Kyoto Protocol performed covers in the Kuala Lumpur pub circuit and managed to break through, eventually opening for US-based musicians they had looked up to, such as The Killers, Death Cab for Cutie, and Tenacious D here in Malaysia.
The band moved on to making their own songs and tours in Malaysia, and eventually Asia, organically building a loyal fanbase along the way.
On future plans, Fuad said Kyoto Protocol will be releasing new music next year.
"Whether we’ll be able to play live shows or not, we’ve got new music waiting for you in 2021," he said.
"From a songwriting perspective, it could be the catchiest stuff I’ve ever written." – The Vibes, December 13, 2020
