Kids On The Move are changing for good

It took almost two years for Kids On The Move, a Malaysian five-piece old school, hardcore band to finish their first album. Lack of money and time, and changes in lineup meant the band only started recording the album last October. Which is why when it came time to title it, the band members all agreed the best name would be Changes.

"The thought of Changes came when we realised that our members kept changing," says vocalist Dean. The band, formed in 2003, also consists of Kaza (guitars), Riswan (guitars), Syahmi (bass) and Chacha (drum), but only three of the original members are left. "We wanted something different from others and ourselves, yet we didn't want to lose our identity. We tried to be innovative by asking for opinions and listening to a lot of stuff. So I guess we wanted to be different; a change from what we used to do."

It certainly is a good change as the album has gained some positive feedback from the underground scene. It features artwork by Bill Hauser, the same guy who did designs for Ozzy Osbourne. "Basically, we e-mailed him almost every other day to see if he would be interested in designing our album cover," says Dean. "We got lucky because he replied and said that we were the first Malaysian band to approach him. So we told him what we wanted and he did the greatest job on the cover."

Now that the album is out, the band, currently under Ceasefire Records, plan to keep releasing new stuff and ensure that their fans don't get bored. There are also hopes of visiting the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. "We've been [to all these places] to perform and we must say that the people from the respective countries are just amazing," says Dean. "Like in Thailand, for example, even though there was a language barrier, but they still tried to communicate with us using sign language. And the people from Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia have been very supportive."

Beyond South East Asia, Kids On The Move are looking for further tours. "We want to go play outside our comfort zone and one of the places that we would like to start with is Australia," says Dean. "Hopefully we can achieve it by 2010. We have got a few contacts and are saving some money from gigs."

Fingers crossed, and with plenty of hard work, it will happen. And when it does, a two-year duration to finish an album will be very worth the time.

WORDS ELLYN PHOTO KIDS ON THE MOVE
www.myspace.com/xkidsxonxthexmovex

*Taken from Junk's August 2009 issue.