AsiaLIFE

Never before has Cambodia’s most celebrated monument served as a backdrop for a rock concert, Mark Eastty was one of the thousand people lucky enough to get a free ticket. Additional reporting by Mark Jackson. Photos by Nathan Horton.

Arriving at Angkor Wat just before sunset is a majestic experience any day of the year. But on Dec. 7, the twelfth-century temple became the ethereal backdrop for the first rock concert ever to be held at the Unesco World Heritage Site. Funded by USAID, with local partner qb, the concert was part of a global MTV Exit campaign to help end human trafficking – a crime impacting millions of people worldwide. One of four concerts organised by Cambodian-based media company Phibious throughout the Kingdom, the aim of the tour was to increase awareness of trafficking within Cambodian youth.

Alternative rock band Placebo had the privilege of topping a bill that also featured American boy band The Click Five, Grammy and Tony award winning singer songwriter Duncan Shiek and Aussie pop starlet Katie Miller Hiedke. Cambodian music was represented by Khmer hip hop legend Pou Klaing along with pop stars Sokun Nisa, Meas Soksophia and Chorn Sovanrech. The show began shortly after dusk with the thousand-strong crowd surrounded by the tropical jungle, and the local cicadas competing with the MCs in volume. First up was an Apsara dance performance – the traditional Cambodian dance was perfectly in keeping with the temple surrounds. Then it was time for the musicians of the modern era to take to the stage.

Clicking into Action

As the fountain rear and centre of the stage projected the MTV Logo, Click Five appeared. The drums struck up, the electric guitars pulsed to life and lead singer Kyle Patrick began to sing a tale of teenage angst. The crowd was however perhaps a little mature for such teenage woes and the lyrics only really resonated with those who were fans already. However, the enormity of the concert was not lost on the band. “This was a performance of a lifetime,” Patrick summed up their feelings. “Nothing could have prepared us for such an experience. We are truly thankful for all those who made this show happen.”

The next of the western artists to take to the stage was Kate Miller Hiedke who entered into a soft sultry ballad that demonstrated both talent and an impressive vocal range. As the intro to Britney Spears, ‘Toxic’, started up so did the first real cheers of excitement, although the artist later admitted that a number of the crowd had mistaken her for the fallen diva herself. Her operatic parody was not lost on everyone and she was unquestionably the highlight of the night so far.

Duncan Shiek, Sokun Nisa, Meas Soksophia and Chorn Sovanrech sang subtle yet rousing ballads that, while not rocking the crowd, were captivating and served as a great contrast to the second star of the night – Pon Kliang. The local hip hop star succeeded in bringing the entire crowd to life, uniting locals, residents and visitors alike as he rinsed out lyrics urging Khmers to respect their culture and spread the right message in the way they live their life. The smooth bouncing bass lines and energetic stage performance kept hands raised in the air throughout. Quite capable of rocking any concert he headlines in the Kingdom he served as the perfect warm up for U.K. sensation Placebo.

The Main Act

“Let’s not forget the reason that we are here today at this special concert,” said lead singer Brian Molko before the band launched into the first track – ‘Because I Want You.’ “Millions of people are currently living as slaves. We’re here to join the fight to combat this abhorrent trade.” His melodic voice pulled the crowd closer to the stage as the eerie guitar and keyboard sounds shimmered and pulsed throughout the venue.

Many of the tracks had been reworked with the band spending a week at their London recording studio to create a set in keeping with the ancient temple. Nowhere was this more evident than on ‘Meds.’ Debutant drummer Steve Forrest switched to bells and beaters, leaving the guitars and violin of Fiona Brice to create a stark yet soulful sonic soup of keyboard twangs, guitar riffs and effervescent vocals. Forrest was soon back behind the drums again though, grinning like a schoolboy as he pounded his way through ‘Post Blue’, ‘Blind’ and ‘Drag’, the front rows of the audience now swelling with everyone eager to get a closer look. This provided the ideal opportunity for Molko to drum home the final lesson of the night.

“Please, when you go home tonight spare a thought for the prisoners of human trafficking,” Molko announced to the crowd before the band played their final track – ‘Twenty Years.’ With its catchy rousing vocals, spine tingling keyboards and punchy drums, this provided a fitting climax to an unforgettable night.

TV Broadcasts

The concert will provide content for a series of television programmes produced by MTV EXIT to be broadcast on Cambodia’s Bayon TV and on MTV channels internationally. These specials will mix concert footage with information about human trafficking. All MTV EXIT programming will be produced rights-free and free of charge for all broadcasters and organisations. MTV believe that both the concert and the subsequent broadcasts will help effect much-needed change.

“Music is an incredible force for change and this concert illustrated that,” said Simon Goff, MTV EXIT Campaign Director. “Today we joined together at a truly moving and beautiful location to make a statement that we all have to join together to end slavery.”