Restless Moon: Sound from the Malaysian Punk Underground

Curatorial Statement

By Beh Hoong Ling

In Malaysia’s underground music scene, there is a running joke: “Chinese families love mellow and harmonious music—like ABBA or The Carpenters—while Malay families are into heavier rock like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin.” Though lighthearted and anecdotal, such remarks may reflect deeper differences in how ethnic communities perceive language and sound. In Malaysia’s multilingual society, music experiences are often tightly interwoven with linguistic choices.

Malaysia’s media and educational systems are built around multiple language streams—Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English—each fostering distinct music cultures. Chinese-language radio is steeped in pop from China, Taiwan, Macao and Hong Kong; Malay radio stations broadcast rock music deeply influenced by Western styles; Tamil channels favor Indian classical and Bollywood sounds. People often choose their media based on their language background and social context, and each language’s media ecosystem shapes distinct musical imaginaries and emotional memories, subtly marking boundaries of cultural identity.

Genres like metal and punk in Malaysia’s underground subcultures are often dominated by Malay participants. However, Malay Muslims face unique societal pressures while participating in these scenes. Article 160 of the Malaysian Constitution defines “Malay” as someone who professes Islam, speaks Malay, and adheres to Malay customs. As a result, Malay identity is inseparable from being Muslim, and in Malaysia’s dual legal system—secular and Sharia—Islamic law applies exclusively to Muslims. For Malay Muslims, entering the punk scene involves navigating not just personal choice, but also religious, familial, social, and state regulations.

This context renders the intersection of “Malay Muslim” and “punk” a fascinating cultural contradiction. While punk emphasizes resistance, nonconformity, and defiance of authority, Islam prioritizes submission and discipline as core tenets of faith. How do Malay punk participants negotiate this contradiction? As a Malaysian Chinese outsider, the curator seeks to approach, understand, and document the predominantly Malay Muslim punk culture. This curatorial journey explores the tension and rifts among race, religion, law, and subculture—probing how individuals subtly negotiate identity and resistance within systems of control.

The title Restless Moon juxtaposes the unruly noise of punk with the spiritual symbolism of the crescent moon. This exhibition begins with the punk scene on the Malaysian peninsula, inviting artists from the scene to participate: punk godfather Joe Kidd shares rare archival materials from The Ricecooker Archives; artist Poodien contributes his stencil-based posters steeped in street aesthetics and political critique; punk band No Good is represented through a live video performance and a short documentary by Azam Sa’ad; Man Beranak contributes documentation from Rumah Api, Malaysia’s iconic DIY punk venue.

Through visual art, sound, video, and archival materials, this exhibition gathers fragments long buried within Malaysia’s punk underground. It seeks to sketch an alternative, non-academic, non-commercial narrative of Malay Muslim punk—offering audiences an oblique, yet vital view into the subcultural pulse of Malaysian society.