LIGHTER FLUID

It all started with Zul making frequent, totally non-sexual nap-stops between classes at Dan’s uni accommodation. Borne out of his exasperation with awkward silences, Dan decided to buy a guitar at a car-boot sale. Ironically, Zul played that guitar more than Dan did. In fact, everybody else played that guitar more than Dan did. Being a legend in itself, said guitar’s reputation preceded the owner’s, such that when Dan first met Adi on a bus he had actually heard about the guitar Dan never played rather than Dan himself (although this was made up for by the fact that Dan thought Adi was a mainlander Chinese and didn’t bother initiating the conversation).

Enough about the guitar, for now. Dan did meet Adi on a bus (and he really, definitely, certainly did think Adi was a chinese from the mainland) and they discovered they shared the same crap-tastic taste in music. Despite having only slightly more talent than a TV music reality show contestant, the trio started playing in various Open Mic Nights around the university. Their biggest gig to date being the Uni’s International Student Night last year with Adi and Zul on acoustic guitars and Dan on vocals (because he, as yet, still couldn’t play that guitar responsible for bringing the three of them together). Adi had been playing guitar since he was a pimply-faced adolescent, while Zul (pssst, lagi tua) was taking an overseas-studying break from his band back home in Malaysia, Global Deficiency, in which he played bass. Desperately, they seeked more excuses to perform, as they got cheap kicks (and chicks) through this avenue.

So, when they heard about the Sheffield Gig from a dear friend, Aizat, they decided that it was time to form a full rock ensemble. Aizat, well-known from his WITI times in KTJ, agreed to give it a try, and they found a “decent” drummer in the form of a ‘hazed’ (“form a band? What band? What are you guys talking about?”) genius of a friend, Ayi, by some freak accident, as he keeps insisting he is not really a drummer but a guitarist. Aizat and Ayi already have enough on their musical ‘plates’, as Aizat has WITI and Ayi is still active in his own Super Fajitas, an Ampunk-based punk rawk band back in Malaysia.

With a shared passion for music, the fivesome formed Lighter Fluid and jammed, and jammed, and jammed, to prepare themselves for the gig. Aided by delusions of grandeur, and fuelled by a desire to have a good time, they were ready. So, see you there, and let’s all enjoy it, ignoring the fuck-ups of course!