CHRISTMAS IN APRIL DONE RIGHT, ACCORDING TO BUDAK PANTAI
Year of Release: 2022
Much merriment was had at their reunion-meets-incongruous Christmas gig in April this year – and this five-track EP, recorded live, is perfect for those who were there, as well as those who wished they were. It provides a taster of their unmistakable bonhomie that rang loud and clear throughout the cavernous Pasir Panjang Power Station. Relive audience faves such as Tom Jones’ ‘Delilah’ and their uproarious update of ‘Iko Iko’ with crypto-delusions. Still nothing compares to their take on Su Rui’s classic ‘Jiu Gang Tang Buay Bo’, a global cruise through the decades – a slab of weepy 1980s-styled Hokkien-Mandopop rock with an injection of Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams’ and Lady Gaga’s noughties hit ‘Bad Romance’. Budak to men indeed.