KUALA LUMPUR: Khid Buck comes from a talented musical family and grew up listening to Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. As he got older, he was also influenced by the Stray Cats.
Those influences led him from the traditional country music of his previous band, The Gombak Hillbillies, to his new trio, The Goblokes.
The name blends the Indonesian word ‘goblok‘, which means foolish or stupid, with the phrase ‘go blokes’.
Since forming The Goblokes, Khid, the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist, double bassist Afiq Nazrin (Boi) and drummer Cecep Permana (Chemenk) have won over audiences in Malaysia and abroad with their distinctive ‘Malaysian rockabilly’ sound.
Now, the trio are aiming for loftier heights – to perform at the world-famous Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend in Nevada, United States, before the end of the decade.
The Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend began modestly in 1997 and is the longest-running music festival in Las Vegas.
“The band will turn three in November, and while we are not full-time musicians, we hope to play in Las Vegas before 2030,” said the 38-year-old, who is a freelance writer and editor.
“The Goblokes came about by accident as musician friends knew the kind of music I like and one of them introduced me to Chemenk. He, in turn, hooked me up with Boi. And from there, we just clicked.
“We play about three gigs a month, and have also performed at regional festivals.”
The Goblokes will perform at the Musicians for Musicians benefit concert on Oct 10, where they will share the stage with Electric Orgasm, Datuk Francissca Peter, Heavy Machine, Datuk Leonard Tan, Lighthouse, Os Pombos, The Polymaths, The Studio 10 Experience and Royston Sta Maria at Kelab Golf Negara Subang.
Khid acknowledged that the rockabilly sound is not yet widely established in Malaysia and hopes to change people’s perceptions with the trio’s energetic performances.
It was during one of the band’s shows that Musicians for Musicians president Francis Danker was convinced that The Goblokes would be a perfect fit for the benefit concert.
“I was blown away the first time I saw them perform. I immediately knew they had to be part of the benefit concert,” said Danker, who will be reunited with his bandmates from Electric Orgasm at the concert.
“Musicians for Musicians is an organisation not just for older musicians, but also a way for us to acknowledge the many young talents we have in this country.
“As I have advocated, we need the government to make it possible for our entertainers to earn a steady income by doing what they do best. We need the younger generation to be able to earn a living.”
More music in store
Besides their ambition to perform in Las Vegas, Khid said The Goblokes are also working on their debut album. Their first single, Cara Kami, was released in 2024 and is available on streaming platforms.
The song combines distinctive rockabilly elements with local influences while remaining faithful to the genre.
Written in response to the incident at the Good Vibes Festival in July 2023 involving British band The 1975, Cara Kami carries two important messages.
The first is a rebuke to those who fail to respect the culture and values of their host country, while the second addresses xenophobia and the narrow-minded attitudes that can exist in global society.
At the festival, The 1975 frontman Matty Healy criticised Malaysia’s laws concerning same-sex relationships before kissing bandmate Ross MacDonald on stage.
“I found the antics disrespectful. You don’t go to Rome and try to turn it into London. Why do you come to KL and try to turn it into California?” asked Khid.
“Malaysians have our set of morals and principles, and we’ve been doing pretty fine. Do we have our problems, sure. Do we have things we need to fix? Definitely!
“But I’ll be damned if the children of our colonisers come here and act like we’re still part of the Commonwealth.”
Khid was quick to add that this was his personal position.
Besides Cara Kami, The Goblokes are also known for Lewat Malam, Step Away From My Wife and the energetic 21 Days, which would not be out of place in Cash’s 1978 compilation album, Itchy Feet – 20 Foot-Tappin’ Greats.
Khid expects the album to be ready early next year, although “there are some songs that need to be ironed out”.
“We have not decided on the title,” said Khid, who enjoys baking and is the co-founder of Smara’s Dessert.
“We want it to be just right before we release it.”
On his business, Khid said: “It’s been a while, but we’re reviving it and have added a lot to the menu.”
For now, however, Khid is busy cooking up a storm with The Goblokes as they prepare for the Musicians for Musicians concert.
Tickets for ‘Rocking for a Cause’ are available on the Ticket2U website.
Image: From left: Boi, Khid and Chemenk/Facebook
