FORGET reality TV music idols or manufactured pop acts. Malaysia’s appetite for homegrown indie bands knew no boundaries this year. It has been a long time coming, but the momentum, for better or for worse, is with the local indie music community as it continues to push into the mainstream and attract media attention.

Just like the hip hop phenomenon in the late 1990s, indie music has made its way out of the fringe scene with a tide of young, exciting and fashionable bands capturing the imagination of the young Facebook generation.