Touche Amore's Southeast Asian Tour Diary: "I Cannot Put Into Words How Terrifying the Drive Was"

By Jason Roche Wed., Dec. 5 2012 at 3:30 AM

Categories: Punk

Touche Amore with fans in Jogjakarta, Indonesia

Los Angeles hardcore group Touche Amore is sharing their tour diary from their recent trip to Southeast Asian. Yesterday vocalist Jeremy Bolm described their wild times in Singapore and Malaysia, and for part two today he talks on their time in Indonesia.

November 17, 2012
Jakarta, Indonesia
Our tour manager arrives 30 minutes late [to leave for] the airport. We rush through security and make it on to our flight with only a minute to spare. Some people say coffee and a healthy breakfast is the quickest way to get your body awake in the morning. I think having to run with equipment and bags around your neck through a foreign airport does the job even better.

The venue tonight is called Rossi Music. It reminds me of a punk squat you might play in Germany or Eastern Europe. Before we played, I had to run to the bathroom to take a quick piss. What I encountered was very confusing to my American eyes...a hole in the ground and next to it a bucket of water with a scoop. Thankfully this wasn't another kind of emergency.

By the time it is our turn to play, we can tell the equipment has had quite the toll taken on it. The PA speakers are hardly functioning and the guitar heads are giving about half their ability. With a room full of kids, we push through it with excitement. Hearing so many voices so far from home know our words was one of the most exciting moments of our band's history.

Brainwashed Photo Stage

Jakarta, Indonesia

November 18th, 2012
Jogjakarta, Indonesia
I cannot put into words how terrifying [the twelve-hour drive to Jogjakarta] was. The way people drive consists of...speeding as fast as you can, then slamming on the breaks, and then veering into oncoming traffic to go around trucks and other vehicles. There are no seat belts in this van. Everyone flew out of their chairs multiple times and we were scared for our lives quite a lot.

The venue is really awesome. It's called Slackers. It's in a really hip sort of skate shop that has a ton of cool clothing and a welcoming atmosphere. The room where the show is has no ventilation and is brutally hot, but we embrace it 100%. By the time it's our turn to play all the windows are fogged up and kids are already soaking with sweat. The floor is as slippery as ice from all the condensation that built from the humidity in the room. Tonight's show is less a stage than a step and will make for a tight intimate environment.