Monday, 16 May 2005
A Hair Raising Evening with The Alley Cats!!
When I got news that The Alley Cats were making their way to Londra, I tried to remember their songs. They have some wonderful hits but I just couldn’t remember any cos I think I must have left the country just as they burst onto the music scene. So, I badly needed help to enjoy my dinner and dance with Malaysia’s famous boy band last Saturday. It so happened that some friends were visiting and I enlisted their help to jog my memory. So, while sipping tea and eating crepe au chocolat with banana at a café in Whiteleys, one by one tried a few lines unsuccessfully. But everyone remembered …..Masseehhhhh!
In desperation, I called up kak cik who managed something like this…de de de de de de…which sounded more like an old engine revving up without success. I gave up and made a quick phone call to Aberdeen and still nothing remotely Alleycatish. I suddenly remembered my brother ajie who used to haunt karaoke lounges in the city. He was shopping at Bintang Walk but obliged me with a nasal rendition of Hingga Akhir Nanti, complete with .. Trima Kasehhhhhhhhhhhhh reverberating in the mall.
Right, with that I was ready to enjoy my evening. I even have the perfect nasal voice for the do, with the annoying hayfever that has been with me since the start of spring. Set off for the Royal garden Hotel with JC and wife RC. JC actually remembered that the Alley Cats hail from Penang….haiyaaa…Penang mali, and more importantly from the same area! So, I tried my luck and asked JC to do a rendition of an Alley Cats number…all he managed was an embarassed ha ha ha ha!!! Well, these Penangites have each carved their names in different areas. The Alley Cats sing while JC makes shoes. JC somehow noted rather sadly or enviously that the brothers still have their famous Afro mops while he is already thinning on top.
We all knew someone with that hairstyle; a brother, a cousin, a friend – or even an uncle. But they all outgrew the Afro look and opted for a more conventional short back and sides especially those who are now corporate figures and government servants or even politicians. But I bet they still treasure pictures of themselves with that hair do, complete with platform shoes and bell bottoms and big medallions around the neck!
The diners and revellers who turned up that night were what you would say in Malay “yang sewaktu dengannya”. Those who slept, breathed and grew up with these unforgettable tunes and lyrics that made their courtships all the more sweet and memorable.
Thus we couldn’t gobble our dinner fast enough and even waved away the dessert. But it was worth the wait. The cats marched in – all six of them, but only two original - David and Logan, and belted out: “Sampaikanlah salam cinta ku pada nyiaaaaaa…….” David was the vocalist or rather the nasalist while Logan arched and swayed like a true cat on heat, working the crowd to a frenzy.
We really couldn’t get enough of their “Hingga Akhir Nanti”, “Jika Kau Bercinta Lagi,” “Kerana Mu” and “Sekuntum Mawar Merah”. And of course there were many many more.
I simply had to get their “40 Hit Nombor 1” and since then kids and cats had to endure “Hingga Akhir Nanti” until I get it out of my system.
By the way, they are also making an appearance at Oriental City, North London this Saturday. You can bet your last dollar that I’ll be there swaying away with Logan. Must go to Portobello Market and get one of those Afro wigs just to get in the mood while I jiwanging away! It'd look odd on me but what the heck. So, as a born again Alley Cats fan, I'll sign off now by saying...Trima Kasehhhhhh"