Kyoto Protocol (band)

Kyoto Protocol is a Malaysian rock band from Kuala Lumpur formed in 2008. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Fuad, back-up vocalist/keyboard player Gael, guitarist Hairi, bassist Shakeil, and drummer Shan. In 2011, Kyoto Protocol received a nomination for 'Best New Artist' from Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) following the success of their EP which was cheekily entitled "An Album" in the same year. Its lead single "Pussycat" peaked at No.1 on Hitz.FM's Malaysian English Top 10, the FlyFM Campur Charts and TraxxFM's Upstage Charts.

Kyoto Protocol were runners up of TV9 (Malaysia)'s Versus 2013.

Band history

2008-2011: Formation and early days

Kyoto Protocol was formed in 2008 by Fuad, Gael, Hairi, Shaq and Shan. The band won 1st place in the Yamaha Asian Beat 2009 Central Regional Finals. However, they narrowly missed out on the top spot and the chance to represent Malaysia in the Asian Beat Grand Final held in Japan, in the subsequent National Finals settling for runner-up instead.^[1] In 2011, they were hand-picked to be the opening act for in MGMT's maiden concert in Kuala Lumpur,^[2] their first exposure to the big stage. Since then, they adapted quickly and in the process racked up impressive accolades including coveted slots at Future Music Festival Asia, Rockaway and Urbanscapes.

2011-2012: An Album

In June 2011, Kyoto Protocol released “An Album”, a 5-track EP, under Monsoon Records who spotted them making the rounds in the local gigging circuit. Their first single from the album “Pussycat” garnered heavy rotation on the airwaves, even reaching number 1 on the Hitz.FM’s Malaysian English Top 10, FlyFM’s Campur Chart and TraxxFM’s Upstage Charts. Subsequently, the band received a nomination for “Best New Artist” from Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) in the same year, building on the success of “An Album”.^[3]

They were also one of the opening acts for We The Kings and We Are The In Crowd, alongside Bunkface and Oh Chentaku on 30 May 2012 at the Bukit Jalil Stadium.

2013-Present

In March 2013, the band kickstarted proceedings at the Flamingo Stage of Future Music Festival Asia, held in Sepang, Malaysia. They shared the stage with big international acts that included Grammy nominees Fun., British indie rock band Bloc Party, and Australian goliaths The Temper Trap, amongst others.^[4] Future Music Festival Asia is currently the only instalment of the Future Music Festival franchise outside of Australia. The band performed a couple new tracks, in a preview to a potential upcoming album rumoured to be released in late 2013. On April 2013, they joined a reality show competition between bands in Malaysia that called "Versus" for the second season show. They end up being in a second place after they had a battle with Manifesto. August 2013 will be their lucky month as they are sharing the same stage with big international acts like Smashing Pumpkins and Modest Mouse for Good Vibes Festival that held in Sepang. Also, they officially released brand new EP entitled "Pahlawan" features few songs from "Versus" show and also a brand new track with Liyana Fizi, "Jelita". Meanwhile in September 2013, they are the opening act for The Killers held in Helipad, Sepang. Now they are focusing on their upcoming album that is expected to be released in early 2014.

References