Live from the pandemic, it’s Taylor’s Music Club!

Footage from Open Mic Night organised by Taylor's Music Club

Source: Taylor's Music Club

After a year and a half of indulging in music almost entirely on their own, people are eager to experience live music in person as an endless amount of music festivals and concerts are scheduled for the next several months.

Similarly, musicians have drifted back to live performances after adapting their craft to the virtual world and enduring the difficulties of unemployment and illness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Taylor's Music Club, the return from hiatus has brought nothing but joy.

It’s a Monday evening, and in the warmly lit music room, members of the music club are busily chatting away about musical instruments and stage positions.

The club president sits in a corner with a laptop while the remaining members adjust microphones and instruments at the front of the room in preparation for the day’s rehearsal.

A sense of camaraderie and intimacy permeated the rehearsal space as the musicians shattered the floor’s usually hushed atmosphere with the sounds of drums and keyboard.

"It is very exciting to experience all this and socialise with my club mates in person during rehearsals after having it done virtually for quite some time," said Bernice Lee Tyzz Chii, the club’s president.

The club started holding rehearsals and weekly jam sessions in the music room this year after conducting them online through Zoom, Discord and Instagram for almost two years due to the pandemic.

In early May, the club even hosted an open mic event in collaboration with Taylor's A Cappella LIVE Club and Taylor's Symphony Orchestra.

The club president Bernice giving a speech at the Open Mic Event

Source: Taylor's Music Club

Affiliated with the University since 2013, Taylor’s Music Club is made up of musicians as well as music aficionados from the student body and is led by current president Lee and vice president, Job Wong Zi Cheng.

“Right after our open mic event, we have gained quite a lot of attention from other clubs and student organisations, as at least four clubs, including the Orientation Leaders, have approached us for collaborations and performances,” said Lee.

Wong, the club’s vice president and band manager, says he feels fortunate to be reunited with his club mates and that performing for the club has been nothing but exciting.

“I’m sure every musician couldn’t wait to come back and perform live because playing alone or with other musicians just doesn't feel the same compared to playing in front of an audience,” Wong added.

Although the club is glad to be conducting live performances, it does come with a few hurdles as the pandemic has altered a lot of things.

“We have to routinely replace mic covers during our shows for each performer, as well as maintain sanitisation everywhere at all times, which is extremely difficult when you have musical equipment that should not get wet,” said Lee who is in charge of organising live events for the club.

“We had to switch up most of the event settings and tactics that we knew in order to accommodate these tedious tasks, and not to mention the fact that we had to spend a lot of money on things like sanitising guns,” she added.

“The open mic event alone cost us more than RM3000 for all the musical and sanitation equipment.”

As a performer, Wong claims that he no longer receives the same response from the audience as he did prior to the pandemic.

Wong rehearsing with a fellow musician in the music room

“The crowds are not as interactive, and I think it's because everyone is still a bit afraid of the virus, so they are not fully ready to let go and engage with the show," Wong added.

Despite these challenges, the club is committed to putting on spectacular shows in the future as they have many upcoming plans.

“We intend to perform busking around the campus grounds once or twice a month beginning in July, and we are also considering some long-term ideas that could expand our club and showcase our performers,” said Lee.

“For example, we are looking into starting a band within our club in which we would accept gigs and perform in locations both inside and outside of the university.”

However, the club seeks the support of the public in order to accomplish these aspirations.

“I believe it is very important for Malaysians to support artists like us so we can continue to do what we love doing, even though it is, sadly, a rare occurrence in today’s society,” said Wong.

“When you support live music, you’re supporting art that bravely takes on the capitalist world that we live in today,” Lee added.

“As they say, science might give us the opportunity to live, but art gives us a reason to live.”