by Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, Oct 7: Serembu assemblyman Miro Simuh donned his musician’s hat to kick off the sixth edition of the Siniawan Country Music Festival 2023 as the opening act last night, performing with his band, the Skinning Project.
Country music enthusiasts and festivalgoers who flocked to the main stage area were treated to an hour of popular country music songs by Miro and his band.
After the performance, Miro shared that his band had been performing together for years, typically covering local music and English rock songs. However, for this festival, they decided to venture into country music for the first time.
Commenting on the country music festival this year, Miro said he is happy with the sixth edition getting back on track after they started with the festival in 2016.
“We got halted for two years during the Covid-19 pandemic and made a comeback in 2022,” he told DayakDaily when met after his performance.
He explained that despite being the largest country music festival in the country, they still could not organise it as a large-scale festival yet as they are waiting for the Siniawan Waterfront to be completed.
“The waterfront area would be an ideal venue, as there is a larger space to hold such a festival.
“Because of this, we only invited local bands. Two from Miri, four from Kuching, and one from Kuala Lumpur. We also have a few single performers from Penang, Kuching and Saratok,” he shared.
Miro hoped that more people would attend the festival over the weekend, emphasizing that it was free to attend.
He highlighted the festival’s unique atmosphere, which includes an array of food and drinks vendors along the old streets of Siniawan Heritage Town, adding that they always schedule the event in the first week of October to coincide with local food festivities.
Last year, the festival generated nearly a million ringgit in revenue over three days despite the challenging economic climate, and Miro hoped this year’s event would also be successful for local businesses.
Other bands performing on the opening night at the main stage were Country Road and D’ Wrangler, while on the old street of Siniawan Heritage Town were solo country music performances by Peter Engkasan, Mark Ashley and Raggy Singh. — DayakDaily
