TAG presents Club Koko

Ever heard of Koko? The nightclub and live music venue is situated at the bottom of Camden High Street in London and is regarded by many as an integral force in the music industry. Its presence has moved beyond the borders of the UK; it is many a music fan's dream to one day attend a show at Koko.

The 109-year old building first opened in 1900 as the Camden Theatre and went through several reincarnations before it became Koko in 2004. Since then, Koko has been the venue of choice for gigs, concerts and showcases by a long list of artists that include Coldplay, MGMT, Cut Copy, Madonna, My Chemical Romance and even Hannah Montana. Koko retains a reputation as one of London's hottest clubs, it is the home to parties like Club NME, The Tease Show and Buttoned Down Disco.

Kuala Lumpur will get a taste of Koko in June when Club Koko hits Barsonic. Brought down by Koko UK and Koko Asia (www.kokoasia.com, whose Facebook group we featured in our Dec 2008 issue), Club Koko is the official overseas club night of Koko London and is set to tour Asia Pacific in the coming months. For the KL edition, they've got quite the line-up. Local Britrock band The Deserters will be performing fresh tracks off their upcoming album while Koko Asia DJ Johnny Mayo will be behind the decks, churning out some of the best in indie rock from the region. The indie rock continues with a performance by Thai-Brit fivesome The Standards. The stylish band showcases a sound that has similarities to Kaiser Chiefs and Blur. 

Also be sure to give the headlining DJ a rousing KL welcome—Simon Subsonic, resident DJ for Club NME at Koko. This experienced tastemaker plays to a crowd of close to 2,000 every week at Club NME parties in London, with more massive crowds at the festivals he has deejayed in like Reading and V. If your music collection is filled with the sounds of Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Bloc Party, Hadouken, Operator Please and the like, then Simon Subsonic will definitely hit the right chord at Barsonic.

Text Sarah Chan Photo Courtesy of Zouk