28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Jo Branko's Barbarik gives fans 2 hours of non-stop rock hits
KUALA LUMPUR: Local rock group Barbarik, led by guitarist Jo Branko and vocalist Muss, entertained some 1,500 fans non-stop for two hours at Zepp KL tonight.
The rock quartet, which also comprises drummer Ainol and bassist Rozaimi, marked its debut at the popular concert venue along Jalan Hang Tuah here, in a show themed Konsert Barbarik: Pentas Peluru Cokelat, which began at 9pm.
The concert was part of Barbarik's promotion of its debut album Peluru Cokelat, which features six songs. The quartet performed a total of 21 tracks, comprising their original numbers, mostly composed by Jo, as well as songs from Jo's former band Wings and Muss' former band May.
Among the songs performed were Badan Belut Kepala Ular, Sketsa Sebuah Cinta, Taman Rashidah Utama, Satelit Puaka, Jerangkung Dalam Almari, and Peluru Cokelat.
Jo, who also served as the concert's producer, said Barbarik was a platform to reunite two former members of Wings, Muss and himself, after they left the veteran rock group to "find their own voice".
He said that since Peluru Cokelat, launched late last year, features only six new songs, the band also needed to perform tracks he had composed with Wings.
"This is because there will be fans who want to listen to those songs too, so we'll give them a little bit of what they want to hear," he said.
Jo, 56, formed Barbarik last year as a "replacement" for Prime Domestic, a short-lived band he formed in 2017 not long after leaving Wings.
A founding member of Wings alongside lead singer Datuk Awie, Jo left the band in 2016 due to creative differences with the Sembilu star.
In addition to performing as a guitarist for his band, Jo has composed and written songs for various solo artistes and groups, including Ito of Blues Gang, Def Gab C, and NRG.
He has also appeared in six films to date. Besides Putera, he has starred in Pemburu Bayang, Amelia, Super Star, Awang Trasher, and Left Wings.
