There’s no shortage of gigs in the Klang Valley scene these days. For me, at least, the supply feels bottomless; some weekends it’s a choice between two, three worthwhile gigs, no longer just one. But with that abundance comes a challenge for organisers: how do you stand out in a sea of other gigs all contending for the same crowd’s attention?

Enter Behave Ampang, a music venue in Ukay Perdana. Their marketing ploy, it seems, is to catch people’s attention with their weird, charming and made-you-look-huh gig posters. A quick glimpse baits a second one, and then you find yourself fascinated by their brainrot references, cheeky gig names and visual vomit straight out of fever dreams.

One poster is designed to resemble a board of energy drink sachets, its name a double entendre: Kalau Dah Nak Tu Tak Payah Tunggu Malam Jumaat Pun! For Halloween last year, they held a gig named GIG SUKA HATI Hallowin-win Liao!, its poster showing a baby holding a bottle of budu, with a rooster and vegetables around it.

Most of these brainrot posters came from inside the house, of course. They’re designed by Tia, a co-owner of Behave Ampang, who runs the space together with her partner Acap whom you may know from his band The Fridays, as well as from seeing him drumming for female-fronted bands like Hawa and Women and Children.

Tia shares that her inspiration comes from pretty much anything that speaks to her.

“I truly believe strong imagery triumphs over any long-dwindling essay when it comes to stealing someone’s attention,” she said. 

“So I’d ask myself: what is able to capture someone’s eye even for a second, but would leave them remembering it forever?”

Behave Ampang’s posters feel especially brain-stimulating in a music scene where AI-designed posters — where the human touch is far removed — are gradually sweeping in, pretending as if nobody would notice their lack of effort. Tia shares the same sentiment.

“A human’s attention span at this era is screwed due to how fast and in-our-face everything is,” she said. 

“Not to mention, everyone is following trends. No one wants to attempt to be a trendsetter! And don’t get me started on A.I.!”

Her process, she says, draws solely off her own creativity and Acap’s. “We work great as a team, as we fully trust each other in our creative choices. He often starts with a dumb name, and from there we come up with a concept and see where it leads us.”

But beneath the brainrot visuals that grab your attention instantly isn’t just the drive to nurture a healthy independent music scene. There’s an underlying issue as well.

Behave Ampang has been operating since the mid-2010s, and their current location in Ukay Perdana is one of their revival attempts, running since 2023. Over the past few months, they’ve been throwing benefit gigs to keep the space open and continue surviving. For as low as RM20, attendees are treated to bands of different genres and flavours. Bands like Hacktick!, Swindle, Chuchengpo and more have performed for these benefit gigs.

Hence, the posters are designed to be fast and attention-grabbing. Acap shared with me that the reason behind the benefit gigs — and the posters that followed — is gentrification.

“Ukay Perdana is fast becoming the place to be. We have two ZUS outlets within a 1km radius, and our rent went up,” he said.

“To add to that, my business partner, whose name is on the lease, had a heart scare and couldn’t renew the lease that ends this July 30. I have to sign a new agreement for a new lease in my name and pay upwards of RM4,000 on August 1st. That’s the reason we’ve been doing all these benefit shows.”

Behave Ampang has strived to stay open and cheap, which means absorbing the costs and subsidising the service themselves. It’s an effort Acap says they don’t mind, so gigs can stay affordable for new bands and organisers.

“It would be a shame if we closed because of this, so here we are, fighting the good fight,” he said.

To fight the good fight, the indie music community came together to help them too. Earlier this month, another benefit gig, titled Main Genre Indie Fest, was held at Petai Belalang KL. Bands like Hacktick!, Mascot, Note/Void, ManicMonday, an Acap’s own band The Fridays played, with 100% of the sales proceeds going toward saving Behave Ampang.

So far, Acap said, the benefit gigs have pushed them closer to survival, with three benefit shows left.

“Hopefully we can keep having this special relationship with everyone in the scene. It’s about helping each other in return, at the end of the day,” he said. 

“May every band or organiser we’ve crossed paths with thrive and succeed, because that success is ours too, in the end.”