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Malaysia’s local acts feel left out of live music boom: ‘missing middle’

South China Morning Post Wednesday 23 September 2026, 04:03 UTC By Ushar Daniele 1 min read

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Advertisement Malaysia’s local acts feel left out of live music boom: ‘missing middle’ Artists question efforts to develop local talent, highlighting ‘worrying trend’ of global stars with no Malaysian opening act 4-MIN READ4-MIN Listen Kuala Lumpur is making it easier and cheaper to bring international music stars to the city, hoping that a bigger concert calendar can help Malaysia capture more of Southeast Asia’s booming live-music economy. But as more global acts come to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian musicians are asking whether the concert boom is creating more opportunities for local artists too. Fuad Alhabshi of Malaysian rock band Kyoto Protocol said local bands once routinely benefited when major international acts came through Kuala Lumpur, including opportunities to play support slots. His band has opened for Muse, Death Cab for Cutie and The Killers. Select Voice Select Speed 1x AI-generated voice

Malaysia (LOCATION) Malaysian (ORG) Kuala Lumpur (LOCATION) Southeast Asia’s (LOCATION) Fuad Alhabshi (PERSON) Kyoto Protocol (ORG) Muse (ORG) Death Cab for Cutie and The Killers (PERSON)

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Malaysia’s local acts feel left out of live music boom: ‘missing middle’

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