All together now

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The magic of Alleycats’ music is that it brought the whole of Malaysia together with its tunes of love and peace.

FEW bands embrace the concept of “truly Malaysian” quite like the effervescent Alleycats.

The group’s classic line-up consisted of the Arumugam brothers David (vocals), Loganathan (vocals) and Shanmugam (guitar), Frank Ong (bass), Tan Chin Hock (drums), Chester Danielle Pasarella (saxophone) and, Khoo Fok Sin and later, Grenville Pereira (keyboards), effectively ticking the multi cultural boxes of “Melayu” (the band’s originals are Malay songs), “Cina”, “India” and “dan lain-lain”.

The group – which formed in 1968 and earned its name courtesy of its then manager Ronnie Chiang Kai Chok, who named the band as such because the members hung around an alley crawling with cats – cut its teeth in the nascent pub circuit of its native Penang.

Original flavour: (from left) David Arumugam, Tan Chin Hock, Khoo Fok Sin, Loganathan and Shanmugam Arumugam, and Frank Ong.

On stage, the Alleycats treated punters to tunes from the likes of Bee Gees, Bread, Santana, Billy Joel and Air Supply, but by frontman David’s own admission, The Beatles were the most instrumental in forming the foundation of the band’s musical sensibilities.

After relocating to Kuala Lumpur at the dawn of the 1970s, the band secured a three-year contract at the renowned Tin Mine Discotheque (in the then KL Hilton hotel) before moving on to Singapore for another three-year stint there.

The band once famously held a residency at the Mocambu club in Hong Kong in 1976. Though its initial contract was to last a mere three months, the band’s ability to draw audiences by the droves earned the band a nine-year contract (1976-1984), a deal which packaged TV and concert appearances.

Upon reaching Singapore to further its musical cause in 1977, the band attracted the attention of record label PolyGram Records and on the urging of the label’s visionary talent scout Eric Yeo, the band penned a recording deal that saw it release a failed English eponymous debut in 1978, which was quickly superseded by the first Malay outing Terima Kasih later that same year.

The 1980s would see Alleycats at the top of its game (with Malay language albums) and at its most prolific phase, churning out an average of three to four albums every two years.

This was the period that gave birth to the band’s monumental hits (largely penned by composer M. Nasir) like Hingga Akhir Nanti, Andainya Aku Pergi Dulu, Gerimis Senja, Sekuntum Mawar Merah Sebuah Puisi, Senyumlah Kuala Lumpur, Setahun Sudah Berlalu, Nota Terakhir, Sindrom Kota Raya, Kerana and of course, Sampaikan Salam Cinta Ku.

Loganathan’s sad demise on June 4, 2007 was mourned not only by the band, but its followers, too, who came from all walks of life. David is the sole remaining member of the original band today and continues to carry the Alleycats torch more than 40 years after the band began.

Alleycats transcends colour, creed and social standing and has earned the right to be the quintessential Malaysian band, able to get any crowd to groove to its songs, ultimately earning a place in the hearts of every Malaysian music fan who is old enough to know the band’s songs.