About Malfunction

1) A Buffalo Hardcore band formed in 2011. "Finding my Peace" 7" out now on Reaper Records. 2) Post-Hardcore band from Belgrade, Serbia active in the 90's. 3)HISTORY MALFUNCTION were formed in early 2004 and are based in Sydney Australia. The first line up consisted of Justin Lal (Vocals/Guitar), Robert Alvaro (Guitar/Vocals), Laura Burns (Bass) and Haresh Nair (Drums). The band were influenced by metal and grunge, citing Metallica, Nirvana and even as far as The Red Hot Chili Peppers as influences. Their first performance was at a school performing arts night, where they covered the hit ballad, Nothing Else Matters, of Metallica's fame. Due to conflicting musical interests, Burns left the lineup with Joshua Fabian replacing her. Fabian has never picked up a bass in his life but soon became a foundation MALFUNCTION could rely on. In late 2005 Nair left the band, creating a gaping hole in the rhythm department. Mutually, MALFUNCTION agreed to now work as a three-piece, with Lal putting down the guitar and picking up the sticks to go behind the drumkit, taking over drum duties. Hence, Alvaro fronted the band. ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS MALFUNCTION have yet to release a full length album but have an enormous back catalogue. The songs are normally constructed around a simple couplet rhyming system which often tell a story, or a vague description of what is meant to be a story. Their songs are fuelled by the powerful guitar of Alvaro, who is MALFUNCTION's main songwriter. Fronting the band whilst playing lead guitar would normally prove to be a problem for most bands but Alvaro solved this problem with his PhD in music, contructing complex yet catchy chord progressions. Their original compositions prove MALFUNCTION to be a hard rock/nu-metal act. Distorted guitars with the usual guitar solo is familiar ground for the band. The Metallica influence kicks in with clean/chorus sounds and wah-wah solos. Songs to note include Under My Skin, Chains of Guilt and the crowd classic, Up My Gusset. Alvaro's voice is one to be noted as well. Most songs consist of two voices, but one Alvaro. His tone can be described as Hetfield-esque, with the dark, rough sandpapered voice. But Alvaro is capable of reaching notes higher up on the register as well, being compared to the falsetto singer of the German band, "President of Interact", Elle Wenban. Critics have often said that MALFUNCTION have blatantly "ripped off" Italy's metal band "Lacuna Coil," but MALFUNCTION dismissed the claims and set fire to the critic's family sedan. CONTROVERSY Fabian tends to be the more passive member in the band, avoiding the public eye when off the stage. The main news-makers in the band, on the other hand, are Lal and Alvaro. In mid-2005, Lal was hospitalised after a drunken brawl with fellow tour-mate, Andrew Stockdale (Wolfmother). Even though the exact details were never publicised, rumours says that it was over a Daytona Arcade game, where Stockdale jammed Lal's gearstick with wood putty. Lal was also caught on tape performing exorcism acts on himself. The whole reasoning behind it is still being deciphered today by his family members but the tape was distributed around on the P2P network. The tape consisted of him lying on the bed, reciting nursery rhymes while nude and also him hitting himself in the backside with a metal ruler, yelling out, "Out you brown beast! Be gone! Habla!" Alvaro sparked more controversy at the 2004 Australian MTV Awards. Whilst backstage, Alvaro was filming a live "Behind the Scenes Backstage" section for the highly popular event. Alvaro walked past Dan Hawkins (The Darkness) and Hawkins cited MALFUNCTION as, "disgusting to the progress of rock 'n' roll," and personally offended Alvaro, saying, "you're a f... liar. You just wanna f... those kids." At the time, Alvaro was an ambassodor for the Liberian War Child Agency. He reacted in such a way that left Hawkins in a four day coma and needed a bladder, rectum and eardrum transplant. The whole event was captured onto live television and as a result, turned many fans away from MALFUNCTION. Alvaro was forced to make a public apology to Hawkins, his family, his band and MALFUNCTION fans. Alvaro was also previously rehabilitated from extensive drug-use and plastics smoking and incarcerated for setting a MALFUNCTION fan's hair alight. Alvaro thought it would be quite humourous to light up the fan's hair without their consent but resulted in second degree burns to her face. Alvaro, in the space of 2 weeks, had to make a second public apology, this time to the fan who's hair was set alight without their consent. THE LIVE PERFORMANCE MALFUNCTION confessed to being the live act, with a high club following. Their most notable performance included being the opening act at the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne for the highly multi-million album selling Rolling Stones. Although the crowd seemed disinterested and in need of arthritis pills, MALFUNCTION showcased a courageous act, where they stunned the crowd with their own take on Bill Haley's, "Rock Around The Clock". Melbourne's daily tabloid, "The Melbourne Tribune" cited them as, "The wake up call to Australian rock following AC/DC. Bob's short just like Angus!" With so much potential and energy, MALFUNCTION tend to be a bit cliched. Following the footsteps of fellow hard-rockers "Van Halen", MALFUNCTION often employ pyrotechnics for their club shows, which always turns sour as clubs end up prohibiting MALFUNCTION from playing their club again. Other stage antics include Lal playing with firework sticks and Alvaro strumming the guitar with a jumper cable, connected to his Land Rover battery. The stage presence of Fabian and Alvaro are vital to the MALFUNCTION show as Fabian cockily struts around the stage, sending the crowd to a sense of euphoria. When the crowd pleasing, "Up My Gusset" is played, the crowd begins to surge and wedgie themselves upon hearing the lyric, "I can see your gusset/riding over me/My gusset is purple and hairy/But it ain't that scary". Visit MALFUNCTION's PureVolume site at: http://www.purevolume.com/malfunction/ 3) Technical thrash metal band from Netherlands. Last known line-up Aloys Smits - Guitar (D.F.R.A.D.M.F., D.F.R.A.S., Second Hell) Mark Staffhorst - Guitars (Thanatos (Hol), Virtual, Second Hell, TDW) Hans Pos - Bass (Inquisitor (Hol)) Eddy Hendriksen - Drums 4) Hardcore band from the Netherlands. Influenced by bands like Youth of Today, Bad Brains, Unbroken, Trial, Infest, Ceremony. www.myspace.com/malfunctionnl