For a nation of people who are generally hospitable, Malaysians seem to have a problem when it comes to charity. It may be due in part to the less than reputable events that are occasionally held in the name of giving. Often charity is used as nothing more than a marketing tool. We have all been offered books of shopping discount vouchers that claim to benefit various organizations, and on closer examination you find that only twenty percent of the sales price go to the organization with the rest covering various administration costs that definitely include a profit incentive for the firms operating the schemes.

Which is why the Friends of Bali event held on Saturday January 18th at KL’s Atmosphere was a breath of fresh air. Proudly sloganeering itself a 100% charity event, everyone involved in the project gave their time free and companies sponsored manufacture costs on everything from crew tags to the Friends of Bali T-shirts and CDs on sale outside the venue.

Every Sen will be funneled to charities helping the people of Bali overcome the tragic events of October 12 in Kuta. The party, which mixed fashion, live music and a club atmosphere, was an attempt to generate solidarity as much as to raise money and awareness. For many, Bali was an idyll, and the acts of terrorism in Kuta, irrespective of their intended targets, were an act that degrades us all. The destruction of October 12 proved that Bali is no different from any other tourist destination: a soft target for maniacs with guns or bombs.

So the party in KL on January 18 was as much a statement as a fund-raiser. It was an attempt to make Kuala Lumpur’s disparate party tribes come together and make their voices heard, express their outrage and show that terrorism won’t stop the party. It’s especially poignant as many clubbers have been reticent in going out in recent months, believing the clubs along Jalan Sultan Ismail to be a particularly tempting target. An increase in police patrols in the area has brought the crowds back but it takes events like Friends of Bali for people to really shake off the fear.

Some of the elements of the party didn’t quite gel – fashion shows and club events tend not to mix too successfully and it seemed that the night was divided into two distinct halves. Early arrivers were treated to gamelan and Balinese dancing in the forecourt of the venue, also acting as a successful advertisement to attract the casual passer-by, but it was with the performances by the dancers inside the venue and an exultory show by local rappers Too Phat and their crew of award-winning B-Boys (that’s breakdancers to you and I) that the night really began to take off.

Too Phat have developed into such slick, professional performers that it’s no wonder that they are quickly becoming regional superstars (they’re absolutely massive in Indonesia, apparently) and the sight of 1500 people doing a bizarre chicken dance to accompany their ‘Anak Ayam’ was truly something to behold.

As ever with these things, the end of the traditional event and the beginning of the DJ set marks a change in crowd. Many of the early crowd departed with Too Phat, fearing the noise that was to follow. Similarly, Gabriel’s appearance at the decks was the cue for scores of non-rap fans to pour into the club from outside, and the dancefloor was quickly heaving.

With partner Tabla Maniam perched on a stage above the DJ console, spot lit in Technicolor splendour, Gabriel started off gently with a couple of tracks by local producer and Friends of Bali CD coordinator Haze. It was particularly poignant as Haze’s debut single release, ‘Changes’ with Kings of Tomorrow had just reached the number 1 spot in the UK’s dance chart, and the crowd responded with hoots and cheers.

With Maniam’s tabla adding the percussive force to Gabriel’s deep-tech and tribal-influenced beats, this was truly the party that Bali deserved. Sure, the rest of the evening was worthwhile, and served to attract a larger cross-section of punters to the event, but this was what the night was about. The victims of Kuta died dancing, drinking and celebrating life, lost in the dark night and rhythms of the town’s clubs. This was their tribute: a choice of life, a choice of decadence, and a chance to reclaim the confidence that bombs take away from us all.