Well, maybe not a star, but certainly in The Star. Yesterday’s paper featured your very own me writing about the forthcoming Heineken Green Room featuring The Rapture and having a chat with keyboardist Gabriel (we posted a longer version of the interview here).

And for those of you who don’t know what this Green Room is all about then there’s a bit of information for you below:

They Say:

The hot buzz has already hit the street that The Rapture – the pioneering electro-rock band whose ‘House of Jealous of Lovers’ single became one of the defining tracks for a generation of underground music lovers – will be headlining Heineken Green Room on Saturday 31^st July at KL Live, armed with a fistful of new music from their massively anticipated new CD, their first since 2006’s acclaimed Pieces of the People We Love.

But that’s only part of a genre bashing line up that includes mysterious electro producer and Boysnoize pile driver D.I.M., a special Heineken Green Room live show from LapSap called LitterAll that will see the colourful duo generating an explosion of light and sound on stage as well as a one-off collaboration between Balearic electronica-heads Tenderfist and Malaysia’s own day-glo Kelis, rapper Arabyrd. And adding to the party vibe will be celebrity snapper and Dim Mak hell raiser The Cobrasnake, adding his own twist of photographic mayhem to the Green Room stew.

For The Rapture, their Green Room show sees the band emerging from a year of heavy studio activity, with a new album recorded and in the process of being mixed, following recording sessions in Paris with Cassius mainman and Grammy Award winning Phoenix producer Philippe Zdar. “We’re not putting the record out until we’ve chosen a record label,” asserts The Rapture songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Andruzzi. “It’s very possible that it will be out this Fall. I really want the world to hear it. But we’ll be playing some of the new songs in Malaysia.”

Green Room fans can find out more about what the band has been up to by heading over to www.greenroom.com.my where there’s information on all the Heineken Green Room stars as well as details about special offers on tickets that includes a RM48 pre-sale price for new and existing Heineken members.

One of the elements that has long put Heineken’s music events at the heart of the development of the local scene is its ability to deliver unexpected surprises and spontaneous twists – like the impromptu and unbilled Filthy Dukes vs Lapsap DJ set at Bar Sonic last August – that reward its consumers and music fans.

The presence of Steve Aoki sideman and Dim Mak records resident lensman The Cobrasnake adds a new twist to Heineken Green Room. While The Rapture, super-producer D.I.M. and the rest of the line up generate the electricity onstage to fire up the atmosphere, he’ll be capturing the excitement amongst the crowd on the dance floor.

Not one to blend into the background, at previous events like the Heineken supported Future festival in KL last year – a showcase for Dim Mak records – the celeb-photographer, whose gritty raw style has made him the most in-demand nightlife photographer in the world, has been as big an attraction as any of the bands and DJs he accompanies.

Inspired by 2manyDJs’ Heineken Green Room live show in January with its custom animation and huge LED screen, LapSap’s Blink and XU are premiering their Litterall show at the July event. The pair has spent the last few months working with animators and lighting experts to create a multi-sensory experience that will set a new benchmark for DJs and producers in the local scene.

But the biggest surprise of all at this Heineken Green Room will be happening on the streets of KL throughout July. Heineken’s underground art projects – our photography, music, sculpture and fashion projects – have captured the imagination of a new generation of music fans with multiple, eclectic tastes. To celebrate the arrival of The Rapture we are taking some of the band’s DIY ethic and translating it into a series of guerrilla art installations around the capital.

“We grew up in a period when there was a big DIY scene, the post-punk scene, the post-hardcore-scene. People made fanzines, people made mixtapes and they sold whatever at your merchandise table,” enthuses The Rapture’s Andruzzi. “When cultural mediums are used in that mode of being creative and putting something out there that’s honest then that’s something we appreciate.”

Channelling that spirit and energy, Bombshelter Studios have created State of Rapture: a series of miniature art installations at secret locations throughout the city. Inspired by The Rapture and taking elements of Heineken Green Room the design house has made a series of collectible music figures – each around 10cm high – that they will be seeding in outlets and outdoor locations throughout July.

Each installation links back to elements of Heineken Green Room and is in turn inspired by similar miniature art projects overseas. The idea is to integrate the sets with everyday activities in ordinary locations. It’s a way of bringing art into an everyday sphere but also a way of telling us to slow down and take more notice of our surroundings. Unannounced, the installations are there to be discovered and enjoyed by the people that take the time to notice them.

To give you some clues, we’ll be posting photos of the installations and clues to their locations at www.greenroom.com.my. We’ll also be offering prizes – winners will receive a pair of tickets to the event and a free Heineken Beer Bucket – if you can tell from the photos where these installations are. And, of course, we want you to go out and find them and enjoy them in their natural setting. But if you don’t get a chance then catch up with them at Green Room when The Rapture meets State of Rapture.

“Music is in my life everyday in a very important way,” explains The Rapture’s Gabriel Andruzzi. “When I was younger it really was my identity, it was everything about who I was. I learned everything through music.” It’s an attitude that neatly sums up the philosophy of Heineken Green Room: a spirit of adventure, surprise and discovery that starts with music and spills over into every other area of your life.

Pre-sale tickets will go on sale on June 28^th priced at RM48 for existing and new Heineken Members. For details on how to purchase them or to become a Heineken Member visit www.greenroom.com.my