RWMF Day 2 brings music, culture & festival vibes

BT
Jun 28
2 min read

Updated: Jun 29

RWMF Day 2 brings music, culture & festival vibes — Festival vibes in full swing at RWMF 2026.

KUCHING, 28 June 2026: The second day of the Rainforest World Music Festival took place yesterday, and the music, culture and festival vibes are in full swing, with plenty to experience within the Sarawak Cultural Village - from workshops and demonstrations to plenty of food and of course, the evening concert headlined by The Commodores featuring Thomas McClary.

We had the opportunity to attend a press conference featuring McClary himself earlier on the day, where he shared the highs and lows the original group had endured before finding fame. He also talked about the early days of the band, which he had originally set out to form for a talent show at his campus, and recounted how he met Lionel Richie, who ended up becoming the co-lead singer of the band.

After checking out several workshops and performances at the different festival sites, we headed to the concert grounds for the Magic Hour performance by Akasha and a drum call by the Thunder Beat of Nanyang Wushu Drums. As the sun sets upon Sarawak Cultural Village, the evening’s first performer, Straw Lim from Sabah, took to the main stage, enchanting the crowd with her deeply insightful songs and wistful melodies.

Up next, Drum Up from the Philippines brought intense energy to the Tree Stage, bringing a dynamic, rhythm-driven performance that excites the crowd with their indigenous and contemporary sounds. SambaSunda from Indonesia, with their 14-piece ensemble, brought a more traditional flair to RWMF 2026, with their ethnic music fusion and pan-Indonesian array of instruments, delighting the crowd with their modern interpretation of an orchestra centered around the gamelan.

The band Namgar, from Mongolia and Japan, is the second last performance of the night, and delivers a performance that is both ancient and unique with their usage of traditional Mongolian instruments alongside modern electric bass and drums. Their songs, however, remain rooted in traditional Buryat and Mongolian music, with songs sung the way there were ages ago, back in the times of the Mongolian empire.

The headliner of the evening, Thomas McClary and The Commodores Experience, brought a thrilling sensation to the festival’s Jungle Stage. By belting out hit after hit like ‘Easy’, ‘Machine Gun’ and more, the audience was brought along on an epic journey, one that got them on their feet, singing and dancing.