WAIKIKI BAR, housed in Kelab Syabas, Petaling Jaya, has been rocking every Monday with a trio that simply calls itself Albert, Vijay and Simon.

And the same thing is apparently happening at the Backyard Pub and Restaurant on Saturday nights when the trio gets its juices going.

This one's no ordinary trio and just about everyone, including some well-established musicians, who's heard and seen them in action has one comment: "They're awesome, man!"

Two of them began as soloists and the other as a henchman in one of the country's top recording acts.

Artiste number one is Albert Sirimal, once winner of two competitions - Federal Hotel's C&W Competition in the early `80s and later Carlsberg's Top Of The Pubs (TOTP), a decade later - and whose guitar skills have impressed listeners on both sides of the Causeway.

Number two is Vijay David, another past TOTP winner and frontman of several clubbing groups, who teamed up with Albert not very long ago for gigs, here and in Singapore.

Number three is the veteran superstar - Simon Justin Leo who once composed, sang and played lead guitar with top local act Carefree which also starred bassist Jay Jay and keyboardist Charles Paiva... probably the first local band that got mobbed by fans wherever they went.

But, all that's history and now they're together, performing at the two watering holes in PJ and KL, with a repertoire that covers anything from James Taylor and Don Maclean to the Police and Earth, Wind and Fire, and more hits, especially those of the `70s and `80s.

Catch them when you can, both places after nine. Waikiki at Kelab Syabas is located at Lrg Sultan, PJ, while Backyard is on Jln Sri Hartamas 8, Taman Sri Hartamas, KL.

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