Despite their name, their distinctive sound proved to be exactly the right thing for the music landscape at the time, and the band soon developed a devoted following.
Flash forward a decade and a half later – an eternity in the live-music world – and, amazingly, An Honest Mistake is still going strong, rocking out to huge crowds at shows and festivals.
Yes, their lineup has gone through a few changes, and their new songs aren’t about young love anymore. But the hearts of this band blaze with the same passion they had when they first started.
“I think the key is finding desire and drive, plus purpose in whatever you’re doing,” An Honest Mistake frontman Darren Teh told FMT, when asked about his band’s longevity.
“When I started out, this was just a side project. But when it started taking off, I started setting goals. Every year, I’d aim for new achievements. And that really helps with the drive.”
One of the most well-known English-language music acts in Malaysia, An Honest Mistake is known for irresistible hooks and catchy choruses, with earworms such as “Everything”, “All Over Again”, and “If I Told You This Was Real, Would You Believe Me?”.
With four albums under their belt, their distinctive style of music has been performed all over the region, including in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, and Taiwan.
The band’s lineup comprises Teh on lead vocals/guitar, Tomas Tam on lead guitar, Sonny Wan on bass, and new member Eugene Gerard, who takes over from Ian Ng on drums. Gerard was a long-time friend and Tam’s bandmate in the instrumental post-rock band The Metaphor.
“Eugene joining us was kind of a no-brainer, since The Metaphor hasn’t been super active recently,” Teh explained. “The transition has been pretty seamless, and it’s good to have new blood in the band.”
In person, Teh is candid and chatty. With his signature long locks, now an off-shade of green, the man definitely stands out in a crowd. He speaks animatedly about how the music industry has changed significantly since the band began, and how he has adapted to new listening habits.
“People now discover music on platforms like Spotify. The landscape of people consuming music now, everything is at their fingertips. They can listen to 30 seconds of you, decide they don’t like you, and move on.
“And with TikTok, people are looking for songs that are trendy and viral. Now, artistes in Malaysia are not just competing with one another, they’re competing with the world.”
As a result, An Honest Mistake has had to evolve their music, incorporating elements such as trap beats and bass synth, as well as hip-hop and R&B influences into their sound.
Teh insists they are not “selling out” – in his view, a pessimistic and childish way to describe “adapting to”. He said: “The industry is very different. You can’t just exist as a live performer; you gotta be active on the platforms, you have to do other things, too.
“And now as adults, our thoughts are, let’s do the best shows, but let’s be smart and strategic about them as well.”
He added, however, that “when I started, I never wanted to be known as the biggest band. I wanted to be known as the band that supported the local industry – and that hasn’t changed”.
So, what are his goals this year? To play at more festivals, Teh replied. And they’re off to a good start: in March, they were featured at the Northern Music Festival in Penang and, the following month, An Honest Mistake brought down the house at the City Roars Festival in Kuala Lumpur.
A host of further appearances have also been booked.
Most recently, An Honest Mistake performed at the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, an annual global event held to raise awareness and funds for men’s health.
The two-day KL event, organised by biking community Throttle Riot, raised over USD$3,650 (RM16,600), resulting in a combined total of over US$5,000 contributed from all across Malaysia.
“Playing DGR was great, with a totally new crowd who probably have not heard of us,” Teh mused. “Besides that, playing for a cause brings a whole different meaning to the show.
“Playing to raise awareness for something not always talked about – men’s mental health and prostate cancer – I felt it was more purposeful than any show we’ve ever done.”
Finally, longtime fans of the band are in luck: Teh revealed he and his bandmates have been writing and creating new music, which they aim to drop in a few months.
“I hope by December we’ll be able to have 10 songs or so, and maybe have an album-release party,” he teased with a laugh. “Something to hopefully look forward to!”
Learn more about An Honest Mistake via their website. Also check out their Facebook and Instagram.