Plugging in rented equipment at the local jamming studio as often as they could, Bartholomew (or Meo for short), Eric and original drummer Boy Alvin started their journey into the grime-encrusted aural landscape known as grunge, taking on the band name BOIL - a hint at their in-your-face sounds and antics that they would later be known for in the local scene.

They started actively playing and organising local gigs with other bands in the area, most notably with one band that just couldn't decide what to call itself (some may remember it as Swirl from its last gig in 1997), made up of JJ and Ferdinand.

After a flurry of gigs from one dingy hall to another, not to mention playing a few 'bigger' venues in nearby Kota Kinabalu, both bands took a hiatus from 1998 to 2000 due to study, work and family commitments before getting back on the gig trail.

At this point, both Boil and 'Swirl' were at crossroads - Meo and Eric had no drummer and JJ and Ferdinand had no bassist.

After a quick look at their situations, both bands decided to join forces as Boil, since JJ still couldn't figure out what his old band was supposed to be called.

With that union, Boil went from playing straight three-chord grunge/pop-punk riffs to a more melodic post-grunge indie path, melding JJ's more metal-esque guitar preference and Ferdinand's jazzy flair on the drums.

All four members continued to squeeze as much time as they could into playing gigs as often as possible, even after JJ decided to move down to Kuala Lumpur for work in 2008.

But with all bands, change was inevitable. Boil had to make a difficult decision to change its lineup yet again at the end of a hard 2012 for the band.

Boil has gone back to its roots, sticking to a three-piece set up with Meo on guitars and vocals, Eric on bass and backup vocals and JJ on drums (and lead guitar, if he can figure out how to clone himself).

----> [Updated September 14, 2013: We have Miss Stephanie Chan as our sessionist drummer at the moment. She is also the sessionist drummer for Reza Salleh (http://www.facebook.com/rezasalleh) when she was in KL doing her studies.]

---->[Updated May 5th, 2015: We are proud to announce that we have found our core drummer: Mr. Sam Tsien! Sam has been jamming with Boil for just over a year & have shown us a high level of commitment & talent. Welcome aboard bro. Ms. Stephanie remains to be our session drummer.]

After almost two decades of gigging, laughing, fighting, and soul-searching, the three remaining members have dug in their heels to stubbornly fight for the simple philosophy that drives the band...

To share the simple joy that they get by playing their own music. LIVE.

By: JJ (January 5th, 2013)

Update 1: By Eric (September 14th, 2013)

Update 2: By Eric (May 5th, 2015)

Current members:

Bartholomew Marius (Guitar/Vocals), Eric Ho (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals), Joseph Sipalan Jr. aka. Jj Sipalan (Lead guitar), Sam Tsien (Drums) & Stephanie Chan (Session drummer)

Former members/sessionists:

- Alvin Duncan Wong (Drums)

- Ferdinand Alfred (Drums)

- Shalton Tsb (Drums)

- N Naziman Nasipin (Drums)

- Bernard Linus (Lead Guitar)