Side Effect is the most energetic and invigorating indie band from Burma/Myanmar. Against a great deal of political and economic challenges, Side Effect has been rocking, irrepressibly, since 2004. The band has cultivated an indie sound that combines their poetic Burmese/English lyrics with their musical roots in punk and mixes them with elements of garage rock, power pop, and back-to-the-basics rock’n’roll.

The band’s music draws inspiration from everyday life in Yangon and the political shifts in Myanmar. The demolishing of music censorship in late 2012 gave them the ability to become more political although the current situation in Myanmar has no space for freedom of expression anymore. The band’s songs embody the passionate resilience of youth in Myanmar. They played at one of the biggest American music festivals SXSW 2014 in Austin and also played in Germany, Denmark, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.

While Myanmar is going through the darkest hours after the coup d'etat staged on February 1 in 2021, Side Effect are unstoppable to make noise and tell the stories that the military regime does not want you to hear.