Where Hostess Weekender left a concert-shaped hole in our hearts, the folks of Forefront Entertainment have been quietly setting things up from behind the fallout to present yet another early 2015 musical treat with The Gathering, a satisfying assembly of major international names, smaller indie outfits and — surprise, surprise — renowned local names to play in a concert in the very accessible and convenient locale of Fort Canning Green (no offence to you Garden's By The Bay, but it's very long way to get inside and outside you).
Gig promoters Forefront Asia already had an amazing run of concerts under The Gathering banner over the past few months including Biffy Clyro, Tenacious D and Jagwar Ma/The Flaming Lips, but they managed to top themselves with the unexpected announcement of a full-blown Fort Canning concert starring eight acts throughout the whole day. They were careful not to promise a festival-level experience (especially since Laneway Festival Singapore 2015 took place barely a month ago), and it showed in the minimal approach they had towards the event; no brochures handed out, simple decor, no concert screens showing what's happening on stage. Aside from the usual beer and alcohol stalls, they had frickin' sushi makers Maki-San as vendors and free water refills courtesy of Reyka Vodka, both of which should officially be mandatory elements in any music event.
Anyway, here's what transpired during our day out in the Valentine's Day sunshine last Saturday.
Charlie Lim
Though Charlie’s delicate and bluesy tunes would seem more fit for an evening slot, here was one of Singapore’s most acclaimed singer-songwriter and his backup band The Mothership (consisting of even more acclaimed musicians) kicking things off at Fort Canning Green as the crowd slowly dribbled onto the grounds. While the blazing suns remained perfectly relentless in beating down on the fields, he managed to cool things down a little with his soothing croons combined with his band’s considerably proficient musicality. All in all, a superb performance by Charlie Lim & The Mothership as usual — and it’s always a treat to catch classics such as ‘Bitter’, ‘Pedestal’ ‘What Can I Do’ live — but we can’t help but think that they would have made a better impact later on in the day, when there’s actually more folks who can enjoy their brilliance.
How To Dress Well
Here’s another act that could have been great — nay, amazing if they were playing under dark skies. Prominent PBR&B proponent Tom Krell arrived on stage all smiles and affable vibes, looking all chill with his white t-shirt and some perforated shorts he probably purchased from an IKEA catalogue. When he’s not making jokes about the security guys and the smattering quantity of people in front of the stage, Krell puts on his solemn male R&B routine and delivers a surprisingly potent performance, decimating all doubts of his live vocal quality. Though already a majestic presence on stage as he falsetto-ed through favourites old and new, including intoxicating performances of ‘Precious Love’, ‘Set It Right’ and more on his trademark dual microphone set-up, his backing band enhanced the atmosphere tenfold, complete with vocal harmonies, violins and live drums. What a fucking groovy set.
Pleasantry
’Twas a truly tragic tale for Pleasantry, whose summery tunes were marred greatly by the inferior quality of mix and sound during their set. The stars initially aligned for the quintet — they had an arsenal of songs from their full-length release Synapses and their 2012 EP Porcelain lenses; the weather was sunny but windy; they had a great afternoon slot at 3pm. Alas, it was unfortunate that they were thrown off their axis with the unsatisfying sound engineering, though they did their utmost to power through their set and perk up the crowd. Instrumentally, they were faultless and were spectacular in their meandering brand of guitar-driven indie-pop and the addition of live violins and samples added to the complexity to their sound, proving Pleasantry’s worth alongside the cast of international acts ahead of them.
Real Estate
It was second-time home-coming for the New Jersey natives, who were now armed with tunes from Atlas, the superb follow-up to Days — the record that made us all love them to bits back in 2011. The indie rock band had made their Singapore debut to a much, much bigger crowd back in Laneway Festival 2013 but that set felt kinda bleh to be honest; they were pre-occupied with testing out their new songs on the audience. Returning with favourites both new and old that we now know by heart, the band poured out pure chill-vibes all over the Fort Canning Green. This was also the set where most beers were spilt from people swaying in tune to ‘It’s Real’, and there was a cool moment on the grounds when How to Dress Well joined in the crowd to watch them play.
tUnE-yArDs
tUnE-yArDs, with no care for the proper arrangement of capital letters, had synchronised dance moves and schizophrenic beats playing on the element of whimsical and fun. Both visually and sonically bright and vivid, it wasn’t at all surprising that Merrill Garbus and her merry band was one of the most polarising acts of the day, for her live performance was as mischievous, weird and freewheeling as it sounds on record, like if you tried to let loose a 100 Lena Dunhams on stage. If the performance was a painting, it’ll be Munch’s The Scream in bright colours, rancid splatters and confetti tornadoes flying around.
Temples
English psychedelic rock band Temples have often been subjected to the question of who came first, chicken or egg in reference to fellow psycho-rock troupe Tame Impala but they hold steady with a well-oiled machine-like performance. Words seemed jumbled and munched at times, fans throw out made-up lyrics but it all slides by the four-piece who are hushed by nature. This was also when most of the folks who were sitting down the whole day on the green started to actually stand up and head down to the front — psychedelic rock is so in these days. There was a little side-step midway through with Samuel’s bass drum falling from the podium; while he apologised to his annoyed band leader with frenzied hand gestures, the crowd shouts “that’s so punk rock!”
Caribou
It has been a while since Fort Canning transformed into a raving venue, complete with the white face of Fort Canning Centre cascading into a waterfall of colours off Caribou’s vibrant lightshow. Dan Snaith brought his mathematically precise tunes to life with his live band, as they displayed a downright human warmth to his electronic pastiche of synths, bass and samples. Caribou live hits hard right in the cerebral nodes, as we are reminded of his inclination towards distinct sonic complexity with songs such as ‘Bowls’, ‘Odessa’, and ‘Your Love Will Set You Free’, while at the same time bringing that emotional gravitas with ‘Our Love’, ‘Jamelia’ and ‘Can’t Do Without You’. Throughout every set, Snaith just seemed sincerely stoked to be playing in The Gathering as he grins infectiously after each song, pumping his fists in the air in triumph to see that many people in Singapore appreciating his music. His ender ‘Sun’ was a triumph of a live electronic performance, as he stretched his pastoral synth lines into a grand, mind-bending equation that’ll have fans raving about his set for months to come.
Belle and Sebastian
As charming as they were the first time they waltzed into our hearts years ago at the Esplanade, Glaswegian indie pop icons materialised onstage with all their trademark quirks, flair and hair intact as they brought the day to a close. Fans of their older materials were surely satisfied as the band had enough inventions and contraptions to get the crowd dancing. Favourites of old were also given some play time such as ‘I’m a Cuckoo’ / ‘We Are The Sleepyheads’ while ‘The Party Line’ off their latest record Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance points toward a different direction from their usual wave of melancholic tunes.
It was during the classic ‘The Boy with the Arab Strap’, that singer Stuart reminded the crowd about their last show where a few audience members were invited on stage. Teasing the crowd with an invite to party, the throng of audience surged forward to jump the barricade and soon it was probably hundreds of fans cavorting on stage. It may or may not be what Forefront Asia had in mind for a literal gathering in The Gathering — but great vibes, a fuss-free atmosphere and a return to Fort Canning made that Valentine’s Day a lovely day out.
Text: Ilyas Sholihyn and Darren Ng
Photos: Dominic Phua; Marcus Lin / Forefront Entertainment
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Where Hostess Weekender left a concert-shaped hole in our hearts, the folks of Forefront Entertainment have been quietly setting things up from behind the fallout to present yet another early 2015 musical treat with The Gathering, a satisfying assembly of major international names, smaller indie outfits and — surprise, surprise — renowned local names to play in a concert in the very accessible and convenient locale of Fort Canning Green (no offence to you Garden's By The Bay, but it's very long way to get inside and outside you).
Gig promoters Forefront Asia already had an amazing run of concerts under The Gathering banner over the past few months including Biffy Clyro, Tenacious D and Jagwar Ma/The Flaming Lips, but they managed to top themselves with the unexpected announcement of a full-blown Fort Canning concert starring eight acts throughout the whole day. They were careful not to promise a festival-level experience (especially since Laneway Festival Singapore 2015 took place barely a month ago), and it showed in the minimal approach they had towards the event; no brochures handed out, simple decor, no concert screens showing what's happening on stage. Aside from the usual beer and alcohol stalls, they had frickin' sushi makers Maki-San as vendors and free water refills courtesy of Reyka Vodka, both of which should officially be mandatory elements in any music event.
Anyway, here's what transpired during our day out in the Valentine's Day sunshine last Saturday.
Charlie Lim
Though Charlie’s delicate and bluesy tunes would seem more fit for an evening slot, here was one of Singapore’s most acclaimed singer-songwriter and his backup band The Mothership (consisting of even more acclaimed musicians) kicking things off at Fort Canning Green as the crowd slowly dribbled onto the grounds. While the blazing suns remained perfectly relentless in beating down on the fields, he managed to cool things down a little with his soothing croons combined with his band’s considerably proficient musicality. All in all, a superb performance by Charlie Lim & The Mothership as usual — and it’s always a treat to catch classics such as ‘Bitter’, ‘Pedestal’ ‘What Can I Do’ live — but we can’t help but think that they would have made a better impact later on in the day, when there’s actually more folks who can enjoy their brilliance.
How To Dress Well
Here’s another act that could have been great — nay, amazing if they were playing under dark skies. Prominent PBR&B proponent Tom Krell arrived on stage all smiles and affable vibes, looking all chill with his white t-shirt and some perforated shorts he probably purchased from an IKEA catalogue. When he’s not making jokes about the security guys and the smattering quantity of people in front of the stage, Krell puts on his solemn male R&B routine and delivers a surprisingly potent performance, decimating all doubts of his live vocal quality. Though already a majestic presence on stage as he falsetto-ed through favourites old and new, including intoxicating performances of ‘Precious Love’, ‘Set It Right’ and more on his trademark dual microphone set-up, his backing band enhanced the atmosphere tenfold, complete with vocal harmonies, violins and live drums. What a fucking groovy set.
Pleasantry
’Twas a truly tragic tale for Pleasantry, whose summery tunes were marred greatly by the inferior quality of mix and sound during their set. The stars initially aligned for the quintet — they had an arsenal of songs from their full-length release Synapses and their 2012 EP Porcelain lenses; the weather was sunny but windy; they had a great afternoon slot at 3pm. Alas, it was unfortunate that they were thrown off their axis with the unsatisfying sound engineering, though they did their utmost to power through their set and perk up the crowd. Instrumentally, they were faultless and were spectacular in their meandering brand of guitar-driven indie-pop and the addition of live violins and samples added to the complexity to their sound, proving Pleasantry’s worth alongside the cast of international acts ahead of them.
Real Estate
It was second-time home-coming for the New Jersey natives, who were now armed with tunes from Atlas, the superb follow-up to Days — the record that made us all love them to bits back in 2011. The indie rock band had made their Singapore debut to a much, much bigger crowd back in Laneway Festival 2013 but that set felt kinda bleh to be honest; they were pre-occupied with testing out their new songs on the audience. Returning with favourites both new and old that we now know by heart, the band poured out pure chill-vibes all over the Fort Canning Green. This was also the set where most beers were spilt from people swaying in tune to ‘It’s Real’, and there was a cool moment on the grounds when How to Dress Well joined in the crowd to watch them play.
tUnE-yArDs
tUnE-yArDs, with no care for the proper arrangement of capital letters, had synchronised dance moves and schizophrenic beats playing on the element of whimsical and fun. Both visually and sonically bright and vivid, it wasn’t at all surprising that Merrill Garbus and her merry band was one of the most polarising acts of the day, for her live performance was as mischievous, weird and freewheeling as it sounds on record, like if you tried to let loose a 100 Lena Dunhams on stage. If the performance was a painting, it’ll be Munch’s The Scream in bright colours, rancid splatters and confetti tornadoes flying around.
Temples
English psychedelic rock band Temples have often been subjected to the question of who came first, chicken or egg in reference to fellow psycho-rock troupe Tame Impala but they hold steady with a well-oiled machine-like performance. Words seemed jumbled and munched at times, fans throw out made-up lyrics but it all slides by the four-piece who are hushed by nature. This was also when most of the folks who were sitting down the whole day on the green started to actually stand up and head down to the front — psychedelic rock is so in these days. There was a little side-step midway through with Samuel’s bass drum falling from the podium; while he apologised to his annoyed band leader with frenzied hand gestures, the crowd shouts “that’s so punk rock!”
Caribou
It has been a while since Fort Canning transformed into a raving venue, complete with the white face of Fort Canning Centre cascading into a waterfall of colours off Caribou’s vibrant lightshow. Dan Snaith brought his mathematically precise tunes to life with his live band, as they displayed a downright human warmth to his electronic pastiche of synths, bass and samples. Caribou live hits hard right in the cerebral nodes, as we are reminded of his inclination towards distinct sonic complexity with songs such as ‘Bowls’, ‘Odessa’, and ‘Your Love Will Set You Free’, while at the same time bringing that emotional gravitas with ‘Our Love’, ‘Jamelia’ and ‘Can’t Do Without You’. Throughout every set, Snaith just seemed sincerely stoked to be playing in The Gathering as he grins infectiously after each song, pumping his fists in the air in triumph to see that many people in Singapore appreciating his music. His ender ‘Sun’ was a triumph of a live electronic performance, as he stretched his pastoral synth lines into a grand, mind-bending equation that’ll have fans raving about his set for months to come.
Belle and Sebastian
As charming as they were the first time they waltzed into our hearts years ago at the Esplanade, Glaswegian indie pop icons materialised onstage with all their trademark quirks, flair and hair intact as they brought the day to a close. Fans of their older materials were surely satisfied as the band had enough inventions and contraptions to get the crowd dancing. Favourites of old were also given some play time such as ‘I’m a Cuckoo’ / ‘We Are The Sleepyheads’ while ‘The Party Line’ off their latest record Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance points toward a different direction from their usual wave of melancholic tunes.
It was during the classic ‘The Boy with the Arab Strap’, that singer Stuart reminded the crowd about their last show where a few audience members were invited on stage. Teasing the crowd with an invite to party, the throng of audience surged forward to jump the barricade and soon it was probably hundreds of fans cavorting on stage. It may or may not be what Forefront Asia had in mind for a literal gathering in The Gathering — but great vibes, a fuss-free atmosphere and a return to Fort Canning made that Valentine’s Day a lovely day out.
Text: Ilyas Sholihyn and Darren Ng
Photos: Dominic Phua; Marcus Lin / Forefront Entertainment
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