FRED PERRY SUB-SONIC LIVE @ THE COURT

On 9 June 2012, the brit-label launched for the first time ever in Singapore a new music initiative – Sub-Sonic Live. Sub Sonic Live aims to bring together the best new music worldwide to feature as diverse a range of artists as possible. Held at a basketball court within the abandoned UNSW campus at 1 Kay Siang Road, the event featured a stellar lineup of bands such as MONSTER CAT, The Sets Band and Astreal.

It felt almost like an underground school gathering of sorts as close to 800 gig afficianados were treated to a tuckshop-like bar. 42Below was generously ladled out of a vintage plastic cooler, giving everyone nostalgic back-to-school flashbacks.

In addition, the 5 metre-high by 10 metre-wide performance stage which looked somewhat like a cage was brought to life with visuals by Brendon Tay of Syndicate. It was clear that the folks at Fred Perry were serious about this live-gig experience business though one couldn’t help but wonder if the heat within the stage set-up would get to the bands. As the first drum kicks set in, the stage lit up with trippy undulating visuals, which could have pushed the boundaries just a tad by making use of the depth of the stage set-up.

Now, on to that first drum kick…

The Sets Band

Having previously performed at Timbre’s Rock and Roots Festival to great reviews, The Sets Band are a four-piece blues folk band comprising of Joshua Tan on vocals, Jim Sim on bass, Marcus Lim on guitars and Harold Lim on drums. Touted as the “new kids to watch” on the homegrown radar, The Sets Band kicked off the night launching into their brand of blues, folk and electronica. There were traces of “the new band wobble”, you know, that itsy tinge of earnestness coupled with slight problems in terms of technicality and tightness. That aside, The Sets Band have a groove and a certain freshness which the crowd obviously appreciated. Songs like “Peter Pan” presented a good balance of blues-rock vibes and a feel-good appeal. Technical profficiencies aside the band has definitely made an impression though one wishes they would inject greater diversity of tones to their already encouraging repertoire of sounds, perhaps akin to “Rainbow Cave”. It channelled introspectiveness amidst a pretty epic sound driven by soaring guitar tones which truly made the audience sit up.

MONSTER CAT

Having followed MONSTER CAT since their inception, one can only say that the band has indeed grown from strength to strength. After their tour in Japan, there is now a certain sense of confidence and ease to MONSTER CAT’s sets. The band soon launched into their brand of eclectic, beautiful lushness. Each MONSTER CAT song is like a mysterious sonic journey that has it’s own story to tell. “Mannequins” is a perfect example as the haunting introduction brought a hush amongst the crowds before launching into a melodramatic guitar riff.  It was fantastic though, to see the band break into smiles and interact with the audience after each haunting tune. They then played “Underwater” which featured layers of harmonies that contrasted sharply with frontman Hentai Cat’s cryptic vocals. MONSTER CAT is next set to represent Singapore in Germany at the Reeperbhan Festival 2012, big MEOW to that.

Astreal

Any performance by Astreal is one to watch, as the band rarely does live sets these days. With the successful launch of “Fragments Of The Same Dead Star”, Astreal has, over the years, gained a steady following, so it’s no surprise to see fans showing up in full force. Astreal’s brand of shoegaze and fuzz proved to the perfect end to the night. Boasting a new guitar, Muhammad Alkhatib launched into “Lover and the Sea” featuring gritty guitar riffs that all shoegazers can appreciate.

“Snowflake” featured washes of distortion blistered with Ginette Chittick’s powerful bass riffs and cool crystal vocals. To their fans’ delight, Astreal showcased two new tracks, ‘Our Time Is Now’ and ‘Anatidaephobia’. It’s about time Astreal embarked on a new album. It’s been too long. Singapore needs more shoegaze. There is no such thing as too much fuzz. Or distortion. So please.