Singfest 2007
By Lennat Mak
Singfest 2007
August 8 and 9, 2007
Fort Canning Park
Singapore
Culling selected acts mainly from the Japan's Summer Sonic Music Festival line-up, Singfest 2007 brought a total of 16 acts that appeal to fans of different genres and age groups over the span of two days at Fort Canning Park. Singfest may not rival Glastonbury or Coachella or even Big Day Out, but it's still a humble start for all music fans who longed to have a good time with world-class acts.
DAY ONE
Day One of festival mainly catered for the older generation and it was pretty obvious from the turn-out. Having played the Mosaic Music Festival earlier this year, Denmark's Sasha Bach Band kicked off the show with their blend of contemporary rock. The boys played hard and drummer Mikkel Villingshoej was like a hyper bunny jumping out of his drum throne for a home run around the stage from time to time, but the crowd was still generally subdued, having the luxury of grass on their backs. It wasn't until Shaggy's set that everyone got off their feet to boogie. Belting out his reggae dancehall tunes like "Mr Bombastic," and more recent hits like "Angel" and "It Wasn't Me," Shaggy, otherwise known as Mr. Lover Lover, certainly sexed things up a notch with his stage antics, all in the name of good fun.
Up next, was the legendary British punk/new wave outfit The Stranglers. Despite his illness that refrained him from touring as reported earlier in the year, drummer and founding member Jet Black still rocked the drums like no other. Dressed in black, the Stranglers worked the crowd with gutsy swagger. Was it like 1977? One could only imagine.
Moving to the '80s, pop icon Cyndi Lauper totally owned the stage, which came alive the minute Cyndi stepped foot on it. With her captivating stage presence, one could hardly tell that Cyndi is already 54 this year. There's just so much sass to her! There's no "Time After Time," but hits like "Girls Just Want To Have Some Fun" and "True Colors" did usher in a wave of a nostalgia. Shaggy, who worked with Cyndi on her Body Acoustic album, also came out for a special guest appearance. Undeniably, those two are true blue born performers and entertainers, and many would agree Cyndi's set was definitely one of the best shows of the night.
Despite Cyndi's hard act to follow, California rockers Sugar Ray sent the crowd to into a fervor with their household hits like "Fly," "Every Morning," "When It's All Over," and "Answer The Phone." Front-man Mark McGrath still looked very good, and their songs still sounded as fresh after all these years. Though, the rock "oompf!" factor was a little lacking, as there were a lot of sampled beats and drummer chose to play guitar over drums for most of the tracks.
But when it comes to programmed tracks and synth pop, no one could rival Pet Shop Boys that night. Backed by an elaborate setup of visuals, lighting effects and flamboyant dancers, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe blasted through their hits over years and ended their set with "Go West." Lion City boys and girls never had a better time.
DAY TWO
Day two of the festival was when the young folks came out to play. Our very own The Great Spy Experiment played as a four-piece with tracks taken off their forthcoming debut album. It was an early start to the day but the band did work their magic to a small lively crowd. Up next was Malaysia's punk rock outfit One Buck Short, who played a tight and energetic set well-loved by the kids.
After getting riled and roughened up by One Buck Short, the crowd was treated to Canada's Crowned King. With black as their dress code, the band rocked with much style and showmanship. Vocalist Shuan also did a "striptease" and mused, "You guys really like my skinny white ass!"
Still, Cobra Starship stole the show entirely with their dancey fun tunes like "The Church Of Addiction," "Send My Love to the Dancefloor, I'll See You in Hell (Hey Mister DJ)," and of course, the hit song for the hit movie Snakes On A Plane that also featured William Beckett on guest vocals.
Perhaps shadowed by Cobra Starship's rambunctious set, The Academy Is...'s set did seem a little toned down by comparison. But the rock quintet also had the most supporting fans, who decked out in their Santi tees and shouted the loudest up front.
After The Academy Is..., another Fueled By Ramen act Gym Class Heroes hit the stage and sent off feel-good happy hip-hop vibes, with Gabe of Cobra Starship and William of The Academy Is... making an appearance on "Cupid's Chokehold." Evidently, the FBR bands are a very tight-knitted family indeed.
And then, mayhem descended. 20 seconds in after Avenged Sevenfold's first song, the barricade broke and kids were crushed. Show was forced to a standstill and the photographers in front were busy pulling and saving the kids! It was thoroughly rock 'n' roll, just as long as no one got hurt in the process of course. Avenged Sevenfold slain the crowd with their new materials and according the fans, it was the best thing they ever heard.
Strangely enough, Noisettes were slotted right after Avenged Sevenfold and the crowd in the front thinned out by half. This trio, with the crazy singer/guitarist/bassist Shingai Shoniwa, looked and sounded like the U.K. answer to Yeah Yeah Yeahs but still not quite. Drummer Jamie Morrison was a powerhouse groove machine and his presence on the drums was felt, seen and heard. The "indie" band of the festival, no doubt.
More punkish stuff followed with MxPx and their awesome set of high-energy songs. Bassist Mile Herrera's bass throwing antics raised the bar of performance as well. The band was also the only act that went to the merch table to meet their fans. Kudos to them for being such a people's band!
Looking back at the good old days of '80s rock for inspiration, Hinder brought forth an electrifying set of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. They may be more known for their rock ballads such as "Lips Of An Angel" and "Better Than Me," but Hinder did showcase the dangerous side of them with the blistering rock tracks. Guitarist Blower's mirror Flying V also made a great visual impact while lead singer Austin channeled the spirit and sexy moves of Steve Tyler and Mick Jagger and rocked the crowd with his amazing vocal abilities. Hinder was radically different from the bands earlier in the line-up, but they totally closed the show with a big bang!
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