Month: February 2010

Say what you will about controversial local rock frontman, Levan Wee, but that man knows how to put on a rock & roll show. At his 251st and final gig with Astroninja in Singapore before leaving for Melbourne, Australia to pursue his studies, the irreverent punk rocker pulled out all the stops (and then some) to ensure an unforgettable show.

Before I proceed further let me put my hands up and say that as a latecomer and early-leaver to the gig, my account is neither the most complete nor accurate one. Nevertheless, my time at the gig was an explosive encounter. I arrived at the underground gig at Blackhole 212, tucked away in a small venue at Syed Alwi Road around half-past 7, and was promptly greeted by the punk-hardcore sounds of Vermillion. Despite their best efforts, they failed to rouse the thin crowd beyond a few stray moshers. I won’t pretend to be an expert enough on hardcore music to pass comment on their performance, but it’s probably fair to say that it was always going to be an uphill battle for Vermillion to win over an audience who had turned up for the manic pop-punk stylings of Astroninja.

The rock and roll commenced proper when Thambi K Seaow took to the stage. This being an underground gig, warts and all, there was no hiding away from the audience while the band set up, a scenario which frontman Shyam Raj exploited to the fullest extent, alternately teasing and cajoling the crowd by leading them in chants against a certain local Indian comedian as well as offering $5 to the craziest person in the crowd. (I could have sworn I overheard two girls discussing whether they should take off their bras, but I can’t be too sure.) The relaxed camaraderie and banter continued well into the performance proper, with Shyam and bassist Rory keeping spirits high by shooting off their mouths every other minute with vulgarities in at least three different national languages. Racial integration at its finest—well done TKS!

Musically the four-piece got the crowd roaring with their blend of melodic southern rock and ethnic flavours; I’m sure I wasn’t the only Hokkien Chinese in the crowd who had a hoot singing along to their Hokkien lyrics. Shyam Raj was in fine form as well, proving why he is one of the local scene’s finest vocalists with his impassioned belting. The energy level dropped a bit towards the end as both Shyam and the crowd tired, but nonetheless it was still a brilliant set from TKS.

(Coincidentally enough, the gig also marked Shyam’s last underground performance before leaving for Florida for his studies, a fact that perhaps accounted for the madcap energy. No idea how that related to Shyam’s decision to strip down to his underwear though.)

The loudest cheers of the night, though, were reserved for Astroninja, whose popularity overseas accounted for some of the foreign fans in the audience, including some who came from countries as far away as Canada and Poland. If you’ll indulge me for a moment, this writer met the cutest girl ever in the audience who claimed to be from Malaysia, but unfortunately was foolish enough to get neither name nor number. Ah well. If said girl is reading this please leave a comment! (This close to Valentine’s day as well – Kevin)

More than a few hoots were had when a few band members turned up eclectically dressed: Stand-in bassist Visa of Armchair Critic fame showed off his recent gymwork in a pair of tight, hot pink hot pants (and nothing else) while Levan donned his usual Jeff Hardy get-up, though with the added twist of Japanese face-paint and a schoolgirl skirt. (Levan, being Levan, couldn’t resist flashing the crowd his underwear on at least one occasion.) After a couple of initial technical problems with the microphone which were solved with the help of a selfless, compassionate and rather dashing crowd member (alright, it was this writer again), the band ripped into the set, opening with a version of National Day song We Are Singapore which led into a cover of My Chemical Romance’s I’m Not Okay. Things got a tad cheeky during The Bukkake Udon Song when the band took the name literally and squirted a suspiciously white, creamy liquid into the audience. (I was told it was Japanese mayonnaise, but one can never be too sure.)

The rest of the set was similarly high-energy, fist-pumping stuff, with Astroninja standards like Anthem For The Ordinary and Holly Jean mixed with more unexpected choices like a cover of Lady Gaga’s Pokerface. Despite the occasion, sentimentality was in short supply; a speech from Levan thanking his friends in a rare tender moment was cut short by the singer himself, who jokingly referred to it as “faggot talk”. Nonetheless, nostalgia was in the air: in between numbers Levan reminisced about his time in the local scene as well as how far he had come since his secondary school days as a self-confessed loser and a geek. The biggest nostalgic piece was saved for last, when the band ended with a roaring version of the Ronin radio hit Black Maria which shook the place to its foundations.

So there was it then: 8 years of hit-making, controversy-stirring and punk-rocking ended with an explosive, unforgettable encounter at Blackhole 212. The albino frontman has been called many things over the years but boring has never been among the adjectives used to describe him, and boring was certainly in none of the audience member’s vocabulary after the gig. Here’s wishing him all the best for the next 6 years of his life. Now, excuse me while I go back to kicking myself for not having gotten that cute girl’s name or number.