Pop culture musings by Kevin Mathews
A Place To Bury Strangers (USA) live in Singapore
with Beelzebud
BluJaz (11 Bali Lane)
Tuesday, 1 Sep 2015
Doors open: 8pm
Tickets: $50 standard (inc. one drink) / $40 student (no drink)
https://www.facebook.com/events/1139056679454838/
I will be honest (when am I not?) – I first noticed Gayle Nerva in a tour video of I Hate This Place in Japan sometime ago and was struck by her effervescent personality. Then, it was her lovely voice and then her heartfelt ballads that got my firm attention. I have always believe that given a chance, her music would appeal to a mainstream pop audience home and abroad.
Well, glad to say that her new single “Pretend” is out – it’s a dark electro-pop number produced by Trick’s Marc Lian – and Gayle will be performing at the Esplanade Recital Studio on Saturday, September 5th. Tickets available from SISTIC. Check out the music video below.
Connect with Gayle at Facebook & Twitter.
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Comic book legend Jack Kirby would have been 98 on 28th August 2015. He passed away in 1994 at the age of 76 and at that time, his work was not recognised by the company that had benefited most from his creativity viz. Marvel Comics. It’s certainly fair to say that Jack Kirby (and not Stan Lee) is the father of the Marvel Universe. Even without getting into the arguments about who created what, there’s no denying that Kirby is the originator of the visuals that proved so popular initially with comic book fans, and ultimately moviegoers worldwide. So let’s take a look at what Kirby had done in the 60s/70s, that now form the foundation of the billion dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Long live the King!
The Walking Dead is one of the most successful shows currently on television and with good reason. It is a smart, character-driven drama that has captivated audiences by constantly developing their characters and letting us become invested in their stories as they journey through the zombie apocalypse. It seems that AMC is hoping to make lightning strike twice by creating a companion series for the popular show entitled Fear the Walking Dead.
Instead of in the south, Fear the Walking Dead takes place in Los Angeles in the several-week period that Rick Grimes was in a coma and is unable to witness the slowly descending horror. We are able to watch how things fall apart in a major metropolitan area as it crumbles under the weight of the hordes of the undead.
Continue reading “FEAR OF THE WALKING DEAD – BACK TO THE EGG”
Identical twins Wyatt and Fletcher Shears make up eccentric garage punk duo The Garden. The pair specialises in micro-songs that seldom to never reach the two minute mark. In fact, their last album – The Life and Times of a Paperclip – had a duration of 19 minutes. That said, the hauntingly jaunty new single “All Smiles Over Here” is almost three minutes! Whoa! New direction!
Kudos to Other Sounds for promoting these quirky and unique sounding little bands. Sleepwalker, is a brand new series of shows Other Sounds is organising in Singapore to bring a fresh and challenging new band to our shores every month this year from October to December. Sounds like fun!
Details, yo.
Sleepwalker: THE GARDEN (USA) live in Singapore
with supports TBA
50 Lorong 17 Geylang
Sunday, 11 October 2015
Doors open: 8pm
$35 pre-sale / $40 door / $100 series bundle
TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE NOW:
thegarden.peatix.com
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I have always been passionate about having more female artists/musicians in our local scene. Certainly, one of the signs of a progressive music scene would be the number of talented and creative women operating within the same. Well, in very recent times, you basically cannot keep the women out of the local music scene even if you tried and the rise to prominence of Eugenia Yip (a.k.a. Ginny Bloop) is one significant milestone, for sure.
The enigmatic vocalist is making a name for herself fronting TWO critically acclaimed acts viz. The Steve McQueens and Riot !n Magenta, and whilst there is no denying the strong musicianship of the men behind her in both bands – there is also little doubt that Ginny is the star of the show whenever she steps up on stage. Fresh from a triumphant Japanese tour with The Steve McQueens, Ginny lit up the proceedings at the Ignite Music Festival 2015 with her idiosyncratic stylings. With her aviator shades and tie-dyed top, Ginny looked (and sounded) like a rock star – the consummate stage performer holding court. Considering how Singaporean musicians are generally awkward on stage, Ginny is a rarity and utterly mesmerising in performance – once you are hypnotised by the Ginny Bloop experience, it’s never enough. Seriously, folks.
Has been a while since I have seen The Good Life Project in action and the presence of three ladies in the septet (singer Pamela, bassist Stasha and violinist Kim) has always spiced things up. Not that the guys are slouches in the instrumental department with Sano, Naz, Intriguant (Lewis) and Ritz (subbing for Boey) more than able to pull their own weight. Considering the sheer amount of talent that resides in this group, I am still mystified at the fact that they remain somewhat obscure in the scheme of things in the local scene. Their pleasing blend of sophisticated jazz-funk-R&B-pop-rock is a recipe for mainstream success, with as much as potential for overseas acceptance as that currently received by The Steve McQueens. At Ignite last evening, they owned the stage, oozing class and dynamism from start to finish – they deserve so much more! Here’s hoping we will see and hear more from the band in the months ahead.
Connect!
Riot !n Magenta
Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp
The Good Life Project
Facebook | Twitter
Photographs courtesy of Jazreel-Anne.
The late Ian Macdonald, one of most influential rock critics of all time, wrote in 2003 that “the essentials of modern popular music were laid down during a period of less than ten years and that, but for some technical innovations leading to various musical diversions (such as reggae, rap/hip hop and sequenced dance music), nothing intrinsically new has appeared since then, all musical mini-revolutions in the last twenty years being prefaced in the products of the sixties, the foundation decade for all that’s followed.”
There’s no denying that the origins of blues-rock, garage, pop-rock, R&B, avant rock. metal, folk-rock and punk rock lie in the sixties but it can also be argued that the seventies were even more influential (especially in relation to the origins of rap/hip hop) or even the nineties (as electronic music became more pervasive). These discussions about the origins of the diverse music genres that make up the landscape of modern popular music will be at the heart of my WRITING ABOUT ROCK MUSIC course to be conducted in two weeks!
Sign up at .
So The Little Giant (aka Hilary Yang) was one of my last NAC Noise mentees last year and the problem with listening to a song in its embryonic form is sometimes it’s hard to accept a radically different version. Thus it’s the case with “You Got Some” which in typical Hilary fashion has something to do with the male obsession with sex. This first single from Hilary’s debut EP – “Let’s Just Be Honest” is now a bit of a rockabilly number which I have an issue with – Hilary’s vocal delivery becomes quite garbled with the increased tempo and God knows it’s all about her lyrics. But the saving grace is this wonderful lyric video (by Annie Hung – well done with the male sexual metaphors!) which sets out the lyrics before your very eyes whilst you hear the song and voila! Problem solved.
Event details
The Little Giant “Let’s Just be Honest” EP Launch
Friday, 4th September 7pm
BluJaz Cafe (3rd Floor) 11 Bali Lane, Historic Kampong Glam, Singapore 189848
(With special guests, The MadHatter Project & Anise SG!)
$15 advanced tickets available at : thelittlegiantEP.peatix.com
$20 tickets at the door (subject to availability)
$30 ticket + EP at the door (subject to availability)
Physical EP: $14
People sometimes ask why this website isn’t called Power of Rock when my musical tastes seem to gravitate towards rock rather than pop music. But this betrays a somewhat myopic understanding of what pop music actually is, and falls prey to the common misconception of pop.
Strictly speaking, popular music as a ‘genre’ is utilised to differentiate from other known generic forms of music – for example, classical music, traditional/ethnic music and art/avant garde music.
To illustrate…
Classical/Baroque Music
Traditional/ethnic music (in this case, Chinese)
Art/Avant-garde music (in this case, minimalism)
In this context, it is easy to see that popular music is ‘different’ in that it appeals to the masses and is more universally inclusive, compared to the above ‘genres’. This means that popular music includes country, folk, blues, soul, jazz, rock and pop, also combinations amongst the aforementioned and cross-pollinations with the other generic forms as well.
But of course, understanding the diverse ‘genres’ within the broad popular music category is really important if you are trying to describe a certain type of music. Perhaps less so in today’s environment where music can be heard over the internet on demand but for marketing and promotional purposes, this understanding still plays a crucial role.
Which brings me, inevitably, to my WRITING ON ROCK MUSIC course, which I will be conducting over 4 Saturdays in September and I will going over this issue of popular music genres. The fee is $300 and registration is still open till 4th September. Sign up at
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Nothing wrong with going all retrodelic like (as someone once described the music of Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians) if the music is as good as Perth band The High Leary’s new single “Letters to Alice”. Evoking the glorious mid-60s psych-rock majesty of bands like Pink Floyd, The Doors and Deep Purple, “Letters to Alice” will appeal to fans of modern day psych-rock revivalists like Temples and Tame Impala. “Letters to Alice” will be released on 4th September but you can preview the track now streaming at Soundcloud.
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What is this thing we call “Singapore”?
Is it the government? Is it the natural aristocracy? Or is it the people that live within its boundaries, whether citizens or not? I don’t really know, to be honest. And I don’t really care. Singapore (or Singapura) is a country that has existed for centuries – named and founded by Sang Nila Utama in 1299! Yes boys and girls, more than 50 years ago. Well, of course, Singapore is more than 50 years old, I will be 55 next February and my birth certificate clearly states my birthplace as Singapore….
Well, we are often told during National Day Parades that Singapore is ‘home’ as that simplistic Dick Lee propaganda piece goes and 50 years of social engineering has basically made us believe that Singapore is whatever the ruling party wants us to believe. AND those of us who do our utmost best to keep our minds clean from this indoctrination year in year out are fully aware of the implications of not towing the line – the paranoia ingrained in every fibre of our being to shy away from any enterprise that involves a modicum of risk.
Even in conversations with my dear late Dad, he would admonish me whenever I started ranting about politics – “be careful what you say in public” – he would always warn. Of course, my father – part of the so-called pioneer generation – could never understand the relative freedom of the internet and could only respond based on his observations of the 60s and the 70s, when the ruling party tightened their grip on every aspect of Singaporean life.
But it’s not the 60s or 70s anymore is it? Surely, the passing of 50 years should mean that it is time for Singapore to change – and not just superficially, in terms of infrastructure and buildings – but the very social contract that has been obediently complied with. It’s a vastly different world in 2015 from that in which Singapore split from Malaysia, and as a people, Singapore must rise up to the ideals stated in our pledge – “one united people”, “democratic society”, “justice and equality” and “happiness, prosperity and
progress” – not mere aspirations but concrete reality.
That to me, is what Singapore must become. Time for a change, my brothers and sisters…
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(Note: This review is filled with spoilers. Mainly because I find it hard to believe that after reading this, you would be insane enough to still want to watch this turkey!)
This Fantastic Four reboot never had a chance. From the get-go, geeks hated it. From director Josh Trank boasting about how his version would be a ‘game-changer’ to the controversial casting, this reboot has had a troubled journey. Sadly, the finished movie justifies the hate and then some.
In an attempt to ‘modernise’ the origins of the Fantastic Four – and borrowing from the Ultimate Fantastic Four series – the movie gutted out everything that made Fantastic Four so special in the first place. That sense of connection. One never got that sense from this movie.
In the comic book origin, scientist Reed Richards and pilot Ben Grimm were best friends; Susan Storm was Richards’ girlfriend and Johnny Storm was Susan’s brother. Without the pre-existing relationship between Reed and Susan, their link is tenuous. Also, in the movie, Susan and Johnny are adopted siblings and of different races as well. This made any connections between them rather hard to swallow.
From that poor foundation, it becomes impossible for Trank to build up an effective story with too many plot holes to fill. For example, Reed is recruited by the Baxter Institute by way of a science fair experiment? Ludicrous. Susan gets her power without even being part of the inter-dimensional jaunt? Illogical. After the accident, Reed disappears for a year – a plot point that fails to serve the story at all!
The movie takes ridiculous short-cuts throughout, without any explanation. We never see how the characters develop their powers – we are given the finished product instead. The battle scenes are incredibly lame and do not get me started how Fox utterly fucked up Doctor Doom yet again!
Firstly, how did Victor Von Doom survive for a year in Planet Zero (not the Negative Zone, as it should have been). Secondly, why are there no security precautions to deal with Doom when everyone who returned from Planet Zero has some incredible powers. Finally, why is it so easy for the Fantastic Four to dispatch Doom when earlier he was shown to kill people by merely looking at them?
Suffice to say that this is one of the worst superhero movies in recent memory and will take its rightful place alongside X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Superman Returns and Spider-Man 3.
DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE ENOUGH OF A FAILURE SO THAT FOX WILL GIVE UP AND RETURN THE FANTASTIC FOUR TO MARVEL.
The Merc with the Mouth gets his own movie! And it certainly looks like Ryan Reynolds was born to play Deadpool – though am not sure if that’s much of a compliment. And judging from the red band trailer, it’s everything you expected a Deadpool movie to be. Not quite sure if that’s a good thing though.
Deadpool hits theatres on 12th February 2016.
Wow! This happened! Quite out of the blue and somewhat under the radar, Allura has dropped a new EP after disappearing for SIX years!
I won’t lie – listening to the 1832 EP is akin to a religious experience! The musical sophistication displayed in these new recordings is a wonder to behold certainly.
“Rain” is an interesting amalgam of pop with experimental musicality, “Loose Change” is an intensely emotional diatribe and “Cold*Player” is an intriguing piece that deserves a couple of plays to fully soak in.
Kudos to Aaron, Mark John, Inch, Matt and HQ for putting this wonderful gift together – it’s been too fucking long!
And that’s not all, Allura reunites for a live performance at this weekend’s 100bands festival on 8th August at 8pm!
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Why a course on writing about rock music? Can’t folks simply find out online? Well, by the same token, why go to school then? Might as well learn everything online! Well, of course, I am being facetious but believe me, I have heard these arguments before… To be honest, apart from wanting to act entrepreneurial-like (and hopefully make some money), I really wanted to be able to share the knowledge and experience I have amassed from almost 40 years of listening to music (and over 20 years of writing about it!). Cuz the fact is that most music writers in Singapore don’t really know that much about what they are writing about so, I have felt the pressing need to do this. The challenge, of course, is to convince folks that they need to spend $300 to improve their writing when most of their readers might not have any clue about what good and effective music writing even looks like! In any case, I think ultimately it will be a fun time for everyone involved and so why not spend 4 Saturday afternoons with yours truly? Write in to to sign up!
