Pop culture musings by Kevin Mathews
Believe me, it’s not often a band that I actually dig plays in Singapore. Yep, I’m weird that way. But when I first realized JPNSGRLS (Japanese Girls) that were coming down to Singapore for Music Matters Live ’14, I was pretty stoked. I had loved the Vancouver band’s debut EP Sharkweek from one year ago and well, I was excited by the prospect. The combination of pop smarts, post-punk veneer and rock ‘n’ roll attitude made JPNSGRLS a top band in my opinion and a definite highlight of MML’14.
Melbourne band EMPRA has a strong Lion City connection as their frontman Sanny Veloo is Singaporean and part of the legendary local indie rockers Boredphucks/The Suns. Fittingly, EMPRA will be town as part of the Music Matters Live 2014 lineup. Sanny graciously filled in our MML Q&A.
Why did you apply to play at Music Matters Live ’14?
Cos we needed an excuse to return to Singapore to eat more sambal kangkong! (Damn good reason – KM)
How do you think playing at the Festival will help you?
We’ve had some interest from Japan, India, China and Asia and we were hoping that we could perform at Music Matters and blow all these promoters away so they’ll book us into cool tours of Asia and Festivals with great Singapore food on our band riders.
What are your scheduled slots at MML’14?
We’re pretty busy… here’s what we have on at MML…
21 May
10 – 1030pm Crazy Elephant
22 May
830 – 855pm Beer Market
1130-1am Hard Rock Cafe, Orchard
23 May
8 – 830pm China One
24 May
1210 – 1240am Paulaner
25 May
1215 – 1245am Timbre @ Substation
How are you preparing for MML’14?
We’ve actually been doing heaps of shows in Australia, rehearsing heaps and having losta fun hanging out at live venues with all our mates who are in bands and planning an itinerary of places we wanna visit in Singapore including various food stops, touristy places like the Night Safari and cool clubs and bars!
Why should music lovers come and watch you at MML’14?
Cos we have been lifting people’s spirits since 2011 and I promise you that if you come to an EMPRA show you will leave feeling utterly amazing and you’ll wanna hang out with us after the show for beers!!!
Next up in our recommendation list for Music Matters Live ’14 is SEYRA!
Why did you apply to play at Music Matters Live ’14?
It is a great platform that allows proper, personal interaction between local independent artists and people who are in the big game. We always wanted to be a part of it the past 2 years and so we’re really glad to be playing this time around!
How do you think playing at the Festival will help you?
Being a part of an event on the scale of MML is both a privilege and opportunity to showcase Singapore’s musical talent. It is also strong recognition of the strides that the band has made in recent years. We will be launching our next EP sometime in the 3rd quarter of this year and we have been planning a regional tour to promote that. It would certainly be helpful meeting all the other regional bands and contacts from the music industry. We are also looking forward to attending some the conferences scheduled through the week.
What are your scheduled slots at MML’14?
23 May, 9 – 9.30pm at China One
24 May, 10.30 – 11pm at Kuro
How are you preparing for MML’14?
We’ll be playing a mixture of popular songs from our existing repertoire as well as a couple of new ones that will be in our upcoming EP. We are rearranging some of the songs, tweaking some parts here and there and trying out some new stuff.
Why should music lovers come and watch you at MML’14?
People should come and watch because we believe our music resonates with a common desire for understanding and connection. The band’s multi-ethnic composition demonstrates this too. We sing about life as it is – fractured yet beautiful.
We also tend to be regarded as an acoustic band known for our stripped down sets. We’ve actually not played at that many public shows with the full band and always have tons of fun rocking out on these rare occasions! It is part of our new sound moving forward as well, so we would love for you to be able to witness it first-hand.
… still there’s more …
Can you feel the anticipation? We have been covering bands/artists whom we’ve thought you ought to check out during next week’s mammoth Music Matters Live festival but of course, we simply cannot cover all the worthy bands/artists coming down. So… here’s a list of the best of the rest that we think you should consider when making that #MML checklist.
BOXER REBELLION (UK)
23rd May | 11:50pm | Fountain Stage
24th May | 11:30pm | Aqua Nova
Yet another band to look out at Music Matters ’14 – the avant-garde rock beast that is sub:shaman!
Why did you apply to play at Music Matters Live ’14?
We’ve grown and evolved a lot as a band in the past couple years, and have new material that we’re very excited to share with as many people as possible! Music Matters being a traditionally great platform to reach out to a diverse and often new profile of listeners, we really wanted to test the waters and see how people outside of our regular, gig-going circles respond to our music.
How do you think playing at the Festival will help you?
Playing this festival helps us to leave some sort of mark, or at least make our existence known to a larger network of people. We are also hoping to make lots of new friends and perhaps, along the way, open ourselves to new opportunities that hopefully extend beyond our shores as well.
What are your scheduled slots at MML’14?
Our set timings / venues are:
[Friday 23rd May] 1120 – 1150PM at AQUANOVA.
[Saturday 24th May] 940 – 1010PM at Fern & Kiwi, and 1 – 130AM at Kuro Bar Restaurant.
How are you preparing for MML’14?
Probably what every other band is doing!–Jamming, writing, etc. We’ve been busy with a host of other projects as well, so it’s been a little tough, but nonetheless extremely fun and fulfilling.
Why should music lovers come and watch you at MML’14?
We would say that we’re a slight deviation from your run-of-the-mill rock band, and judging from some of the response so far, music lovers in particular have really appreciated some of the intricacies we have worked into our music. We can’t promise that you’ll love it, but it’ll definitely be a unique experience and we’re very excited to share our sound!
… still there’s more …
Continuing our series on bands you should really check out next week at Music Matters Live ’14. Ladies and gentlemen… The Pinholes!
Why did you apply to play at Music Matters Live ’14?
Since Music Matters Live is being held in Singapore, I will take the opportunity to showcase my group and represent my country to another audience or music moguls that will come from all over the world. It feels like the best time.
How do you think playing at the Festival will help you?
I guess playing in this Music Festival definitely bring connectivity. I will try and make as much contact as I can. As I think that this is really important cause you will never know who you will meet.
What are your scheduled slots at MML’14?
We will be playing on one date which is on 21 May at Paulaner from 9.40pm to 10.10.10pm. This is due to our short tour to Hanoi for another ASEAN Pride Festival the following day.
How are you preparing for MML’14?
We are definitely putting our best of what we can do. We just released our debut album and we are really excited to showcase that to a different audience. And we will try and give our best half n hour show like there’s no tomorrow. Its gonna be just Wham Bam no commercial set.
Why should music lovers come and watch you at MML’14?
Its a music festival, We are all about good vibes, songs and rock n roll. And the chain reaction will be perfect if the music lover are there to have a good time.
Thanks to Famie for the answers!
… still there’s more …
Definitely one of the main highlights of Music Matters Live ’14 would be JPNSGRLS – pronounced “Japanese Girls” – a band that manages to combine the dynamic pleasures of 80s post-punk and 90s alt-rock. The band kindly answered our queries before making their way to our shores from Canada! Don’t miss them!!
Why did you apply to play at Music Matters Live ’14?
We have been really fortunate to have the support of CIMA which is Canada’s not-for-profit trade association that represents our independent music industry. Part of their mandate is to create export opportunities for “export ready” Canadian indie acts, like ourselves, and so, last year, we were brought to Spain to play at BIME 2013. The opportunity to travel to another country, engage with a new audience and culture, and network with the business people of a different market was really an amazing opportunity and experience for us. The idea that we will get to do the same in Asia is a dream come true. We were ecstatic when we found out we were accepted to play at Music Matters Live.
Music Matters Live returns next week for its 2014 edition. We highlight bands we think that Power of Pop readers would want to check out at MML’14! First up, Singapore indie rock outfit wyd:syd!
Why did you apply to play at Music Matters Live ’14?
We caught the 2013 edition of Music Matters and we were thoroughly impressed by the entire setup. We applied this year and thankfully, we were given the opportunity to perform. We want to thank SGMUSO for their kind assistance as well!
How do you think playing at the Festival will help you?
We hope to establish a bigger following after our performances! At the same time, we would like to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere and enjoy the other great acts, both local and abroad! Hopefully, we’ll gain a few tips on how to improve accordingly.
What are your scheduled slots at MML’14?
We will be performing at Aquanova on 23rd May (10:30pm – 11:00pm) and Kuro on 24th May (9:40pm to 10:10pm)
How are you preparing for MML’14?
We are putting in extra work during jamming sessions! Hopefully we would be able to complete our final song and debut it at the event!
Why should music lovers come and watch you at MML’14?
We believe that listeners will enjoy the soundscapes that we’ve painstakingly crafted. If you like ambient or indie rock, we’re the thing for you!
Follow wyd:syd at https://www.facebook.com/wydsyd.
… still there’s more …
Music Matters, the region’s premiere music conference returns in May 2014 and that also means it’s another round of Music Matters Live! Thus far, Music Matters Live has previously hosted acts like Simple Plan (Canada), Jezabels (Australia), Boyce Avenue (USA), Katie Noonan (Australia), Gurrumul (Australia), Prata Vetra (Latvia), Kate Miller-Heidke (Australia), Little Boots (UK), Electrico (Singapore), flumpool (Japan), Kreva (Japan), Drunken Tiger (Korea), Indus Creed (India), Nidji (Indonesia), Faber Drive (Canada) and many others.
For artists who want to perform at Music Matters Live 2014, they may contact sammy@branded.asia or click here to submit their applications online. Submissions close on 17 Jan, 2014!
Official Site.
