Local bands and graphic designers unite at Blue Hour Sessions
PUBLISHED January 10th, 2014 02:35 am | UPDATED January 20th, 2016 03:25 pm
I love this gig series for a few things: one, whoever programmed it not only has a keen ear for music in Singapore, but there’s also a smartness about it to set the stage for some interesting collaborations happening between the aural and the visual.
With musicians partnering with video creators and graphic designers to flesh out a multi-sensory experience, there’s a certain aesthetic and spirit about it that really gives it an underground edge. It’s not the work of random basement-dwellers creating something random and waiting to see what happens. It’s not perfect, but the idea behind Blue Hour Sessions has been well-thought through. And it’s supported by Lomography.
Which brings me to my second point: it is supported by Lomography. It’s not about the hipster Instagram-vibe that Lomography brings, it’s about a big corporation going down to the level of the community and putting its name behind the local scene. I believe that a local scene will only flourish when there are enough actors contributing to the vibrant melting pot, from musicians to institutions and even corporations.
Do I hear cries of ‘selling out?’ The idea of the starving artist being ‘untainted’ from the forces of commercialism -selling-out- is passe; the era of collaborations for the overall good of the scene and industry is in. So I embrace Blue Hour sessions with open arms, because it is good programming, and it brings a different flavour to the scene. And if memory serves, the 50 other people crammed shoulder-to-shoulder felt the same way too. Well done, Lomography.
The mooted acts for the first instalment were no pushover either – from start to finish, we were enthralled with the flamboyant Tiramisu, veteran indie punk rockers who dazzled us audience with their animal head dresses, dance moves and hooks which belied earnest songwriting, to the very excellent and nascent .gif whose Saudade EP might just be a watershed for bringing our independent scene out to the international underground, and the face-melting catharsis of 7nightsatsea that was a reminder of how strong the burgeoning post-rock underground here was.
It was a refreshing sight and sound, made even more so by the addition of video collaborators and graphic designers brought together by Lomography who worked on the visual expression of music from each act. Special (not to mention biased) mention must be given to .gif who really impressed, especially seeing vocalist Wei Shan performing the sonic equivalent of the Amazon jungle in a live setting. I did see it via their recorded performance on Bandwagon Sessions before, but seeing it live brought a whole new dimension to it.
Thank you Lomography for putting this together, I’m already sweating my palms looking forward to the next one. If you haven’t a clue what I’m talking about, just be at the next one and you’ll understand.
