Music Matters Live 2013: Moments

PUBLISHED June 3rd, 2013 02:04 am | UPDATED January 21st, 2016 07:04 am

For the festival-hungry goer who lives for the alcohol-tinged stimulation and the humid giddiness that punctuates a gathering of disparate people nodding/banging/bashing their heads in approval to the music experience that is as much unifying as it is cathartic, all I have to say is: there has never been a time such as this. This small island has literally been buzzing with so much music activity for the intrepid listener in 2013; my ears struggle to keep up with gigs happening left-right-and centre. One thing I do know: my schedule-crammed self couldn’t afford to miss Music Matters Live 2013 (MML 2013) which happened a fortnight ago. True, I didn’t manage to catch everything, but I caught the moments in MML that mattered to me. In no order of importance, here are some of them:

1: Gurrumul asks the audience to become saltwater crocodiles singing ‘Baru’

Gurrumul stepped in with a left-handed guitar, introduced to the packed house at Beer Market on day one of Music Matters Live as a blind Australian aborigine who sang in his native tongue. Naturally, my ears were piqued, whetted by the promise of a musical experience in a different language I had yet to hear. By the end of it, I know I did not understand a single thing of what he sang, but I could conclusively surmise that I found his brand of folk to be beautiful and mystical. Maybe it was because of the authenticity, not just in his sound, but also because he was singing in his native tongue as an aborigine, or one of the common folk, that really came across in his performance. We had a good laugh when his supporting musician on double bass asked us to roar like a crocodile on ‘Baru,’ a song about a saltwater crocodile.

WATCH: Gurrumul’s Baru

2: Katie Noonan invites the audience to join her on ‘Breathe In Now’

Fellow Aussie compatriot Katie Noonan did well following up on Gurrumul at Beer Market, but the spritely lady really put her best foot forward when she played at the main stage with her string quartet. The piano-driven melancholic pop was an absolutely beauty to listen to, though it was a pity that the main stage at the fountain was assaulted by the noise and whatnot from the bars surrounding it. On her last song, ‘Breathe In Now,’ she introduced the song by saying that she’d attempt to bring a little peace and calm against the noise around us. Inviting the audience to sing with her the lines of the bridge that gave the song its namesake, I found myself feeling exactly what the song had promised to do. It was a magic moment.

WATCH: Katie Noonan’s Breathe In Now

3: Flumpool shows MML what a crowd really is

I thought the first day of MML 2013 was already doing quite good for crowd turnout, but they were only just getting started. Flumpool’s gig was one that was years coming; I always thought about the opportunity to see my favourite Japanese artists play live ever since listening to anime music as a kid. The fountain stage was well and truly packed; at least a few times more than it had been on day one. Sound check alone was punctuated by screaming girls every few minutes, even though the band hadn’t come out yet. So when the J-rock stars finally came out, to say that they got a raucous response is an understatement. Trying to get closer to them to get a photo was impossible. Credit to the hype, they were endearing showmen: the crowd adored Flumpool, and Flumpool adored them back. For me, it was the fulfillment of something I had wanted as a kid, and I left satisfied.

WATCH: Flumpool’s Hana Ni Nare

4: Trash stuns Singapore on their last song

Taiwan rockers Trash was such a good diversion from the pop/rock/soul fare that was being served on the 6 festival stages. It was like taking stiff liquor served straight up, not diluted with sweet mixers here and there to make it more palatable. These were guys with badass attitude, and badass music to match. Dressed like Elvis-eque hillbillies one would find on a Sunday at Yoyogi Park, they cajoled the crowd to sing along with them on their last song – a brash, cathartic shout-out that went ‘YOU F@#$ing LIAR!!!!’ to which they returned ‘YOU F@#*ing SUCKER!!!!’ Watching people’s flabbergasted faces upon hearing thewordwhichshouldnotbespokenpublicly being blared on line arrays was worth a hypothetical MML ticket. I enjoyed it so much that I forgot to take a photo.

WATCH: Trash

5: Prata Vetra become the first Latvians to enter Singapore

…In jest of course. But I’d be hard pressed to think of any Latvian bands who have played in Singapore, so it might probably be truer to say that they are the first Latvian band to have played here (dare I say Asia? The world?). The indie electro-popsters were a treat to watch. Front-man Renars Kaupers provided the groove and energy that kept us shuffling to the beat. Finding out about them through MML 2013 really underscored the heartbeat of the festival, which was music discovery: that moment when you chanced upon a band that did not appear on your radar before, that feeling of a nice surprise. Did you know that Prata Vetra is Latvian for brainstorm?

WATCH: Prata Vetra’s Lantern

6: The London Souls are the biggest surprise of MML

Guess I lied in the introduction; I did not really order the moments randomly, but saved the best for the last. New York City-based The London Souls were THE find of the festival for me. Their devil-may-care vibes and blues rock felt so visceral I imagined frontman/guitarist Tash Neal channeling Hendrix through his hollow-body guitar. Between Tash and drummer Chris St Hilaire, the rawness was refreshing, the music chemistry between the two palpable, with their vocals, guitar riffs and drum rolls bouncing off each other. The two minute face-melting guitar improvisation was something that the 21st century mainstream has left behind, replaced with trite pop riffs and preset sample banks. The London Souls remind me that music once had a soul in it…and still has one, if you search hard enough.

WATCH: The London Souls’ The Sound