PUBLISHED May 9th, 2013 04:00 pm | UPDATED January 21st, 2016 07:14 am
As my first contribution to City Nomads, I just want to say that I am here to write about the music that you and I love, this indispensable colour to life, this mysterious conductor of souls. The notion that Singapore produces a) lousy music or b) pretentious western-copy-types music is long gone; that fallacy smashed and left for dead like a dirt-caked signpost on a journey that we as a community and as a generation share. There is an exciting independent scene bubbling, with acts coming to and coming from our shores. My energy comes from seeing their energy, my passion to write from their passion to perform songs they love.
So it is, that I found myself at Tricks and Cider’s self-titled EP launch at a neat looking loft-house venue at Prinsep Place last Tuesday, looking forward to seeing them perform following their polished promotional video for the EP. I loved how the attic-esque space was hidden behind the strip mall’s façade, making you feel like it’s a place you stumbled upon.
Esther Lowless opened as one of the supporting acts that night. To be honest it was my first time catching her and apart from a creepy-looking EP teaser video, I had not actually heard much of her music. With her raw talent as a singer-songwriter, she was definitely bringing something new to the metaphorical table, though it seemed a little too early to define her musicality just yet. Her blend of organic instrumentation (of the violin and cello) tempered with a 2nd keyboardist that had more of an indie electronic edge, was refreshing to experience.
These Brittle Bones took the stage next. Welshman solo singer-songwriter Chris Jones is a nascent force in the scene at all of fourteen years old, but it is easy to see why. Possessing a certain sensitivity and capacity to translate that into a musical as well as aesthetic style, These Brittle Bones draws you in with the fragile vocals, the heavy piano motifs. With Tricks and Cider member Karen on violins, he entranced the crowd with songs from an upcoming album. Flecks (a new single) and Anchor Bleed were my favourites.
Tricks and Cider came on to warm applause from friends who had by now, crammed into the tight space in front of the stage in anticipation; they weren’t let down.
In addition to their own material, Tricks and Cider are a seasoned band with plenty of gig hours under their belts – they showed their chops at songs like Payphone which delighted those who came. At the same time, they have a distinct character in their own music, a kind of a bubble pop/ pop rock personality that brought to mind the vibe of Chinese indie pop bands scene like Bearbabes and Tizzy Bac. Girl from Outer Space and Post Recording Dreams were the standouts.
You can buy the digital version of Tricks and Cider’s self-titled EP debut here