Daughtry at Powerhouse

We arrived at Powerhouse around 7pm to be greeted by a long queue of Daughtry fans. Ranging from teenage girls to executive types, the crowd was somewhat varied, but generally looked eager to enter the venue.

We got into the club after queuing for almost 45 minutes, and tried our best to find a comfortable spot on the crowded dancefloor. Dressed in a red top and a short denim skirt, Andrea Fonseka soon appeared as the evening’s emcee. Within minutes, the five members of Daughtry took to the stage one by one. When frontman Chris Daughtry finally emerged, the crowd cheered wildly.

After taking their seats, the band kicked off the night’s acoustic showcase with “Crashed”. Dressed casually in a black tee and jeans, Chris Daughtry held court by sitting in the middle of the stage behind a microphone stand. He was flanked by Josh Steely on lead guitar and drummer Joey Barnes on his left, while Brian Craddock on rhythm guitar and bassist Josh Paul were on his right.

“I didn’t know we were so loved here”, said Chris Daughtry, before leading the appreciative audience in singing along to the guitar chords of “What I Want”. This was followed by “It’s Not Over”, the hit song that launched Daughtry’s career after American Idol. Unfortunately, Chris’s voice wasn’t as powerful as this reviewer had expected it to be, sounding particularly strained at the song’s high notes. To his credit, Chris displayed musicianship by playing an acoustic guitar for “Breakdown”. Throwing his guitar pick into the crowd after the song, he said, “I wish we could spend more time here”. The band then left the stage after playing “What About Now” and one of their biggest radio hits "Home".

At this point, Andrea reappeared on stage, informing the crowd of an autograph signing session by the band scheduled for the next day. She then got the crowd to repeatedly chant “Daughtry”, which thankfully brought the band back on stage for an encore.

Thunderous applause greeted the band members, who proceeded to shake hands with lucky members of the audience standing in the front row. The band then performed “Shine” and current single “Over You”, which was easily the crowd favorite of the night. A representative from Daughtry’s record label also presented Chris with a gold certification plaque, bringing a fitting end to a free but impressive showcase of modern rock finesse.


Special thanks to Charlene for some of the above photos!

Click here to watch the new music video for Daughtry's "Over You"!

1 day to Chris Daughtry's gig

If you haven't already heard, Daughtry is in town.

For the uninitated, Daughtry is an American band fronted by Chris Daughtry, who shot to fame as a rocker on American Idol. Since releasing a chart-topping debut album, the band has gone on tour all around the world, and Singapore is their only stop in Asia.

The band is performing at Powerhouse tomorrow evening for a by-invite only showcase. We've got tickets to attend the event, so if you haven't, stay tuned for photographs and a review of Chris Daughtry's performance.

Bismuth at Home Club

In August this year, alternative band Bismuth was one of ten local acts who performed at Baybeats for the very first time. Organised by the Esplanade, Baybeats is Southeast Asia’s largest indie music festival. Barely a month later, Bismuth delivered a technically impressive set at Home Club.

Drummer Chris was the first to speak, introducing opening song “The Sting” as an original composition that was requested for at Baybeats. The soft rock number had an accessible melody, while Flint, the band’s unassuming guitarist and vocalist, sang in a relaxed manner. Backup vocals came courtesy of bassist Stev.e, who was a strong stage presence thanks to his long fringe and eye-catching movements.

Second song “The Boy That Celebrates Himself” started off slow, but took on a grittier tone when distortion effects kicked in during the chorus. Eschewing inter-song banter typical of most bands, Bismuth then launched into a hard-hitting track titled “Shapeless Creatures”. The hypnotic tune saw Stev.e hogging the limelight by executing a star jump at one point and playing his bass guitar with his back arched and legs spread wide apart.

The audience saved the loudest cheers for “Hospital Drive”, which was a breath-taking number that perfectly showcased the band’s penchant for experimental shoegazing. But this reviewer’s favorite song of the night was the poignantly named “Life Is A Slow Death”. Starting off with a drum machine that provided lush sound effects, the long track had a spell-binding verse with spacey sounds, but a rousing Nirvana-like chorus.

Bismuth ended their set with the melancholic “Soldier Bee”, proving that a three-piece band with the right amount of talent and technical wizardry can compose and perform songs that are by no means inferior to those by larger bands.

For more information, visit http://www.myspace.com/bismuthsg

Peepshow at Home Club

Despite a relatively small and subdued crowd, indie rock band Peepshow performed valiantly at Home Club two Fridays ago.

For the uninitiated, Home Club is a cosy nightspot located at The Riverwalk that has gained a huge following among fans of indie and local music. Resembling a huge living room with an outdoor patio, the club has an unpretentious vibe that attracts throngs of teenagers clad in skinny jeans and graphic tees every week.

We arrived in the middle of Peepshow’s set to be instantly captivated by emotive vocals courtesy of Zaki, the band’s towering frontman. Flanked by his 4 bandmates, Zaki effortlessly hit the high notes in songs like “My Hero”, a cover of the Foo Fighters hit.

The band went on to debut “Sweet Sour Line”, an original composition dedicated to Zaki’s ex-girlfriend, which showcased assured guitar-playing by SK and Mik to great effect. The aptly named “Funky Song” was up next, featuring Edmund’s crisp drum beats and a catchy bassline by Samuel.

However, the highlight of the set clearly belonged to “Same Woman”, which saw Peepshow sharing the stage with FreakyZ, a rapper who described himself as being from the “hip hop circuit”. The easy chemistry between FreakyZ and the band was evident from their casual banter, while the song’s breezy tune was an interesting foil to its self-bashing lyrics: “Oh no I’m in love again / I’m in love with the same woman who’s gonna leave me in the end”. This reviewer was particular amused by how the song sampled a line from “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears.

If you’ve yet to catch a gig by the cheeky quintet, mark your calendars: Peepshow is slated to perform at the Esplanade in December.

For more information, visit http://www.myspace.com/peepshowband

The inaugural SINGfest

We got tickets for the first day of SINGfest, and arrived at Fort Canning Park towards the end of a crowd-pleasing set by English rock group The Stranglers. The audience consisted mainly of Caucasians and executive types, while families with picnic mats could be seen soaking in the party atmosphere.

After The Stranglers left the stage, the emcee introduced a British DJ duo known as The Eye Candy Twins. Clad in impossibly tight white tank tops, the blonde pair dished out remixes of popular anthems like “Mr Brightside” by The Killers. Unfortunately, their song transitions were awkward, and their campy gyrations to Madonna didn’t exactly boost their credibility either.

Thankfully, 1980s pop icon Cyndi Lauper soon emerged. Backed by a ‘live’ band, Lauper was initially unrecognizable thanks to a long black wig. However, her raspy but powerful voice was unmistakable. Powering her way through classics like “All Through The Night”, “I Drove All Night” and “True Colours”, Lauper was a dynamo onstage. Displaying an easy confidence, she performed an amusing duet with reggae star Shaggy on “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, but strangely chose not to sing “Time After Time”, one of her biggest hits.

Next up was rock band Sugar Ray. Dressed in a black vest and shades, vocalist Mark McGrath bore a striking resemblance to Hollywood actor Ethan Hawke. The band launched into high-energy numbers like “Answer The Phone” and “Falls Apart”, while songs like “Someday” and “When It’s Over” had the audience singing their hearts out. Displaying typical rock star demeanour, McGrath even revealed the band’s hotel room number in a blatant bid for groupies. However, Sugar Ray’s set was marred by member DJ Homicide, who punctuated the show with songs by other bands that Mark McGrath would sing along to in karaoke fashion. Moreover, unlike Cyndi Lauper, Sugar Ray did not showcase any new material.

Before the Pet Shop Boys went on stage as the closing act, the emcee decided to become a DJ. Unfortunately, his lack of technical finesse was painfully obvious, resulting in several awkward instances of dead air. After midnight, the Pet Shop Boys finally appeared.

Amplifiers and drum sets were cleared off stage, lending a minimalist feel that was signature of the electro-pop icons. A huge projection screen was also constructed, serving as a canvas that complemented Chris Lowe’s sonic soundscapes to great effect. With a top hat and black suit, Neil Tennant was clearly in his element, crooning crowd favorites like “Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)” in his trademark nasal voice.

The Pet Shop Boys also performed songs from their latest album “Fundamental”, such as the catchy “Minimal”. Two energetic dancers and a trio of soulful backup vocalists added much vigour to the set, which closed with a rousing rendition of “Go West”. At this point, everyone in the audience had their hands up in the air, proving that sometimes, Singaporeans really just wanna have fun.