IGNITE! Music Festival is back!

The biggest local music festival is set to enthral music lovers this 11-22 August with various workshops, showcases and a two-day Main Festival Stage which would happen on 21 & 22 August.

After seven successful runs since 2008, Republic Polytechnic (RP) and The Republic Cultural Centre (TRCC) are pleased to present IGNITE! Music Festival 2015. With the participation of more than 600 students, the annual music festival prides itself with a fully run concert by students of RP. The student-driven festival, which circles around the theme – Passion and Compassion – aims to promote the best of local music in a great setting, for a good cause. Best of all, it’s free!

Every year, IGNITE! is armed with a series of fringe events and workshops. IGNITE! 2015 is all set to entertain music enthusiasts once again with Gig Photography Workshop, Band Management Dialogue, Song Writing Workshop and many more.

Last year, the two-day festival garnered more than 10,000 festival goers – from screaming fan girls, laid back hipsters to head banging rockers – all came down to RP to enjoy the good music from bands like 53A, Aspectrum, Caracal, Gentle Bones, ShiGGa Shay, The Sam Willows and RP’s very own Jammerz Arena and Replug IG. This year, IGNITE! 2015 is set to bring down the house once again, featuring the best of local acts which would be made known soon.

Besides good music, there would also be a village of booths set up to complete the IGNITE! experience. From food and beverages to merchandised booths mended by sponsors, festival goers can expect a happy tummy whilst enjoying the good music and shop for their fashion needs.

With a bigger setting, the festival aims to reach out to even more partners this year – including Volunteer Welfare Organisations, Homes and many more. Promoting youth volunteerism through music, booth of RP’s Service Learning Club would be housed within the festival village alongside buskers, lifestyle booths and many more!

Keep Up with IGNITE! Music Festival

Always be updated by following IGNITE!’s social media plug-ins; stay tuned to find out the full band line-up and how to take part in interesting online competitions and stand the chance to win attractive prizes.

Official Website: http://www.ignitemusicfest.com
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ignitemusicfest
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IgniteMusicFestival
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/IgniteMusicFest
Instagram: http://instagram.com/ignitemusicfest

IGNITE! The Compassion

On the 14th of June, close to 100 students were part of IGNITE!'s service learning project with Very Special Arts (VSA).

Back for its seventh year running, VSA is a nationwide concert by artists from the special needs community. With 12 spirited performances from over 200 members of various special schools and voluntary welfare organisations in Singapore, the concert hopes to inspire with performers' tenacity in overcoming all odds with passion.

Media Ninjas: IGNITE! Media Ninja, Muhammad Rabbani, behind-the-scenes of Welcome To My World Concert, taking snippets of other student crews on the job. PHOTO BY: Ariani Adam

Tying in closely with IGNITE! Music Festival's recurring theme of Passion and Compassion, Welcome To My World Concert parks perfectly under IGNITE!'s efforts to reach out to the less fortunate for a cause. The students were extensively involved with various roles ranging from Stage Crew, Artiste Liaison Officer, Media Crew to even Front-of-House Crew.

From 13th June, students were already activated for duty as they commenced sound checks and rehearsals for the groups to familiarise themselves with the stage and venue. With not much time in hand, the IGNITE! Team had a lot of planning and prepping to do to ensure that the show ran smoothly.

On The Ball: Stage Crews ensured that they prepared equipment beforehand to avoid any discrepancies during the show. PHOTO BY: Ariani Adam

At backstage, the vibes were really lively as crew put on their best smiles to greet the performers on stage for their sound checks. Although there were a lot of things to be done, the crew tried their best to work around the tight schedules, showing positivity across the room.

Chief Artiste Liaison Officer, Kelwen Liew, said, “It’s really nice to see different people coming together. Their willingness to learn is really encouraging.” Kelwen is a Year 2 student studying Arts and Theatre Management and the Secretary for Campus Arts Productions (CAP).

Behind The Scenes: Meet the people behind-the-scenes, (from left to right) Kenny Lim (IGNITE! Music Festival Producer), Nurul Ainnie (Student Co-Producer), Syed Ali (Stage Manager) and Nethaniel Jotham (Student Producer). PHOTO BY: Ariani Adam

No doubt that it was a really different environment for the students, but it was certain that each and every one of them enjoyed themselves and learnt something along the way.

“It’s really humbling to see the performers with different disabilities; if they could do amazing things, we should be thankful and stop giving excuses,” said Zainulrahman Bin Motalif, Assistant Stage Manager. Zainulrahman is also a Year 2 studying Customer Relationship and Service Management, and an active member of Jammerz Arena.

Music comes aLive!

by Nicole Ho

The fountain stage at Clarke Quay was packed with avid screaming K-Pop fans. PHOTO BY: Benjamin Ng Wei Jie

Music – everyone loves it, but no one really has the exact same music taste. Most people usually prefer sticking to their own music, but when it gets to the point where you’re sick of what you’re hearing on your playlist; it happens – let’s face it, how do you look for new music? Some people search through the endless ‘suggested songs’ list on YouTube while others put on a playlist from the web and see how it goes. But really how often do you find yourself skipping the song lists?

Music Matters Live has been around in Singapore for 5 years now where bands from all around the world take part, catering to everyone’s music likings and preferences over a period of 4 days. This year, bands from the Philippines, Nepal, Australia and even Russia – just to name a few gathered together where more recognised bands played on the main fountain stage at Clarke Quay while up and coming bands play at the bars.

Dominic Lau’s lively persona fit his role for the event to a tee, engaging the audience at just the right amount while at the same time hosting the event. It did not seem like a music festival at first – at 7pm, all the audience (or passers-by, at this point) could still see the logistics crew making sure all the equipment on stage works. As the programme progressed, the sky turned darker and colourful lights lighted the entire venue. More people strolled in to watch, all swaying their bodies with the music and head banging for the heavier sounding sets, whether they knew the bands or not.

The K-Pop fans would not be forgotten at this event. In fact, KPOP NIGHT OUT @ MML was meant just for the music lover! Held at every MML event since 2013, it is a segment which features bands from South Korea, each possessing their own very distinct sound. The crowd were fired up, with fans dancing and raving to the beat while the first band, Kingston Rudieska kicked the segment off. In the middle of their set, the power tripped, all electronics stopped working and the sound and lighting got cut off! However, the members of the band were able to overcome the adversity and used only their voices and instruments to hype up the otherwise awkward atmosphere, long enough for the crew to fix the issue. The crowd wasn’t fazed by the situation and kept on singing along. The other bands include Glen Check, Idiotape and all girl group Sonamoo.

As this was going on at the main fountain stage, there were acts going on concurrently at various bars along Clarke Quay. The crowd and atmosphere at these venues, despite having a smaller audience, were as happening as the main stage – fans of the artistes sang and jumped along to the music energetically and relentlessly.

Gentle Bones, a local singer-songwriter, was one highlight of this year’s event. He has come a long way, from playing at Shuffle and Paulaner at last year’s Music Matters, to acquiring the main stage this year. For his set, the entire space in front of the stage was packed with screaming fans, guys and girls alike. They were energetically screaming his name and “I Love Yous” were being shouted. After his set, the crowd scrambled to where he was, fighting for a position to be first in place to snag a picture with Joel Tan, the man behind the moniker.

The next time you’re looking for new music, be sure to look out for the next Music Matters Live event and have it marked down in your calendar (and get your friends to do that too). It is a fun way to explore music you would never thought you could like in a comfortable and familiar environment, and did we mention that the event is free, too? For more information about the event, log on to http://musicmatterslive.com/

From bars to Universal Music Singapore

by Rachel Ng

Home-grown local act Gentle Bones takes the Music Matters Live stage for the second year running, but this time, it’s a whole new different ball game.

Not So Elusive: Joel Tan, also known as Gentle Bones, commands a strong presence once he’s on stage. PHOTO BY: Rachel Ng

Last year, he packed out four bars during Music Matters Live (MML) in Clarke Quay three nights consecutively.

This time, he played on the main stage for the same event, to a turnout that was probably the sum of all the people who turned up at the four bar gigs in one place.

Taking the local music scene by storm, 21-year-old Joel Tan – or better known by his moniker, Gentle Bones – certainly had a blast of a year. He released his eponymous debut EP in August last year, had his own tour in Kuala Lumpur, and opened for American pop singer Christina Perri’s concert here in Singapore.

More importantly, he signed on to Universal Music Singapore this month, making him the second Singaporean artist to do so.

Even after seeing him live a number of times, it’s hard not to smile and sing along as he poured his heart out serenading his audience every time he performs. Opening his set with the moody ‘Settle Down’, one can hear the echoes from the crowd as he belts out the chorus – “Won’t you settle down, settle down, with me now, and forever?”

It brings to mind what Joel mentioned about this track a year ago at one of the bars he played at, before releasing his EP. Overwhelmed by the crowd’s support, I recalled that he said back then that this was a song he was immensely proud of, and that he couldn’t believe that he wrote it.

But this time, he’s not singing it to his fans. He’s singing it with them.

He followed up with the more original tracks from his EP, upbeat ‘Save Me’, ‘Lost’, and ‘Elusive’, which spurred a collective resounding ‘I, I’ echo from adoring fans, similar to what could be heard in the background of the song.

“Thank you guys so much for coming out tonight, I’m sorry for the short set, but this is for Music Matters 2015. Thanks so much for having us under this beautiful roof, and thank you guys for coming out and singing along,” said a grateful Joel as he started to perform his last song – the one that propelled him to success ‘Until We Die’.

When violinist Josh Wei started to play only the starting notes of the song, the crowd went wild. “Is anyone crying?” Joel cheekily quipped.

Partner-in-Crime: Violinist Josh Wei is a master of his craft, having played for acts like Gentle Bones and The Sam Willows. PHOTO BY: Rachel Ng

It is no doubt that ‘Until We Die’ is his most well-known hit. Halfway through, he took the mic and pointed it at the crowd. “Let the whole Clarke Quay hear you!” he said as it reached the chorus, and they did – or you could say, they sung… “until they die”.

We Will Sing Until We Die: Joel held his mic up for the crowd and sang the chorus of ‘Until We Die’. PHOTO BY: Rachel Ng

So what’s coming up for Joel next? He’s recently recorded a song for the upcoming 28th SEA Games, and would be heading to London for the SGMUSO Live Showcase alongside local acts Charlie Lim and Pleasantry.

With the amount of success he’s achieved in just a span of one year, one thing’s for sure – big things are definitely coming his way.

Glen Check wowed crowd at Music Matters Live 2015

by Nurul’Amirah Bte Amran

“Boundary Pushing" Glen Check: (From left to right) Hyuk-Jun Kang and June-One Kim had started Glen Check together after graduating from high school followed by Jeon-Yeol Ryu who joined the duo in late 2011. PHOTO BY: Iskandar Rossali/Photo Republic

Music Matters Live (MML) was back for the 10th time running on 20 to 23 May 2015 at Clarke Quay. The venue boasted bright lights and exciting music as seventy over bands from all around the world came down to Singapore to perform over the span of four nights.

This year’s line-up included acts all the way from South Africa and Russia to neighbouring countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. KPOP NIGHT OUT, a segment brought by Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), brought in four South Korean talents like Sonamoo, Idiotape, Kingston Rudieska and Glen Check.

Glen Check, a South Korean Indie band consisting of singer and guitar player June-One Kim, bass and synthesizer player Hyuk-Jun Kang and drummer Jeon-Yeol Ryu, were part of the set list on the 21st.

True to their words, the band showcased brilliant visual aspects on stage while they performed five of their songs titled 60’s Cardin, Vogue Boys & Girls, Paint It Gold, Pacific and Anthem For The Wild Souls. Flashed across the huge LED backdrops were self-produced videos to accustom to the song’s respective mood and style.

For a fun and upbeat song like 60’s Cardin, the young boys had multiple graphics of a lone man in a tracksuit dancing to which their fans had mimicked the simple yet quirky movements. Meanwhile, Vogue Boys & Girls, a song which talks about youths featured a recording of Kim and Kang walking and playing their respective instruments against eye-catching and bright flashy background.

Noor Amalina Bte Mohamed, 24, had expressed her excitement upon seeing the band she has been an avid fan of since their debut. The pre-school teacher said, “Glen Check definitely did not disappoint my expectations tonight. The music and the visuals on stage, they were all exactly the same as what I have seen on videos online.”

Since their debut in 2011, Glen Check has also been recognised by music critiques for their ability at changing their genres with every album release. Despite that, they are also still able to maintain their ‘indie-dance and electro-rock with a strong European influence’ colour in their self-produced songs.

Loh Wan Qi, 21, a student at SIM mentioned how Glen Check’s much collaboration with different artistes like Clazziquai is what makes the band distinct from the rest. She said, “Glen Check’s ability to show different sides of their music while still sustaining their original style is what kept me a fan till today. They are very dedicated to their music plus they speak fluent English too!”

K-Pop Night Out at Music Matters Live 2015

by Carlissia Kew

A New Experience for Sonamoo: It was the K-Pop girl group’s first ever overseas music festival, and the girls wasted no opportunity to interact with their fans. PHOTO BY: Benjamin Ng Wei Jie

As the Thursday night progressed into near midnight, the crowd at the fountain stage was visibly denser than before. Anticipation and excitement were evident in the air as everyone strained their necks to look out for the last K-Pop Night Out act. Preparing just backstage, the seven-member K-Pop girl group had already claimed their presence on stage. Without doubt, when the performance to their debut track ‘Déjà Vu’ commenced, a feeling of Déjà Vu washed over the audience – despite their rookie status, SONAMOO had already owned the stage with their unconventional girl group power packed choreography and beat – seemingly following in the footsteps of their label mate B.A.P.

“We are very honoured to be here. Thank you for Music Matters and thank you for coming here. And yes, we had chili crab tonight and we loved it," gushed the girls, who took some time out between songs to converse with the crowd.

Bringing a little twist to their set, the girls covered various songs, including their own choreographed dance version of ‘Want U Back’ by Cher Lloyd as well as Destiny Child’s ‘Stand Up For Love’, ending off their set with their second released song ‘Just Go’ that brought out the girly side of them.

Since its first ever appearance at Music Matters Live 2012 K-Pop Night Out, the event acts as a platform for interactions between K-Pop and the global music network. It has been a part of the music festival for 4 consecutive years, this time round having featured acts SONAMOO, Kingston Rudieska, Glen Check and Idiotape on 21 May at the Clarke Quay Fountain Stage.

The first K-Pop act to kick off the night was nine-member ska band Kingston Rudieska. The highlight of the night was when the stage and music blacked out all of a sudden while the group belted out ‘Give Me Some Love’. Without skipping a beat, the group maintained their professionalism as they regained their momentum to the beat of the song, followed by the undefeated crowd who spontaneously sang the song as one. The band was heavily influenced by first-wave Jamaican ska, ska jazz and other Caribbean genres such as reggae and calypso music. The whole idea of bringing K-Pop to the global music network was indeed achieved – people of all ages and races were feeling the beat in their bones as they grooved to the sound of trumpets and flutes – creating an infectious and funky atmosphere.

The two next similar acts checked off the list were synth-rock and electro-pop indie duo Glen Check, who is part of the Basement Resistance crew based back in Seoul, followed by electronic shoegazing trio Idiotape. Both bands were high on eye-catching backdrops and visuals and incorporated the elements of synthesizers, drums and/or guitars into their sets. The crowd certainly knew who they were, escalating into screams before they even kicked off their sets. Even for those who didn’t, it was hard to ignore the infectious and catchy beats coursing through one’s bones, which got the crowd clapping their hands together synonymously. Some of the songs Glen Check played were ‘Paint It Gold’ and ‘Pacific’, while Idiotape jammed out to ‘Melodie’ and more. Despite Glen Check being a South Korean band, the group actually produced songs in English due to both members influence of growing up outside of Korea.

With this year’s acts providing the audience with a fresh perspective on Korean bands, we could definitely expect the next one to kick it one notch up.

K-Pop Night Out with a twist

by Nur Fathiah Bte Razali

The Fountain stage in Clarke Quay transformed into a mini Korea for about three hours on May 21, 2015 with KPOP Night Out showcase as part of the Music Matters Live festival this year.

This year was a little different. Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) who presented the showcase focused more on indie music from their local region than K-pop.

Kingston Redieska kicked off the showcase with upbeat Caribbean genres including reggae. The nine-piece ska band is winning hearts of Korean fans with foreign music and has appeared on some of Korea’s biggest stages.

A trio act called Glen Check won over the hearts of the crowd with their electronic live music, singing primarily in English. This band did not limit the genre of their songs nor the visuals used during the show. The crowd could even follow the simple dance shown on the screen as the band played the music.

Idiotape came up next with another set of electronic music with an exception – there was no vocal. The trio’s synth-driven rhythms were influenced by Korean classic rock from the 1960s and 70s which had the crowd dancing that night.

The fourth and last act for that night was highly-anticipated by the teens in the crowd. Sonamoo, a K-pop girl group that just debuted five months back stole the show. Kicking off the act with their debut song, Déjà vu, the crowd began to hype up.

Sonamoo had more to offer. Members High.D, D.ana and Newsun did a cover of Becky G’s Can’t Get Enough. The main vocalists of the group, High.D and Minjae blew the crowd away when they belted a cover of Stand Up For Love by the Destiny’s Child. Their act ended on a cheerful note with their song, Just Go.

The fact the showcase had free admission was another factor that lured the crowd in and something existing fans were definitely appreciative of.

Wei Si, 19, an avid K-Pop fan, said, “Usually when they come, we need to pay about $200 in order to see them. But for this, it’s free and we can also get to know more people with fans of other acts.”

Taken by Take Two

by Rachel Ng

Take Two returns once again for Music Matters Live and delivered a set that proved why they are among the rising local artists in Singapore.

Take Two for the Team: David Siow (left), Paddy Ong (middle), Jeryl Yeo (behind Paddy), and Johnathan Lim (right), and Tan Peng Sing (far left, not pictured), played at Shuffle Bistro Bar for Music Matters Live 2015. PHOTO BY: Rachel Ng

“Anyway, we’ve got one more song for you. That’s okay, right?” said the effervescent Paddy Ong, frontman of local indie-pop rock band Take Two, as he closed his set at Music Matters Live 2015. That’s definitely okay, Paddy.

Playing to a full house at Shuffle Bistro Bar in Clarke Quay, the quintet has definitely moved up the local music ladder after gaining much recognition ever since they formed in late 2012. Their recent acts included opening for legendary Scottish band Travis, winning the NOISE 2014 Music Mentorship Programme and releasing their new EP, Pairs.

The group sat on the stage with David Siow on bass, Tan Peng Sing and Johnathan Lim on guitar, Jeryl Yeo on drums, and frontman Paddy Ong. Together, they emitted a youthful, enthusiastic vibe with a wonderful chemistry. It was easy to miss it if one was not observant but I caught many moments where they looked at each other, playing and smiling to themselves.

Fresh-faced and lively, they gave off the most whimsical energy and had impeccable coordination, which was enjoyable to watch.

Pleasure in Performing: Guitarist Johnathan Lim had a constant smile on as he performed. PHOTO: Rachel Ng

There must be a reason why the day after I heard Take Two live, I got on my phone and bought their EP on iTunes. Opening their set with one of their tracks, ‘Addiction Affliction’, I was instantly impressed. They followed with tracks from their EP, ‘In Your Arms’ and ‘Always Been Right Here’, ‘Luna’, and included a cover of Interpol’s ‘C’mere’ and Last Dinosaurs’ ‘Honolulu’.

They cited Last Dinosaurs as one of their inspirations on their Facebook page, alongside well-known indie and alternative artists like Bombay Bicycle Club, The Wombats, and Two Door Cinema Club.

If there was one word to describe their music, it would be ‘infectious’. In particular, all the tracks from their new EP have a distinct sound to them and they honestly just make you want to start tapping your feet to the beat of each song.

They ended their set with single ‘Ariel’, which is about finding love on an MRT. It felt almost too familiar with the lyrics - seeing someone that’s caught your eye while on your way to school in the train. “That fleeting moment when you make eye contact with someone and your mind starts drifting away - perhaps you should go talk to him/her right now, before they all alight,” their YouTube description for ‘Ariel’ read.

You’ll soon be seeing them at Baybeats 2015 and they’ve also been announced as one of the 25 artists to perform for Lush 99.5FM and Radio’s 50 Songs for 50 Days which started on June 1st.

With so many accomplishments, they have already made a name for themselves in the local music scene, and we hope to see more of them in the years to come.