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Sing60 Music Festival: The Sam Willows reunion, post-hardcore bands, dancing chicken and more

The Sam Willows reunited during band member Benjamin Kheng’s set.

ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY

Singapore – The first day of Sing60 Music Festival had something for every kind of music fan, from upbeat pop tunes and heavy, post-hardcore to bouncy hip-hop and ethereal ambient music.

A celebration of made-in-Singapore music in the SG60 year, the two-day outdoor festival featured acts performing at two stages within Fort Canning Park, and more than 60 home-grown artistes.

Here are five highlights from the first day of the festival.

1. The Sam Willows reunite

In the weeks leading up to the show, singer Benjamin Kheng had hinted that his set would feature “special guests”. These included a surprise reunion of pop band The Sam Willows, comprising his sister Narelle Kheng, as well as singers and musicians Sandra Riley Tang and Jonathan Chua. The quartet went on hiatus in 2019 as each member focused on his or her solo careers.

Their Sing60 set, which included their most popular tune Take Heart (2015), was a brief but joyful reminder of how their polished folk-tinged pop made them one of the most popular local English pop acts of the 2010s.

Benjamin Kheng also brought on fellow singer Shazza and Tang for a rendition of his 2024 National Day Parade theme, Not Alone, a popular tune that had fans singing along.

2. Sixty guitarists on one stage

One of the most visually arresting performances was 60 young guitarists performing on the Fort Canning Green stage.

The budding musicians were beneficiaries of Gift A Guitar, a charity initiative that provides underserved youth with guitars and music lessons by local charity organisation The Music Society, Singapore (SGMUSO) in partnership with arts and culture non-profit The Rice Company Limited.

Led by seasoned musicians Awi Rafael and Danny Loong, they performed a new original tune that the pair composed, Just Me And My Guitar. Loong is chairman of SGMUSO and founder of local food and beverage, music and events company Timbre Group.

After their set, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong joined them on stage to witness the presentation of an electric guitar he had donated to the charity. The guitar, signed by PM Wong, was auctioned off for $650,000 to home-grown tech firm Sea Limited, represented by its founder Forrest Li.

3. Collaborations galore

There was a strong sense of camaraderie and fellowship among the home-grown musicians during their sets.

The voices of singer-songwriters Charlie Lim and Corrinne May blended beautifully during their joint performance, while alternative rockers Tiramisu and samba percussion troupe Bloco Singapura played a hypnotic blend of driving rhythms and art-rock flair.

The club-like atmosphere at Fort Canning’s World War II bunker Battlebox featured pairings of different generations of electronic music artistes in back-to-back DJ sets and live performances.

These included an ambient set by producer and DJ Debbie Chia with The Weatherman with singer Moira Loh, as well as hip-hop veteran Ollie Des with HBN, co-founder of day party collective, Last Saturdays.

In a ChildAid segment, singer Amni Musfirah performed with youth singers Iva Haney, Kaylen Thawdar and Bethany Hope Yang. All four had taken the stage in previous editions of the charity concert series organised by The Straits Times and Business Times.

The acts also covered music made by fellow Singaporeans. Post-hardcore band Caracal’s set, for example, featured a heavy rendition of home-grown electronic act .gif’s My Darling.

4. A vibrant blend Of genres

The line-up played a smorgasbord of different musical styles.

Caracal and fellow post-hardcore quintet A Vacant Affair’s abrasive sets inspired mosh-pits among fans near the Fort Canning Green stage.

In Battlebox, festivalgoers were either chilling on beanbags to ambient sounds or dancing to bouncy hip-hop beats.

R&B singers Imran Ajmain and lullaboy showcased impressive vocal runs while singer, songwriter and producer Shye’s shoegaze-meets-pop repertoire exuded a distinct Gen Z charm.

5. A dancing chicken

One of the most bizarre sights at the festival was someone in a black chicken suit rocking out to the music. It turned out that the chicken was Barci, a mascot for food and beverage chain Nando’s, which had a booth selling its famous peri-peri chicken at Sing60’s Festival Village.

The black cockerel was seen enjoying himself during Caracal’s set, and later dancing and taking wefies with clubbers at Battlebox.

The Straits Times © SPH Media. Reproduced with permission.