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The Sam Willows' big gig

SINGAPORE — When The Sam Willows perform their first full concert on July 22, they will also be the first local act to play to a crowd of more than 3,000 at The Coliseum at the Hard Rock Hotel.

The Sam Willows (L-R): Benjamin Kheng, Sandra Riley Tang, Narelle Kheng and Jonathan Chua. Photo: Damien Teo/TODAY

The Sam Willows (L-R): Benjamin Kheng, Sandra Riley Tang, Narelle Kheng and Jonathan Chua. Photo: Damien Teo/TODAY

SINGAPORE — When The Sam Willows perform their first full concert on July 22, they will also be the first local act to play to a crowd of more than 3,000 at The Coliseum at the Hard Rock Hotel.

“The closer we get to the date, the more I’m starting to panic,” confessed Sandra Tang. “This is the first time we are actually doing a concert that is ours. People are paying to come to see us — just us — and not to see us open for another band. I think that’s scary because there’s a lot of responsibility to put on a good show.”

It’s a good kind of stress to have, though. “Other than big names such as Stefanie Sun, no one has done a full-on, big show,” said bass guitarist Narelle Kheng. “This is something we’ve been wanting to do since we formed the band.”

It’s also a testament to how far they have come. The concert “will show the journey we’ve had in the last four-and-a-half years; how we’ve explored different styles of music,” said lead guitarist Jonathan Chua.

There’s no doubt that The Sam Willows has grown to become one of Singapore music’s most successful acts. But do they feel any pressure or competition from fast-rising, newer artists such as Gentle Bones, who recently held a sold-out concert at the Esplanade?

“No,” answered Narelle immediately. “I don’t listen to one artist on my phone. I listen to, like, 50. On YouTube, if you click on The Sam Willows, you’re (also) going to see Gentle Bones. If you click on Gentle Bones, you’re (also) going to see The Sam Willows. You need other bands for the industry to grow. When you have little steps that you have people around you helping you take, the whole industry grows together. And every time someone breaks boundaries, it just means that the door opens.”

So what can we expect from The Sam Willows’ first big gig, apart from one-and-a-half hours of music, solo performances and a full band setup? “It’s going to be something quite different from what people who have seen us live can expect because we’re trying to push ourselves a lot creatively and trying to get out of our comfort zone,” said Benjamin Kheng. “We’re including a couple more show elements such as light, sound and dancers.” Also, “We are reworking some songs,” said Sandra.

Added Jonathan: “People are paying money to come and watch us. So, we’ve got to make it a good show!”

Q: How are you going to celebrate holding your own big concert?

Benjamin: I’m going to sleep.

Sandra: We are actually really boring people. After we play shows overseas, we either go for supper or we just go back and sleep.

Benjamin: We should be partying — but you guys go ahead.

Jonathan: We talk about it a lot but we end up not doing it.

Sandra: Let’s book a hotel room. Let’s book the whole hotel.

Q: Who has the most unusual pre-show ritual?

Jonathan: Recently, Ben has started dancing before shows.

Benjamin: I do?

Jonathan: The only one who entertains him is Narelle. Sandra is like, ‘I’m too cool to do this.’

Narelle: Because Sandra can actually dance.

Benjamin: Narelle is like, ‘That’s so lame. Can you teach me?’

Jonathan: And they do it for like half an hour. I don’t know where they find the energy.

Benjamin: Jon claims that he talks to his guitar but for the record I don’t think any of us has ever seen him talk to his guitar. So it must be a very secretive thing, where he goes to a corner and talks to it. That’s slightly worrying.

Jonathan: In 2013, at Music Matters, my guitar strings snapped during the second song. I didn’t have a spare guitar. Since then, before every show, I always tell my guitar not to snap its strings. It has helped because I haven’t snapped my strings since 2013, okay, guys?

Q: During concerts, who is the most likely to go off script?

Benjamin: We don’t have a plan. We just go.

Narelle: We’ve spent so much time together. We’ve played so many shows. Sometimes there’s really no reason to have a script. These guys are closer than my family.

Jonathan: What? (Looks from Narelle to her brother Benjamin)

Narelle: And they are my family.

Sandra: Good save.

Jonathan: It’s funny that you say this. We have this unspoken chemistry. In the past we used to text one another the night before about what we were going to wear. Now, we don’t care anymore. Yesterday we had an event. All of us turned up in black. And then today, we all turned up in white shoes.

Benjamin: When Jon goes off script, he breaks things.

Sandra: Oh yeah, he broke a light at one of our shows.

Benjamin: Because when you’re doing a guitar solo, you can’t keep your guitar (still). It’s scientifically proven.

Jonathan: Guys, this happened two years ago.

Benjamin: Dude, you nearly killed everyone. But, I mean, it was quite a rock star move for a folk band. As a folk band, we’re allowed one rock star move a year, and he claimed it.

Q: What is the worst thing you can imagine happening on stage?

Sandra: Clowns.

Jonathan: A giant fish falling on Ben.

Benjamin: I’ve got a mad phobia of fish. I just can’t eat it if it’s not filleted. It’s just scaly.

Sandra: But Nemo is so cute, right?

Benjamin: No! I hate that cartoon!

Sandra: Or, like, someone trips and falls, that would be pretty bad.

Narelle: I don’t mind tripping and falling. I think that’s okay.

Sandra: No, like you smash and break your head, that kind of sh*t.

Narelle: Oh. Oh, yeah.

Sandra: Or it starts raining fish.

The Sam Willows’ concert is on July 22 at 7pm at The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel. Tickets from S$48 to S$58 from Sistic.

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