Music to check out: The LGF Band

SINGAPORE – At about a decade old, that band known as LGF (Little Green Frog) can consider themselves a veteran pop group of sorts. Despite being a Chinese indie band - which some say is a minority of a minority in the music scene here - LGF Band, consisting of Regine Han (vocals), Eisan Seto (synthesizers), Boey (percussion), has managed to make a mark, thanks to their performances, not only in Singapore but in Taiwan and Malaysia, too.

However, on Saturday (Feb 13), the LGF Band will take to the Esplanade Outdoor Stage from 8.45pm as part of the “We Are Singer Songwriters!” programme (which is part of this year’s Huayi Festival). What’s on their plate? “A heavy dose of fun” with music that combines both Eastern and Western elements, said the band. We caught up with singer Han to find out more.

Q: When did the band form?

A: We started out as a covers band 10 years ago. Along the way we decided to try writing our own material – songs that we like!

Q: Are you full-time musicians? If so, what was the reason for making that decision?

A: Yes we are! We love music and we can’t think of anything else to do!

Q: Why did you decide to play indie music instead of traditional Chinese pop?

A: Actually we consider ourselves a Chinese pop band. Our originals are written in Mandarin, but we draw our influences from both English and Chinese pop songs we enjoy listening to.

Q: Has been a challenge to establish The LGF Band within the music scenes in Singapore? If so, why?

A: Yes definitely, but I think our problem exists everywhere in the world. There are many indie bands out there, so we need to figure out a way to stand out and create an audience of our own. In the recent years, there have been more venues and organisations that support local indie artists; and with social media, the outreach is definitely wider. However, it is also getting more challenging to create material that can impress a crowd and capture a following. We are constantly working on that!

Q: Do you hope one day to be able to survive simply playing your originals? Do you see that ever happening in Singapore?

A: Yes! That would definitely be a dream come true to survive solely on playing originals. I think the indie culture in Singapore is still relatively young - after all, Singapore is only 50 years old! But we believe it’s growing and catching on. Youngsters these days are more receptive to local indie artists and you see more of a following in the last five years. We want to believe that in the future to come there will be artistes who can survive by playing original music if they have great business plans, an active following and decent content.

Q: What can the audience expect from your show at the Esplanade?

A: We are currently planning for an EP some time late this year and will be performing some of the songs as a preview during the show. Our keyboardist, Seto, recently wrote the theme song for a Taiwanese drama, so we will be sharing that song on that day too!

Q: What are your future plans for your music?

A: Create and build more content, work our social media right and capture a wider audience.