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Electrico: Love At The Sub | 4/5

SINGAPORE — Together with The Observatory and Ronin, indie rock group Electrico represented the rise of a new wave of local bands back in 2003, after a very depressing five years in which the country went through a financial crisis, the impact of 9/11 on global economies and the SARS epidemic.

Electrico spreads the love as the audience makes some noise at The Substation Theatre. Photo: Cherlynn Lian.

Electrico spreads the love as the audience makes some noise at The Substation Theatre. Photo: Cherlynn Lian.

SINGAPORE — Together with The Observatory and Ronin, indie rock group Electrico represented the rise of a new wave of local bands back in 2003, after a very depressing five years in which the country went through a financial crisis, the impact of 9/11 on global economies and the SARS epidemic.

A decade later, Electrico is now an award-winning veteran band and renowned in the local scene for their infectious radio hits and energetic live performances. Since the release of the last album, We Satellites, in 2008 and the writing and recording of What Do You See (for 2009’s National Day), the band had been relatively quiet until an well-received appearance at last year’s Baybeats.

More recently, Electrico’s set at the Good Vibes Festival in Sepang, Malaysia, in August was cancelled due to severe weather and the band organised a “pay-what-you-want” fundraising gig at The Substation on Sunday. Dubbed “Love At The Sub”, the gig served two purposes: To raise funds for the refurbishment of The Substation, a key player in the growth of local indie music in the ‘90s, and for Electrico to re-connect with its fans with an intimate night of good old fashioned ‘90s-influenced rock ‘n’ roll.

There was little doubt that the second objective was achieved without much fuss. In fact, the gig felt like a reunion as the band members — Dave Tan (vocals, guitar), Desmond Goh (bass, vocals) and William Lim Jr (drums, vocals) — mingled with the crowd pre-show amidst much back-slapping and hugs. The “we’re family” atmosphere was further underscored by the presence of numerous young children— the offspring of Electrico fans — who would perhaps grow up to be the next generation of local bands or music fans. In any case, these young ones were certainly getting exposed to the right stuff at the right age.

In that context, it was no surprise that the crowd was well into the performance — their enthusiasm certainly inspiring the band to give their best, despite some evidence of rustiness. Tan, in particular, was in his element and exuded a steady assurance as the trio blasted out a set that defiantly focused on new material. Tracks like Wayside, Fire In The Sky, Easy Come and Livin’ The Night demonstrated that their melodic hooks are as sharp as ever, with the crowd humming along to these unfamiliar tunes.

There was a revealing insight halfway through the set when Tan and Goh bantered about the band’s laziness in the early days to write original material, before launching into an impassioned version of Oasis’ Supersonic, which was met with wild abandon from the audience. But to their credit, this response was outmatched when the band delivered their very own crowd favorites: Walk, Love In New Wave, I See The Light and, of course, Runaway. For that last hit, it seemed the crowd had spontaneously burst out in a collective singalong as the chorus echoed throughout The Substation Theatre — believe me, there’s no experience like this. When a Singapore audience shows its appreciation to one of its own in the best possible way, it’s a definite chills-down-spine moment.

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