Visiting Singapore: Inside Out

SINGAPORE — Singapore: Inside Out (SGIO) is finally on home ground. After visits to cities like London, New York and Beijing, the travelling experiential showcase of Singapore’s creative talents in arts, architecture, design, film, food and music is currently up at Tan Quee Lan Street at Bugis until Dec 6.

There were exhibits by artists and designers including the likes of Nathan Yong, Jason Lim and Robert Zhao Renhui — some of which made us scratch our heads in wonder and confusion. But when we stopped by on Friday night, the star attraction was undoubtedly the mini-concert by Singaporean experimental band SA and rock outfit Caracal in collaboration with visual collective NMA, as part of local non-profit music society SGMUSO’s live showcase of music talents in Singapore.

SA’s performance was certainly the more baffling, at least to this reviewer’s untrained ear. The band, which is known for its experimental, free-flowing style, mixed the sounds of traditional Chinese instruments, like the guzheng, with instruments like drums, the didgeridoo and, occasionally, what sounded like primal shouting from their vocalist Andy Chia.

The headbanging began, however, when Caracal took to the stage for their set. The rock band played a half-hour set of hits from their 2014 album, such as Welcome The Ironists and Divergence, as well as older tunes like Charlatan and The Strain. The audience seemed to be made up of hardcore Caracal fans who stood in front and sang along to every song, as well as curious tourists who bobbed their heads along to the music in the back.

Given the opportunity, it’s almost a pity we didn’t get to see Caracal and SA — two bands of vastly different styles — collaborate on a song or two on stage. Nevertheless, the showcase is an excellent platform for those unfamiliar with Singapore’s growing scene to get a glimpse of what our artists and musicians can do, and for those who already have a favourite local artist or two to discover new voices.

Even if we don’t always understand them.

The SGMUSO Live Showcase will be held on Nov 28, 29 and Dec 6, with acts like Charlie Lim, Vandetta, Take Two, Pleasantry and THELIONCITYBOY, as well as the work of visual artists SSYSTM and empyreal. Visit http://singaporeinsideout.com for more information on the SGMUSO Live Showcase line-up and other events taking place at SGIO.