‘It is going to be emotional’

SINGAPORE — Returning to our sunny shores, the All That Matters conference, which runs until Thursday, aims to fulfil its stated objective of “connecting key players in the music, sports and digital entertainment industries”. This is fantastic news, particularly for those in these industries. There is, however, the bonus of its Music Matters Festival, billed as “Asia’s premier independent music festival”, which everyone can enjoy.

The festival prides itself at being a key means of music discovery of up-and-coming local and international acts within the intimate settings of smaller venues. And this year, 24 international acts will take the stage, including The Veronicas (Australia), Aaradhna (New Zealand), Slot Machine (Thailand) and The Overtunes (Indonesia), to be hosted by Timbre Music viz. Barber Shop, Timbre Music Academy, Switch and Timbre @ The Substation, for the duration of the festival.

What is truly unique about this instalment is that it will also feature indie-alternative bands from Israel and Switzerland — The Garden City Movement and The Souls, respectively.

To be sure, this is a rare opportunity for music lovers to sample up front and personal, indie-alternative music from outside the usual music markets. So we caught up with the two bands to get their thoughts about playing in Singapore (and Asia) for the very first time.

How does it feel to be performing in Singapore?

Garden City Movement: We’re very excited about coming to Singapore. We heard the place is amazing and it’s the most exotic place we’ve ever played. Definitely going to see all the special gardens and museums.

The Souls: It’s always exciting how people in another continent react to our music. And I’m also looking forward to see how the mood of the country is. And as a food lover, I’m pretty excited about this experience.

What is the music scene like back home?

GCM: The music scene in Israel is quite small but exploding with talent. In the last few years, you can see more and more local acts making it around the world. The great thing about a small scene is that you know everyone and everything that is going on; it’s hard to miss on someone or something.

TS: It’s a pretty small country (Switzerland) with a lot of bands. But the good thing is that you can play a lot because there are many clubs … (and) there are a lot of festivals during the summers.

What do you hope to achieve at the Music Matters Festival?

GCM: Happiness! We hope to meet new people and play our music for them; it’s a new world for us.

TS: We don’t know what we can expect. But the most important thing to us is to lure the people with our music and our energy on stage.

Why is the Asian music scene important to you?

GCM: Every music scene is important to us; and the Asian scene is still a bit of a mystery for us, so we have a great interest in getting to know new artistes and understanding how such a large scene works in its many different areas.

TS: We already had the opportunity to play a couple of times in the Ukraine. And the people react differently, in a positive way, to our sound (from the way) the Swiss people do. That’s why we’re excited (to see) how our sound will be absorbed in the Asian (audience).

What can music fans in Singapore expect?

GCM: One of their greatest emotional yet danceable moments of their lives.

TS: They’re gonna be powerful, hot, passionate and emotional shows. The most beautiful thing that could happen … is that the people leave the location happier than they were before, just as (we are) after a show.

Catch The Souls tonight at 9.40pm at Timbre @ The Substation, and Garden City Movement on Wednesday at 9.40pm at Barber Shop By Timbre. For more information about the Music Matters Festival, visit http://musicmatters.asia.