Bandwagon X Spotify Singapore: Gig Picks November 2014

ESTIMATED 

It's November, which means it's already time to start prepping for end-of-year festivities! But don't tire yourself too much though, there's a wide array of gigs happening this month; from gigs by critically-acclaimed indie pop acts, singer-songwriters, a neo-classical duo and even a spoken word experiment. Of course, there's a lot more so check out our picks for the month ahead!



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SECRET GARDEN 'THE GREATEST HITS' TOUR

If you’re in the mood for a night of serene and peaceful music, Secret Garden will satisfy with their take on European folk music, new age and classical music that has won them fans worldwide from their Eurovision win in 1995 for the composition “Nocturne”. Since then, they’ve continued to write music that has crossed over to mainstream entertainment, from their song “You Raise Me Up” which has been covered by Josh Groban and Westlife among other singers, to the piece “Adagio” which was featured in the Wong Kar Wai film 2046.

AGARATION OF EMPATHY

Billed as a spoken word experiment involving music, sound and other diverse verbal forms, this collaboration will feature multi-disciplinary artist Bani Haykal (formerly of B-Quartet and The Observatory), Isa Ong (Pleasantry, sub:shaman), Marc Nair, Suhaili Safari (The Psalms) and weish (.gif, sub:shaman). The ensemble will perform on both 7 and 8 November.

GOOD TIMES X DUNCE

This month's edition of Good Times sees them teaming up with local music and art collective DUNCE to present an eclectic line-up that features psych-rock band Spacedays and indie rock quartet Cashew Chemists performing live sets while there will be DJ sets by Gema, Jaydah and .gif's Din with MC Roz on the mic. 

CANVAS & NOPARTYHERE FT. JON HOPKINS (DOMINO RECORDS, UK)

If you're still left shaken by the unfortunate cancellation of the latest Hostess Weekender instalment, promoters here have done their best to salvage acts from the line-up by setting up shows for two of them. The good people at NoPartyHere, in partnership with nightclub venue Canvas, have roped in beloved electronic musician Jon Hopkins to perform a DJ set on 7 November. William J from Darker than Wax will be opening the show.

WILD BEASTS - LIVE IN SINGAPORE

The second of two post-Hostess cancellation shows, Symmetry Entertainment will be bringing in Wild Beasts to perform at Beep Studios following their Halloween mini-fest Beary Scary Night. The band, who were nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2009, have continued to bask in critical acclaim following their latest studio effort Present Tense. Known for their dense lyricism, intricate vocal harmonies and multi-layered electronic instrumentation, we got to interview them a while ago about feminism and video games

WHERE WERE YOU? FESTIVAL

While some of us were still playing hopscotch or glued to our screens playing our Playstation consoles in the 90s, there was a healthy underground scene in Singapore that continues to this day. Held at The Substation, Where Were You? Festival will celebrate these bands who ruled the DIY stages and distros back in their heyday by bringing them back for one day of live music, with some of them having been inactive until now.

JOE SATRIANI - 2014 WORLD TOUR LIVE IN SINGAPORE

Many talented guitar players have come and gone but there can only be one Joe Satriani! The legendary guitar virtuoso will finally perform in his maiden gig here after the cancellation of his 2003 date due to the SARS epidemic. Expect high-octane riffage and world-class instrumentation at The Star Theatre as he brings along a line-up of some of the world's best musicians including drummer Marco Minnemann, bassist Bryan Beller and veteran multi-instrumentalist Mike Keneally. Read our interview with the man himself here!

YUMI EPICUREANS ALBUM LAUNCH

Fresh off working on their debut release which will be released by UK post-hardcore label Dog Knight Productions, screamo band Yumi will embark on an ambitious tour through Taiwan and Japan. Before that, they'll start it off with an album launch show here at Lithe Paralogue on 15 November. If previews of their debut Epicureans is anything to go by, expect an incredibly intense and emotive show by the group.

AN ACOUSTIC EVENING WITH JASON MRAZ AND RAINING JANE

He's back! Best known for his hits "Geek in the Pink" and "I'm Yours", singer-songwriter Jason Mraz is still going strong with a brand new album in tow and a backing band to boot. He will be backed by folk-rock group Raining Jane on this tour, performing songs off his vast catalogue along while supporting his new album YES! on both 17 and 18 November at The Star Theatre.

THE GATHERING WITH CHVRCHES

If you didn't get enough of them back in Laneway this year, be prepared to catch the Scottish trio here once again. CVHRCHES have been enjoying a wave of commercial success and critical adoration since their explosive debut The Bones Of What You Believe. Set to release a new EP for Record Store Day's Black Friday edition, the group will bring their energetic live show to The Coliseum @ Hard Rock Hotel on 21 November. We got the chance to interview the group twice; once when they mused about Game of Thrones and the other about working on a new album.

MR BIG LIVE IN SINGAPORE 2014

The hard rock supergroup has been back at it, releasing brand new records and touring worldwide since their much-anticipated reunion in 2009. Mr. Big, consisting of powerhouse vocalist Eric Martin, virtuoso guitarist Paul Gilbert, renowned bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Pat Torpey, may have produced a lot of chart-topping hard rock anthems and ballads but one thing that cannot be understated is their flawless instrumental abilities. Having blown away a 4000-strong crowd of die-hard fans in 2009, it's safe to say the band will continue to do so on 26 November at Kallang Theatre.

BILL CALLAHAN (USA) LIVE IN SINGAPORE

Making Singapore his only stop in the entire Asian region, established singer-songwriter Bill Callahan will be performing at The Substation after his latest universally-praised effort Dream River and its dub counterpart Have Fun with God. Having released a body of lo-fi and experimental work under the project Smog, Callahan has since moved on to doing earnest and heart-rending folk music under his own name. Along with his recorded work, he has also written songs that have been covered by Gil Scott-Heron, The Flaming Lips and Cat Power among others. Bill Callahan will be supported by The Observatory frontman Leslie Low, whose latest album No such thing as ghosts sees him treading personal topics that range from his childhood to modern societal topics.

HOOBASTANK LIVE IN SINGAPORE

Get ready to relive days of angst-ridden radio rock hits as Hoobastank will be coming back for one night at The Coliseum @ Hard Rock Hotel. Best known for producing some of the most catchy but hard-hitting radio hits of the early 2000s, the group has soldiered on with most of the original members remaining in the line-up. While plans for a new album have yet to be announced, we'll be certain you can hear "The Reason" in its full live glory.