Not being that big a fan of local music myself, I went to The Substation with 2 friends, not knowing what to expect, but certainly hoping that I’d at least enjoy myself. What happened for the next 10 hours simply blew me away, and shamelessly, I became one of the many moshing to the fantastic performance by the excellent local bands, wishing the night wouldn’t end as soon as it did.

Yes, Rock The Sub at The Substation was really that good.

It started off with My Writes, a young band of 4 fronted by female vocalist Dhaniah, who played to a small crowd. Perhaps it was 2pm on a Sat that resulted in the small audience, but My Writes gave a good performance, their last before a 2-year hiatus because the guys in the band have National Service duties to fulfill. The guitarist wowed the crowd with his riffs, and the drummer did just enough to whip the small but growing crowd into a frenzy.

After My Writes came ETC, touted by The Straits Times as the most literate band playing in the region, ETC served up a 45min set of bittersweet psychopop with their distinctive volume-varying style, from the insistent backbeat to Ben Harrison’s ambivalent vocals their songs injected with smart lyrics, coupled with music that made some in the crowd start dancing. The Super Illegals came on thereafter, one of the newest indie rock bands making the (still somewhat) small crowd pack the front with their mix of classic and indie rock.

The Fire Fight was next in turn, and by then the crowd had swelled in numbers as throngs of fans of the local indie music scene crowded the theatre floor, anticipating the exuberant indie rock that The Fire Fight have been known for. Soaring in popularity after opening for Anberlin and Copeland at their recent concert and led by Joshua Tan on vocals and guitars, they kept the crowd rocking and very happy.

No matter which direction you turned, all eyes were on the stage as the 4 boys churned out innovative tunes, Joshua’s vocals backed by Iain on drums, Jon on guitars and Josh Barker on bass. Bearing their unique style of indie rock and with their strong stage presence, The Fire Fight had the crowd eating out of their hands, especially with their 3-chord song, Hours, rocking and preparing the crowd for what came next, Caracal, undoubtedly the most popular band playing that afternoon.

Levan Wee of Ronin fame appeared on stage during Caracal’s sound check to promote the upcoming Rock for Wayne gig, a tribute to Wayne Thunder from The Suns, who passed away in his sleep on May 21 this year. He talked about Wayne not just as a fellow musician, but as a friend and mentor as well. The grief he felt was evident as his eyes filled up with tears halfway through his speech, and his voice was choked with emotion. The crowd listened in rapt and respectful silence.

However, the mood refused to be dampened. It was a rock concert after all, dammit! Levan then took the liberty of introducing Caracal and touted them as the Next Big Thing. It’s easy to see why though, as the boys put up a frenzied, ferocious and ultimately, entertaining performance for an appreciative audience. What truly set them apart from the other bands was their showmanship, as front man Chris worked himself into a sweat, dancing and headbanging in tandem to the music. It was riveting, to say the least. The highlight of the set was when Matt from A Vacant Affair joined Chris on stage for a duet, if you can call it that.

The Analog Girl was up next, armed with her trusty Apple notebook. Her heady mix of edgy, dreamy and futuristic electro-rock was chosen to accompany Nike Europe’s new retail campaign.. Delivering an eclectic and awesome show of synth pop mixed with sensous rock, her sequencing was not only spot on, but her vocals added to the music’s ambience, enrapturing the audience, charming those new to her brand of disco punk rock tunes.

Astreal, fronted by Ginette Chittick, appeared on stage after The Analog Girl, and immediately all her fans in the crowd went wild. She certainly repaid their faith, as Astreal put on a brilliant showpiece of electronica rock. Having released 2 demos and 2 full length albums, Astreal looks set to soar, and after this performance, has certainly sealed their place up there amongst the better local bands.

By then, the temperatures were getting to the crowd, as many started milling in and out of the theatre. They took the time in between the set change after Astreal finished to catch a breather. As many stayed outside, The Pinholes went on stage and played a good set of vintage rock, keeping the crowd that remained happy, and in the mood for B’Quartet, the 2 pairs of brothers who all happen to be cousins. Blending funk, jazz, metal and progressive rock into a tight set, their performance reflected their eclectic musical tastes. Hailed by The Straits Times Life! music journalist Sujin Thomas as one of Singapore’s “most exciting live acts”, they were entertaining and kept the crowd pumped up for West Grand Boulevard (WGB), the first of the final 2 acts that kept everyone rocking, jumping, moshing.

Replacing Daphne Khoo of Singapore Idol fame who once sang for the band was Brian Gamboa, the original frontman of WGB who left to fulfill his NS commitments, and the emo-rock quintet certainly brought the house down. Delivering an infectious dose of a mash of pop and emo-rock, Dharma, Jude, Erik and Syed pulled off a brutally energetic performance that was epitomised by Brian’s sweaty shirt, and the never-ending screams of WGB fans.

Rounding off the day’s performance on was Plainsunset, one of the local music scene’s most influential and inspiring pop-punk bands known for their energy and fun-loving stage antics, and they provided a rousing finale to the fantastic performances by each and every local band that played before them with the best performance of the night. There was a funny incident though, when a man in white went up on stage and attempted to stage dive, but the crowd that was jumping and moshing to Plainsunset split in the middle and the man fell flat on his face, to much laughter.

Revellers and local music fans could then stay on for Indie Disco till 3am, where Beat! Disco, Twee Like Me, and sweetmusic.fm hit the decks, but for me, the entire lineup from 2pm was good enough, and as I dragged my weary body home, I realised I am now a new convert of local music.

For more details on upcoming events at The Substation, visit their website.