Britain is home to the legendary Glastonbury Festival, Japan, on the other hand, has Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic, Korea has its Pentaport Rock Festival and neighbouring country Thailand just held its inaugural Bangkok 100 Rock Festival last year. It seems that rock fests are popping up everywhere on the world map and yet our tiny island has seen none that it can truly call its own.

Lucky for us, Singapore has finally caught on. Say hello to our very own SINGfest, a two-day pop concert bringing together the likes of celebrated synthpop duo, The Pet Shop Boys, 80’s pop icon Cyndi Lauper and heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold.

So what does Singapore’s first home grown music festival have in store for us? UrbanWire gives you a preview of SINGfest.

Day 1 Highlights

The Stranglers

Originally called The Guildford Stranglers, this English rock group’s known for their many sounds branching from punk rock to New Wave. However, according to Wikipedia, bass player/vocalist Jean Jacques Burne once said that he “considered himself a punk rocker”. Having released over a dozen albums over the last few decades, we have a feeling these indie granddaddies won’t disappoint.

Cyndi Lauper

It seems that every time we think of 80’s darling Cyndi Lauper, we can’t help but feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. Well, that’s probably because this multi award winning talented singer/songwriter struck a chord in our sappy hearts with her unforgettable romantic ballads such as “Time After Time”. What truly amazes us is that this New-Yorker, who’s also a fervent gay rights advocate, created a human rights music tour this year called the True Colours Tour which featured big names such as The Gossip, Debbie Harry, Erasure and Rufus Wainwright just to name a few. So instead of heading down to the local karaoke pub, sing along with her live.


Sugar Ray

Ah, Sugar Ray. Who can forget songs like “Fly”, “Someday” and “When It’s Over”? Unfortunately, the band’s last effort was a greatest hits compilation, which we all know is a tell tale sign of a band’s last ditch effort before its descent into oblivion. But they’re still worth catching if you’re, like us, still hooked onto their catchy tunes. Not to mention, the ladies can catch a glimpse of lead singer, Mark McGrath who was one hot papa back in the band’s heyday.

The Pet Shop Boys

There is no better way to end the night. Veterans, The Pet Shop Boys, are in our opinion, by far the best act in SingFest. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe are as loud in their public personas as they are with their music, having churned out clasics such “West End Girls”, “Heart” and “Always on My Mind”. Their latest album, Fundamental, which was released last year, peaked at #5 in the UK charts and earned them 2 Grammy nominations for Best Dance Recording (“I’m with Stupid”) and Best Electronic/Dance Album (Fundamental). All we can say is that these guys are dope!

Day 2 Highlights

Great Spy Experiment

The band’s collective sound is self-described to be ‘a champagne-fuelled orgy of powerpop, indie, rock and dance, informed by everything except J-Lo’. In March, band members Saiful, Kai, Fandy, Mag and Song even got the chance to fly up to the US to showcase their music at the South-by-Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. This local indie group is hot, hot, hot at the moment.

Noisettes

This British trio have toured extensively, with the likes of TV on the Radio, Babyshambles and Bloc Party, supported Muse on their European tour and have also appeared at the Coachella festival. With such impressive credentials, we’re expecting only the best from this indie collective.

Gym Class Heroes

These boys from New York are heating up the airwaves with their clever lyrics, unique alternate hip hop/funk sound and funny music videos. Their current hit “Cupid’s Chokehold” is one tune we can’t get out of our heads which makes this gig a must watch for us.

Avenged Sevenfold

We’re sure we heard the screams of many heavy metal-loving youths around the island when Avenged Sevenfold was confirmed on SingFest’s lineup. But for those of you who have never heard of A7X (as they’re known to their fans), think screamo-metal, thick eyeliner and angsty lyrics. This is an act that may not go down well for some but for emos, this is a band that cannot be missed.

So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets for this Aug 8-9 event and have a rockin’ good time. For more information, visit www.singfest.sg.