The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Posted: 19 Mar 2013 03:26 AM PDT Music lovers got a taste of everything at Future Music Festival Asia 2013 AT first glance, the repetitive dance music, busloads of scenesters and overpriced mineral water (RM5 a pop) would have been annoying for the unassuming music fan at last Saturday's Future Music Festival Asia 2013 (FMFA) at the Sepang International Circuit. Then again, with a wide range of performers to look out for from British electronica veterans The Prodigy to South Korean sensation Psy and in between, a number of local and regional acts, FMFA was definitely the place to be for music lovers. In Malaysia, festivals of such a size are not common – three main stages and assorted tents (and a pool party!) to keep the masses occupied. Despite this being the second edition of FMFA here, you still needed time to acclimatise and get the feel of this party "wonderland". Regardless of how they felt about expensive food/drinks and venue Sepang International Circuit being pretty much halfway around the world for the average Klang Valley music fan, over 25,000 people flocked to FMFA. It seemed like an impossible feat to fit over 40 performers in one venue but organisers Livescape Asia and Future Entertainment Australia somehow managed to pull it off. The diverse acts were spread across three stages named Flamingo, Gnome and Warrior Dance Arena. We all know that this festival was imported from Australia – but at least, the organisers could have localised the names of the stages. Harimau Dance Arena would have been a nicer local touch, no? Apart from music, it was all about exercise at FMFA and there was a lot of walking to do for each stage. At the Flamingo stage, local alt rock outfit Kyoto Protocol kicked off the show with rocking performances of its hits Give Me Nothing, Pussycats and new single KL I Love You. In between songs, vocalist Fuad cheekily addressed the crowd to make sure everyone still got a pulse. "I'm the doctor in the house! Are you guys doing alright?" said Fuad. Not long after that, Australian indie band Temper Trap took the stage and performed some of its well-known hits much to the delight of fans. Evidently for some of the party-goers that day, hearing songs like Sweet Dispostion, Love Lost and Rabbit Hole live was an experience that was worth the long drive to Sepang. "Despite the horrible traffic, Temper Trap made it all good," said Andy Ho, 19, a music fan at the venue. Kickin' it old school Elsewhere, on the Gnome stage, it was back to 1989 with hip-hop group De La Soul's Daisy Age throwback. The trio – Dave, Maseo and Posdnuos – rolled back the years with a funky feel good romp and the amount of oversized, baggy T-shirts seen at the stage front proved that this was a group made for hip-hop nostalgia. That's not to say the hipsters at the fest didn't get caught up by De La Soul favourites like Potholes In My Lawn and Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays. A group for all seasons, indeed. From across the Gnome stage, the LapSap pool party was also a cult favourite, with clubbers taking time out to chill and party on the elevated pool decks. But FMFA wasn't the kind of event for just hanging about. There were loads of acts to catch. Up next was the night's only female act on the Flamingo stage – Rita Ora. With the fashion sensibilities of Gwen Stefani and an eclectic musical taste inspired by Beyonce, Madonna, Ella Fitzgerald and Bruce Springsteen (and let's not forget, she comes highly recommended by hip-hop mogul Jay-Z), Ora could have kept the audience waiting for hours and still stir much interest. And well, she sort of did. "Rita! Rita! Rita!" the crowd chanted after the singer was still a no-show 15 minutes past her scheduled performance. Thankfully, in just under half an hour, the wait was over as the lights dimmed and a sweltering voice came through the loudspeakers. "Palms to the sky, we unite" she sang, opening with Radioactive, as if to coerce the audience to put the holdup behind and put their hands up in the air instead. But just as the crowd was starting to warm up to the singer's bold persona, a power outage left audiences high and dry. Nevertheless, the 22-year-old performer gracefully handled the situation, clasping her hands together and taking a bow as a way of apologising on behalf of the team. A few minutes (and another power outage) later, she finished the song and moved on to the crowd-pleaser, Hot Right Now. Judging from the sea of hip-swaying, head-bobbing concertgoers, it seemed the stage may be out of power at times but as a performer, Ora is never out of energy. From here on, her performance kicked off in full swing, especially during the Rihanna-sounding, Roc The Life, and the infectious, Uneasy. She ended her performance on an inspirational note with R.I.P., saying "this next song changed my life. It's about saying R.I.P. to the people you don't want, you don't need, the people who just don't care about you." Fun. with Gangnam Style The next act to grace the Flamingo stage was Psy. His performance started on time and went off without a hitch. The singer wanted the audience to "get to know who I am as an artiste" and introduced two songs, Champion and It's Art. Both numbers, though not nearly as infectious as Gangnam Style, had that same ability to engage the crowd's participation, proving to all that he can be more than just a one hit wonder. When time came for the iconic track, Psy said he would perform the song twice: "Everytime I do it, people are busy taking pictures and video for their friends. So I'll do a second Gangnam Style for you." On that note, cameras and smartphones were raised in the air as he delivered the song's signature moves. The biggest shock of the night came when Psy was just about to perform the song the second time and he abruptly declared: "This song is the reason why I'm standing here. It has been an honour performing Gangnam Style for the past nine months. My last performance of Gangnam Style will be on this stage. Look out for my new single on April 13!" The singer indicated that he grew tired of the song and wanted to move on. "I'm not a human being anymore, I'm a horse now," he said. With that said, the entertainer threw aside his light blue vest and loosened his collar in a bid to savour his last performance of the hit single and perhaps enjoy it for the first time. Even some of those who said they are not fans of Gangnam Style couldn't resist horse-dancing along to Psy and his bevy of dancers. The night continued with Fun.'s charistmatic vocalist Nate Ruess leading the crowd to a sing-along frenzy with Carry On, Some Nights and of course that song, (Tonight) We Are Young. Just last month, Ruess and bandmate added two Grammy trophies to their mantle for Best New Artiste and Song of The Year. At an exclusive interview before the band's show, Ruess said the band hasn't truly embraced the reality of its Grammy success. "No. Sometimes I think of the magnitude of it and why am I not freaking about it, but I guess that just means it hasn't sink in yet," he explained wholeheartedly. Far from dance moves, Klang Valley-based indie band They Will Kill Us All came up next andit went for set of scorchers – bookending its set with Sirens and The Great Glass City. Credit to the FMFA organisers here for giving local acts a run out at an international fest – it shows we are proud of our acts. Electro hip-hop diva Arabyrd rocked the Warrior Dance Arena while deejay act Dangerdisko were a lively proposition earlier in the day. Party till you drop Bloc Party were tasked to finish off the party at the Flamingo stage – and this British act were in the pink of health. Out came the favourites – Hunting For Witches, Banquet, Flux and the crowd-pleasing Helicopter. Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke didn't let up from the start and with a grin, he pushed the nearly exhausted crowd harder and harder as the set pressed on. Over at the Warriors Dance Area, hardcore electronic punk band The Prodigy ended the night with an energetic and blood-pumping performance for its fans. The atmosphere was incredible with fans screaming for The Prodigy to own the stage. You wanted electric, you got electric at this super stage. The last time The Prodigy – vocalist Keith Flint, beatboxer Maxim and keyboardist Liam Howlett – played Kuala Lumpur was in 2005. And how this explosive bunch has been missed. "All my Prodigy fighters, I need you guys to get down for me!" screamed Maxim on stage. Amidst the epileptic-inducing strobe lights and heart-pumping beats; the band performed hits like Firestarter, Breathe and No Good. Overall, concert-goers were undoubtedly entertained by the performances given by the wide range of music acts. Although improvements can be made on other aspects of the event. Littering was a glaring issue, with rubbish dotting festival grounds and garbage cans overflowing. There is also room for improvement when it comes to the sound system at the Flamingo stage. Ora's performance, for instance, could not be heard at all, depending on where one stood. Despite these minor setbacks, it seemed the crowd still enjoyed the event thoroughly. Plus, you can't go wrong with a magnificent display of fireworks at the end. James Dunham, 32, a backpacker who hails from Denmark said, "KL should have more festivals like this. It's amazing to see everyone together having fun and I am very lucky to be part of this incredible experience." Future Music Festival Asia 2013 and Livescape Asia have done what seemed impossible on local grounds; reuniting fans of difference music genres for one night of organised chaos and fun. |
| Posted: 19 Mar 2013 03:16 AM PDT ITALIAN tenor Andrea Bocelli is scheduled to perform in Kuala Lumpur on May 5. If you are still unsure about getting tickets to his concert, why not check out a preview of what his live show would be like at the cinema? GSC Movies and Universal Music Malaysia will be featuring the singer's movie concert Andrea Bocelli: Love In Portofino for two weeks starting this Thursday. The movie is a recording of Bocelli's concert in Portofino, Italy in August 2012. The concert included guest performers like violinist Caroline Campbell, trumpeter Chris Botti and singer Veronica Berti. The concert movie was released worldwide last month. Passione, Bocelli's 14th studio album, was produced by internationally-renowned and award-winning music producer David Foster. It contains 14 tracks, some of which were co-written by the singer himself. Some of the tracks include Senza Fine, Quizas Quizas Quizas, Champagne and covers of Love Me Tender (Elvis Presley), Garota De Ipanema (Antonio Carlos Jobim), as well as a virtual duet with the late Edith Piaf on La Vie En Rose. Andrea Bocelli: Love In Portofino runs for just under 100 minutes, and features not only the concert but also an interview with the singer. The movie will be shown exclusively at GSC cinemas. Browse www.gsc.com.my for details. |
| K-pop girl group Secret to hold concert in Singapore Posted: 18 Mar 2013 09:01 PM PDT (Reuters) -- K-pop girl group Secret is to hold their first exclusive concert in Singapore next week. The female quintet is to hold a concert at Marina Bay Sands' Convention Hall, one of the familiar landmarks of Singapore, on 29 March, the agency TS Entertainment said on Monday. Dubbed Secret Live In Singapore, the 5,000-seat concert will be the fourth exclusive concert in Singapore by a K-pop female group, after Girls' Generation in 2011 and 2NE1 as well as Wonder Girls in 2012, the talent firm explained. Raising the bar of the group's first-ever concert, the POISON singers hosted a press conference with some 30 Singaporean reporters on 17 March, after they heated up Thailand in Korean Music Wave In Bangkok with other K-pop stars the night before. Consisting of Han Sun-hwa, Song Ji-eun, Zinger and Jun Hyo-seong, Secret burst into the music scene in 2009 with their first single I Want You Back. The foursome has been enjoying big popularity with a slew of hits such as Magic, Madonna, Shy Boy and Love Is Move. The girls had to wrap up their unsuccessful promotion activities with the latest single TALK THAT, after Zinger was injured ina car accident a week after the song was released in December last year. |
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