The Summer State EP Launch

So, as many of you would know (if you know me personally, that is), I have met some pretty amazing people in my line of work at Noise Singapore. One of them is Bryan, drummer for The Summer State, who told me to pursue my writing, which in turn led to my sending in an application for the TODAY Internship. Thus, when I saw that The Summer State was launching their EP on the 23rd of February, I decided to go down to support him, quid pro quo.

I'm not sure how many of you have seen The Summer State's latest MV, "I Do, I Don't", which has, at the time of this posting, garnered over 30,000 views on YouTube. Frankly, that is no mean feat for a local band, and I am immensely proud that in some ways, the local music scene is gaining some momentum. If you haven't, then feast your eyes below. It is really worth the 4:19 because the plot is interesting and just don't get me started on the song (which has been on repeat for the past day, I love slow songs so...).

It's funny how I nearly missed the launch, because at the very last minute, my friend, Putera, who was supposed to go to the event with me, had to go back to Malaysia. Unable to convince anyone to accompany me, I briefly considered missing the entire event because I've never been comfortable going for events alone, mainly due to the fact that I am a very, very awkward person. Yet, I really don't regret making the super spontaneous decision (just an hour before the event was to begin) to give it a whirl anyway. So I packed up my DSLR and headed down to Home Club for what I fervently hoped was an evening of fun and excitement.

Truth be told, I wasn't disappointed.

Despite the fact that I don't know Bryan super well (we've only talked briefly in real life, and exchanged a few tweets), he was more than welcoming when he found out I had made the trip down to support him alone. He introduced me to two of his friends, Aurelia and Paul, who ended up accompanying me for the duration of the entire launch. I am immensely grateful for that because without them, I'm damn sure I wouldn't have had half the fun I did at the event.

In addition to The Summer State, the launch included performances by other mad talented bands such as Trick, Godzilla, For This Cycle, Amateur Takes Control and West Grand Boulevard. I had only heard Godzilla before so I was quite psyched to listen to the rest. Sadly, though, I wasn't feeling super good so I could only stay in the club for a few performances at a time before I had to go out for some fresh air. I ended up only listening to Trick, Godzilla, For This Cycle and of course, The Summer State. I quite regret not listening to West Grand Boulevard because my boss, Jianping, had been raving about them the entire week and telling me how good they are. Fingers crossed, I'll get the opportunity to listen to them live someday. :)

Godzilla's performance was the only one which I managed to get proper photos of, mainly due to my inability to push my way to the front. I was already at the front for their performance so naturally, I got decent shots. These boys are, for lack of a better word, amazing. I first got to know about their music through, no surprises here, Noise Singapore, because they are one of the featured artistes for the Pop-Up Noise exhibitions which I'm currently working at. When I first listened to their music, I wasn't expecting much, because they are young (younger than me, so whenever I'm with them, I feel old) but good lord did they blow me away. It's really no wonder that they played at Baybeats 2012 because their music is really, really, really good. If I was to be perfectly honest, they do have room for improvement (we all do, in everything we do), but with what little time they have had as a band, their accomplishments are well-deserved. I cannot stress enough how impressive these guys are, so check them out yourself here and you'll know why. And if you're too lazy to click on the link (I always am too lazy), then I'll do you one better by putting a video right here.

So yeah, go get their EP, go support them at gigs, they're worth it.

And, of course, the highlight of the night was The Summer State's performance. I am no stranger to The Summer State. I first caught them in 2011, when they opened for The Sweet Collision, a concert featuring Mayday Parade and Eyes Set To Kill. They were already good then, but they were mind-blowing at their EP launch. There were some problems with the sound system, but they overcame it and, damn, did they bring that roof down. I think that the really high-as-hell crowd helped round up the experience as well. These people have come a really long way from when I first heard them in 2011 and for some inexplicable reason, I'm just really proud. I won't go too much into their music itself because I honestly think you should give it a listen yourself here. :)

The amazing night wouldn't have been possible without these guys, so thank you all so much for pursuing your dreams and producing such a lovely EP, and of course, launching it alongside what I can only describe as wonderful bands.

So, to end off this post, I'd just like to say that I know a lot of people who read this probably have never listened to local music before, or have the mindset that local music is lousy. I don't blame any of you, because just two months ago, I was in that very same position. Yet, a lot of us, as idealistic youths, complain that the government does little to support the local arts scene when we ourselves don't make the effort to support it. If we don't support these people (who, contrary to popular opinion, are really talented and have so much more potential to unleash), then we really can't expect them to get the sort of exposure they truly deserve. So, let's all just take that step and support local, and ya'll can start by clicking all the links I shared above! :)