Lion City Rock

Kevin and Chris conclude their journey through Red Hot & Skin, the double-album that was released to create more awareness about Aids. While the premise for the album is a good one, does the "rojak-ness" of the tracks (yes, that's the technical term) put a spanner in the works? Along the way, they ponder Singapore's alternative music scene (Chris: "alternative to what?"...

In 1993, one album tried to encapsulate the wide world of music from the Lion City: Red Hot & Skin , the double-CD various artistes compilation album by Pony Canyon. Comprising 30 songs by 22 artistes, it was a genre-bending collection of songs that went from outrageous to meh. Kevin and Chris hit rewind on this album and along the way, they ask all-important questions like: Why do people say...

If you love going to gigs, you've probably seen our guest, Bas Linders, who has been checking every single concert on our shores (so it seems) ever since he landed on our shores all those years ago. He shares why he is a fan of local music, even as Kevin and Chris grill him about why he's always the tallest guy in the room. ****** Links Check out the Lo-Cal chat for SG gigs KayMac's mu...

This week, Kevin and Chris go back in time as they react to Flower Show Riots , the debut album by Great Spy Experiment. It received rave reviews when it was first released, but what do they think of it now? Along the way, they also discuss hard-hitting issues like: What if Siti in Siti In The City was related somehow to Siti in the Force Vomit song? And what would the album sound like if Chris ha...

Rock trio Cactus Cactus dropped their new EP, Life Is Short , this weekend, so we thought we'd revisit our conversation with singer Isaac Chiew, who's surely one of the brighter sparks in the music scene today. ***** This podcast series isn't only about musos of the past – this week, we talk to young  Isaac Chiew , a music lover and musician who's taking things into his own hands w...

Our special guest this week has a resume that's as impressive as it is long: he's one-half of the electronic music duo, Cosmic Armchair ; he's the Abyss Simian; he's the principal tutor at the NUS' Electronic Music Lab; he's also a certified Ableton tutor; he's a devoted dad; he's a loving husband; he's... Ben Ang ! Join Kevin and Chris as they delve into electr...

In this rewind episode, we look back in on our conversation with singer-songwriter RENE, who has a new EP out: Slipped Through My Finger s. RENE started piano lessons when she was only four, and since then, she has taken on the world with her unique blend of pop-punk. Even the pandemic didn't stop her musical journey. In 2021, she released her debut EP,  Something To Hide , and rocked the Bayb...

Back in 2013, Inch Chua released her groundbreaking album, Bumfuzzle – an artistic sonic adventure that captured the imagination. To mark its 10th anniversary, Kevin and Chris dive into the tracks as they ponder... ... why Chris gave this album a five-star review ... whether an arts education is necessary to enjoy albums like this ... why nobody has used this album for a soundtrack ... if Bumfuzzl...

In this concluding segment of our discussion on the 30th anniversary of Democracy and Midnight In June , Kevin and Chris recall what was going on in the scene when they were making and promoting these albums. Along they way, they answer some hard-hitting questions like: Why was Kevin called Singapore's premier protest singer? Why did AWOL call their engineer "Passport"? And what did th...

In 2013, rock quintet Obedient Wives Club (OWC) released their sophomore EP, Murder Kill Baby to much acclaim. In the space of a couple of years, the band - Keith (guitars), Yinqi (vocals), Lennat (drums), Cherie (guitars, vocals) and Sulaiman (bass) - had become the talk of the town. On the anniversary of Murder Kill Baby , Keith and Yinqi look back at the birth of the band, dealing with unintere...

It's the 30th anniversary of Democracy and Midnight In June , two local albums that made a splash in the scene back in 1993. Democracy , by Kevin's band, Watchmen , was the result of years of songwriting, demos and braving challenges that were thrown in their path. Midnight In June , by Chris' band AWOL (Artists Without Official Licence), came about after they won the New School Rock/C...

What does a millennial from Florida know about Singapore's pop music scene? Kevin and Chris find out with Jake Kussmaul , whose YouTube channel Famous Or Forgotten Music has been giving shoutouts to Singapore musicians past and present. These include The Quests, Concave Scream, The Oddfellows, The Padres, Chris Ho and Jake has been collecting SG music for years, and he shares why he has a part...

It's a special review episode! Kevin and Chris share their thoughts about things they saw and did in the last few weeks. They spill the tea about... what surprised Kevin at the Arctic Monkeys concert? what made Chris tear up during the screening of Class Acts , the documentary about the Singapore pop culture scene? what did the guys find out about the "Blake" in the Alex Blake Charlie...

"Young hearts be free tonight... time is on your side". Formed in 2019, motifs made waves in 2022 with their sparkling performance at Baybeats. Remarkably, that was only their third live appearance! Almost as quickly as they formed though, the pandemic put the brakes on the band's aspirations; but in late 2021, they got going again – with a new drummer, no less – and a year later, they...

Meet Rae and Cravis , two young people from different backgrounds who met in the Music and Drama Company and began their life journey together. Rae currently hosts the show, Backstage Pass with MDC, which features Singapore's hot young music talents; while Cravis works with musicians and is a dancer too. If you think about it, they, it seems, have done everything, everywhere and (nearly) all a...

When it comes to groundbreaking Singapore bands of the 1960s, we always cite The Crescendos or The Quests. But The October Cherries have often flown under the radar, much to Kevin's chagrin. The October Cherries' drummer Richard Khan joins Kevin and Chris to share his experiences, from joining them after a chance meeting to getting stuck in Belgium to making it big with World Hits, and rev...

Tomorrow Is Our Permanent Address may be a line from e e cummings, but B-Quartet' s debut album is one of Kevin's and Chris' favourite albums of all time. At least Top 3. Definitely in their Top 10. The guys hit rewind on an album that is a no-holds-barred exploration of sonic landscapes – sometimes sharp as a razor, sometimes soft as a pillow, or sometimes, mellow like a, er, mellow t...

Kevin and Chris finish their excursion into 1995 as they look at the year's most important music-related moments, including... ...the rise and rise of Kit Chan and The Lizards' Convention ...how Zouk got its groove back despite being closed after a drugs bust ...why a 38-year-old businessman wanted Anita Sarawak's bustier ...and why Kevin can't remember ever going to dance club Moo...

Chris thinks 1995 was, musically, a special year for the Lion City. With more media coverage, more gigs, and more music, 1995 looked poised to be even better than the years prior. But was it really? In Part 1, Kevin and Chris look at what made 1995 special: Was it that local bands started opening for acts like Sheryl Crow and Bon Jovi? Was it that R.E.M. used the Singapore show for their Star 69 m...

Welcome to the final episode of 2022! Our guest stepped in at the beginning of the year to fill in the bass slot for The Fast Colors, so we thought it fitting that he'd step in to help us close the year as well: it's the marvellous multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, Nelson Tan ! Fun fact: he used to be a Singapore Idol contestant! Another fun fact: he's the bassist for the in...

Rock never die! Just ask alt-rockers Lilac Saints , who've released a "best of" compilation called Halo Again, and are set to take the stage in Jan 2023 – more than 30 years after they banded together. The five guys have been friends since Sec 1 and although they've been through ups and downs, it's clear their friendship goes a long way. Kevin and Chris catch up with drummer De...

START YOUR ENGINES, it's TRUCK ! Kevin and Chris react to this rarity in the Lion City's discography: Truck's one and only album, Surprise! Surprise! Truck who, you say? Truck was a spin-off – and one-off – band, made up of October Cherries' members Jay Shotam, Benny Siew and Richard Khan. Surprise! Surprise! was, in essence, a reworking of the October Cherries' album, Dreamsel...

Join Kevin and Chris for a chat with the world's pioneering Vedic metal band – Rudra ! Formed in 1992, the guys from Rudra – Kathir, Shiva, Vinod and Devan – have been rocking the world with their music, from Singapore to India to the US and beyond. The band share their musical journey and why... ... they decided early on to play "Vedic metal" ... hecklers don't bother them anymore...

Although they had personnel changes through the years, Naomi And The Boys would be best remembered for its classic line-up of Naomi Suriya, her brother Robert, Moses Tay, Alphonso Soosay and Peter Thomas. Naomi And The Boys had hits with Happy Happy Birthday Baby , It's All Over , I Know and many more, and Robert proved himself to be a prolific composer, writing most of the band's songs. K...

It's 1964, and The Beatles are here in Singapore! They were on the way back to the UK after their Australia and New Zealand tour. Although their stopover was only 55 minutes long, they planned a meet-and-greet with fans. But 3,000 of them stormed the VIP area, so that event was cancelled. Once the plane refuelled, the Beatles went on their way. But there's more to the Beatles' Singapor...