The UrbanWire      

“It is proof that no matter how hard you struggle, you can’t fight love.”

Indeed, this extract from the official press release sums up Love’s Labour’s Lost, to be staged at the DBS Arts Centre from 10-14 Sept by the Singapore Repertory Theatre’s (SRT) youth wing, The Young Co.

The play is based on the original script written by Shakespeare, which charts the challenge of not falling into love, which the King of Navarre and his 3 sidekicks vow to take up during their 3 years of studying. (Read more)

Let us hear you scream, whether it be in utter joy that you were part of SINGfest 08, or in pure agony because you missed it.

Well, we’ve been dancing around since we got back from Fort Canning and have just settled down from the delirium to bring you the sights and sounds of SINGfest 08 Day 2.

Click on the links to see fabulous photos, reports and videos from the second day of SINGfest!

Alicia Keys’ Closing Act

Jamie Scott & The Town at SINGfest 08

Jason Mraz’s Performance

OneRepublic’s Performance

Panic At The Disco’s Performance

Rick Astley’s Performance

Stacie Orrico’s Opening Act

The Pussycat Dolls Performance

When Alicia Keys finally took to the stage as the closing act of SINGfest 08, she was nearly 2 hours behind schedule.

(Read more)

Before watching the Pussycat Dolls perform live on the second day of SINGfest 08, UrbanWire had heard about how they can’t perform live to save their lives.

(Read more)

Mr. A-Z has UrbanWire’s vote for being the best live performer at SINGfest 08!

With awesome ad-libbing and improvisational skills comparable to that of the legendary Freddie Mercury at Milton Keynes, he had the audience wound around his little finger.

(Read more)

Veteran crooner Rick Astley was the butt of all jokes before his performance on the second day of SINGfest 08, simply because he didn’t quite fit in with younger majority of performers.

(Read more)

There were no signs of the usual fancy Victorian circus shows that most would associate with Panic At The Disco’s stage performances.

(Read more)

Stacie Orrico kick-started Day 2 of SINGfest – without a live band backing her.

(Read more)

If Jason Mraz wasn’t part of the lineup for SINGfest 08, OneRepublic would’ve stolen the show with their awesome live performance, thanks to lead singer Ryan Tedder, who sang his heart out.

(Read more)

Jamie Scott had all the girls swooning when he got up on stage to perform at SINGfest 08, serenading the crowd with songs like “When Will I See Your Face Again” and “Weeping Willow” backed by a cello and double bass.

(Read more)

It’s a pity if you weren’t there for the first day of SINGfest just because there weren’t many big names performing.

Every band shook Fort Canning in its foundations.

But don’t kill yourself yet. UrbanWire was there to be your eyes and ears.

(Read more)

This Indonesian rocker chick overdid the whole girl power thing.

Pretty soon, her grating feminist comments began getting on the nerves of everyone present on Day 1 of SINGfest 08. Even some of the “females” she kept speaking of got pretty miffed.

(Read more)

They promised that they’d bring their best back to Singapore in UrbanWire’s interview with them.

And indeed, Crowned King wowed the local fans yet again on SINGfest 08 Day 1 with their superior blend of musical textures and high-energy performance.

(Read more)

If you’re wondering why some of your comments never made it to the MySpace page of New Found Glory, it’s probably because bassist Ian Grushka has been hard at work filtering them from the constructive feedback.

“If it’s just stupid stuff like “Oh, Jordan’s so cute!”, I’ll just click ‘delete’.” Ian joked, referring to comments about lead singer Jordan Pundik, who is newly-wed.

But the band’s MySpace page has proven to be a great communication tool to interact with fans – something which most mainstream artistes tend to neglect.

“Bigger bands just don’t have the time to connect with their fans,” Ian lamented.

Indeed, New Found Glory connected with the fans very well at SINGfest 08. Their gig saw several mosh pits being formed, plenty of jumping and even a lucky fan invited on stage to take over rhythm guitarist Steve Klein’s guitar and rock out together with the band.

Lead guitarist Chad Gilbert elaborated on how the band’s focus on their live performances over and above their album sales help connect with the fans as well.

“A kid in America wouldn’t go to the store to get a CD. But the next week when we go to his town and play, he’ll have money to go see the show.” he explained.

“Going on stage keeps it fresh. Everyday it’s a different crowd and a different atmosphere,” drummer Cyrus Bolooki gushed.

Photos by Soh Kai Ruo.

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Lostprophets’ lead singer Ian Watkins tried to work a tired audience who were taking a break after a long day of performances before Simple Plan and Travis took to the stage.

(Read more)