It was Japanese rock mania when I arrived at Clarke Quay for the second night of Music Matters LIVE. The free, public, outdoor stage would be home to two massive J-Rock acts: flumpool and SID, which saw fans waiting in the heat for hours. They would then move indoors into the Beer Market, where the Aussie BBQ was held the night before, to be accompanied by a third Japanese band, WEAVER. Not only was this my first time seeing any of the bands, but it was also my first time hearing of any of them. Suffice it to say, J-Rock is not my specialty.
Catching parts of flumpool (pictured above, photo by Johnny Au) and SID (pictured below, photo by Johnny Au) on the main stage, I was blown away by the performance and energy from the stage. It’s a very particular style of rock that the Japanese pull out, but it’s certainly accessible for a western audience, even if you don’t really have any idea what they’re singing about. That said, there were plenty of Singapore locals who knew every word to every song, creating an atmosphere that was hard not to get swept up in.
Though I essentially grazed past both of the mentioned bands between sets at the HP Showcase, I spent more time in the very packed out Beer Market to catch Japanese three piece WEAVER (pictured below) in the smaller, indoor venue. Like flumpool and SID before them, the band had some crazy fans, who were pretty excited to have the opportunity to see the bands in such an intimate setting. One thing of particular mention of the band is their incredibly enthusiastic drummer, who continually whipped fans into the frenzy. A bass guitar and keys completed the trio, and even without an electric guitar, it was as melodic as it was engaging.
If anyone has played the game Katamari Damacy, their music is a cross between the sorts of music you’ll hear in that game (I swear one of their songs WAS from the game) and influences of classic Western rock. No truer could this have been said than in their surprisingly brilliant cover of “The End” by The Beatles. Given it’s the only Beatles track to have allowed Ringo a solo, it seemed fitting for a band with such an enthusiastic drummer to cover this song in particular.
There are so many influences that run into J-ROCK, but in the end the music they are making is entirely their own – and they have been for decades now. It’s a style that has huge success within Japan, and though they make limited appearances overseas, this is a popularity that is clearly growing internationally, if tonight’s reception is any indication.
