SINGAPORE – Music, like art, is about expression. It’s about holding a belief so strongly that we can create something out of nothing that allows us to connect and relate to each other.
 
Cubao XSet against the backdrop of an increasingly modern commercial district, Cubao Expo may look a bit out of sorts. Its vintage mom n’ pop feel is a stark contrast to the sleek malls and condominiums rising around it. But while Cubao Expo may look like a throwback to a simpler time, the performances and shows held there are unquestionably bleeding edge.  
Small Venues Rock Out Huge!On regular days, this tiny, unventilated room is merely a jamming studio where bands practice and rehearse. Pack in more than 50 people between the four bare walls and it becomes a venue. No elaborate lighting, no proper sound system, and sometimes there isn’t even a stage to speak of. So why would bands and an audience even bother to come to a gig held in a jamming studio – a rising trend among the local indie gig circuit? 
Zero to Indie HeroEveryone talks about the music and most probably only sees the glamorous side of the musicians on stage. But here’s the real deal. |
IT CAME FROM THE ‘60SSINGAPORE – Despite the power of modern day fashion statements, there are still bands that are obsessed with the heydays of rock ‘n’ roll, the 1960s. Singapore indie bands like The Pinholes and Love Jets fashion themselves after the vintage style of the ‘60s, both in their look and their sound. Just what is it the about the ‘60s that influenced and inspired them so much? 
Don’t Underestimate The Diet PillsThere are so many images associated with Thailand and Bangkok, but most of the time the mainstream media only portrays our country from a traditional, high culture point of view. Surely, we’re proud of our heritage, but that is not all there is to our multi faceted culture. Thai indie music has survived a lot of turmoil over the past ten years but it is still kicking. New music and bands keep it alive and continue to contribute to this exciting and ever fresh part of Thai culture. 
Anywhere in HongdaeIn Hongdae the indie scene is anywhere you want it to be. Hanging out, making music, relaxing, partying all blend into one state of creative being that is happening everywhere. From the bathroom to the rooftop; it’s not about where you are it’s about what you make it. |
RECLAIMING THE DANCEFLOORIt wasn’t until relatively recently that one could find the rather high-minded punk-bred indie rockers of Manila busting out their dance moves. It seemed that dance music was either the kind heard only in the headphones of chin-stroking techno-heads or in the flashy bottle-service clubs reviled by the indie kids. But with the rise in stock of electronic music in the new millennium and its subsequent assimilation into the everyday vocabulary of indie rock, dance became something that could no longer be ignored. 
Asia IndependentSome of Asia’s most exciting independent bands tell us about the indie scenes in the cities they call home. 
Hanging out in HongdaeAt Club FF, Look & Listen, made up of JeongMin (vocal/guitar), YunMin (drums), and MiSook (bass), plays punk/garage music influenced by … |
