Crowd Lu
Esplanade Recital Studio
Last Saturday


Mrs This
Esplanade Recital Studio
Last Friday

Crowd Lu and Mrs This have each released an album, appealing mostly to students and those in their 20s and 30s, and both acts fall under the umbrella of Chinese indie pop. But their concerts proved to be very different experiences.
Lu, 23, delivered a mesmerising show, demonstrating why he is one of the most promising Taiwanese singer-songwriters to emerge in recent years. In contrast to his sunny demeanour and music, compatriots six-piece ensemble Mrs This mined a more melancholic vein of electronic pop-rock, a performance which sometimes threatened to slip into minor key monotony.
Lu’s songs about life and love from a young person’s point of view have resonated strongly with music fans and he sold out two shows at the 245-seat Esplanade Recital Studio.
Dressed in an orange T-shirt worn over another black one, bermudas, calf-high socks and white sneakers, and sporting his trademark black-rimmed glasses and mop top, he looked like an awkward, gangly, overgrown student.
But he captured one’s attention the moment he started playing the guitar and singing because he performed with his entire body. Eyes closed, fingers strumming, legs tapping and kicking away, he was completely into the moment.
He dove headlong into his songs with a passion that was palpable and his clear, bright voice, as open and direct as his personality, was a compelling and moving instrument.
His enthusiastic bursts of “Yeah!” punctuated the end of each song and were peppered all over his patter, which included anecdotes such as how his first single Yuan Ming, which appears to be about escaping from reality, was actually written when he was upset with a friend for not waking him up for class.
The female leads for Mrs This, A Mu and Hei Lang, also displayed a playful side in their banter, while to the crowd’s delight, bassist Fang Q showed off some Singlish phrases he had picked up.
Their music, however, was a tougher sell live. The vocals were in danger of being overwhelmed by the drums at times and the band could have been tighter as an outfit.
It did not help that the same few photo stills were recycled endlessly in the background and soon became annoying. Either add more photos or just do away with them entirely.
Mrs This were at their best on tracks such as And I and I See Many People, which were infused with a sense of much-needed drama.
There was no certainly no lack of drama in Lu’s gig and he kept the energy level high throughout.
He tackled the hard-to-reach notes on Really Feel Like Being Self-Indulgent, charmed his way through School Belle 2008, and got the audience to chorus “That’s right! That’s right!” on Good Morning, Beauty Of Dawn!
Lu’s gig was so entertaining, it did not even matter one whit that he skipped the chart-topping title track from his album 100 Ways For Living.
It is still early days for 2009, but you have the feeling that you have already seen one of the best concerts of the year.
(ST)