Huayi 2013: in::music – BearBabes
Esplanade Recital Studio, Sunday
Life may be chaotic but it can be a beautiful mess in the music of Taiwanese quintet BearBabes, who performed songs mostly from their third album, Beautiful Chaos (2012), at their first gig in Singapore.
Light Of Darkness was a spirited number awash in a buzz of guitars and animated drumming, as lead singer Chang Chia-heng, also known as Bing Gan, cajoled: “Come on, let’s dancing (sic), babe.”
Even on the more contemplative English track 17, a streak of positivity was apparent as she sang about believing in oneself.
There was a sense of texture and layering to their material as, apart from guitars and drums, a keyboard or cello would sometimes be added to the mix. When the music got raucous, though, Bing Gan’s vocals could sometimes be a little overwhelmed.
It was only when her pipes were front and centre on tracks such as Crossing Borders – with just Wei Chun’s acoustic guitar for accompaniment – that one could fully appreciate her gentle and alluring voice.
Sprinkled across the hour-long set was older material including Crossing Borders from Years (2010) and Simple from debut album 03:53 (2006). The ballad One Man’s Sky Light from their 2011 EP of the same name offered something different as it was the sole Minnan track.
The seated Esplanade Recital Studio, which was about two-thirds full on Sunday night, was something different as well for the indie band as they are used to standing-room livehouse venues in Taiwan.
And Bing Gan hoped that when they next met their Singapore fans, everyone would stand to enjoy the music as they would feel closer to the band.
For their encore, BearBabes took the audience on a Tour Around The Island. As Bing Gan sang, cellist Luo Fei-tsuei and guitarist Da Wei gamely acted out a comical skit of a couple on a road trip.
At drummer Cheng Han’s urging, fans started streaming onto the floor and gathered right in front of the band. Tour Around The Island morphed into a fast-paced rocker and they began dancing along. Just like that, Bing Gan’s wish came true, even before the band’s next gig here.
(ST)