..... arriving one would never had guessed Singapore had been drenched in rain 3 hours before, it was hot up there and the air hadn't cleared. Mind you that might have had something to with the steep climb (Singapore doesn't have many hills but Fort Canning is one of them) to the venue and the burger and chips we had eaten at Brewerkz before hand (far from the best burger in town).
So we arrived to what felt like a field with a stage in it .... it felt like we had turned up at someones wedding or BBQ where a band was going to play and not many people where really interested - I know it sounds strange a field in Singapore .... in daylight it doesn't look like a field and more like a fort with an ancient stone archway with an adjacent resevoir ..... but in this case it did. We had a beer tent and giving that BBQ vibe maybe was the BBQ tent. A few people were milling about, some had put picnic mats on the floor and were sitting awaiting the action. We stood there not knowing what to do. We moved a little closer and then a little closer to the stage, then it was what the hell lets just go as close as we can - three rows (standing) from the front ..... I'm sure Maxi Jazz thought what we thought - what on earth are we doing here (Sister Bliss is a regualr on the DJ circuit out here) - but then just before Friendly Fires walked onto the stage we were surrounded and we had some of the best 'seats' in the house. So, the age group of the fans was probably standard - we weren't the oldest - far from it, but deffinately on the older end of groupees.
So Friendly Fires - nominated for the Mercury Prize 2009 amongst other things - were fab. I wanted to hear more and dance more (but 'no room lah'). Ed Macfarlane the lead singer, well, I'm sorry I loved his dancing despite having the overwhelming feeling he was dancing like someones Dad (sorry Ed). He wasn't but I couldn't help the feeling as he twisted and giratted over the stage and at one point with us in the crowd. Great Band.
We waited and watched the stage crew set up. I could feel rivilets of sweat running down my back (yuk), my trousers were sticking to me, all I wanted was some space, but as the time grew nearer more and more people wanted what we had - a great position in front of the stage - deffences went up with elbows out (afterall we were standing in a fort) and we would not give up our position.
FAITHLESS!!!!! Serene Sister Bliss stood amongst her keyboards in glittering silver and then Maxi Jazz opened his mouth, his South London brogue hitting me and something in my heart went BANG. The rest of the band were great too, with some fabulous male singers standing in for Dido and the like. The music was a mix of their Classic Anthems and new stuff off of last years album 'The Dance', keeping the old fans and the new ones entertained. And we danced and we sang and we got dazzeled by the lights and woooooooed and clapped and got carried away with ........ sheer joy ........
........ for tonight, God is a DJ.
And then tired and thirsty it was down the pub (local Irish) and home by Bus and all before midnight (an hour after the show finished), with no hassel of queueing or crowds. I mean there aren't many places but Singapore where you can do this ..... and now I'm home sick, so Maxi if you want to come round for abit of London banter and a cuppa and lots of food (you always look like you need feeding), call me .....
