He's Electric

Having been Electriconverted earlier in the year, I couldn't resist heading for another Electrico gig earlier tonight. Neither, it seems, could the implausibly long queue outside Bar None. I was already impressed out of my socks when the band sold out the Esplanade's recital studio in August, with tickets going at $25 apiece. Seeing them draw a crowd easily numbering two hundred into a venue already filled to capacity, however, was quite something else.



Of course, I should mention that the gig was (1) free, and (2) headlined by Filipino band Rivermaya; but it's always nice to dream that one can make it this big in the local music circuit on one's own strengths.

Having recently emerged from a long period of arrested development, this was my first visit to Bar None. While the friends I went with lambasted the pre-show music (and rightfully so, it was Top 40 balladry), all I could focus on was how much its atmosphere reminded me of my New York City gigslutfest...particularly the 19 May Fischerspooner gig at the Canal Room. The low stage; the people thronging near it; the performers casually weaving through the crowd to get on it...dammit, even the housepours were about the same price (S$16 for a gin and tonic, anyone??)

Once Electrico got going, they didn't disappoint. Looking very dapper in shirts and ties, they took their audience through a tight 50-minute set of their radio singles and covers. Female groupies colonised the front of the tiny stage, shrieking as they held their digicams aloft to capture every bead of sweat rolling down frontman Dave Tan's face.



Besides living off last year's glories, the band also demonstrated their currency through some new pieces. Many in the audience were already familiar with their Bloc-Party riff-off "We're Not Made in the USA" (its Semogia Bahagia instrumental break was mercifully toned down), but Electrico pulled out a surprise in "Hip City", with its Interpol-esque verses showcasing Dave's ability to bellow with the best of 'em.

I didn't bother to stay for Rivermaya. With Saturday’s Poptart still ringing in my ears, my hearing worsened by a few notches, but my spirits were lifted. No matter how fulfilling I find my day job, watching a local band always reminds me of the possibilities that lie outside of the office--possibilities that have recently become more realistic than I'd ever hoped.

To cap the night off, when I stepped out of the underpass into the night air, I experienced a brief transcendental moment where I felt as if I was back in NYC. The air was surprisingly cold and refreshing--colder than the indoors, and certainly colder than anything in the last few days. And how sweet that was.