The Straits Times life! January 23 2010 Media Correspondent: Boon Chan M1 Singapore Fringe Festival review concert OUR OWN B612 Esplanade Recital Studio Thursday What was billed as a 40-minute gig turned into a 100-minute-plus talkfest, thanks to the incorrigibly chatty Hsiao Chiu. The 22-year-old, along with Shen Sheng-je, 27, is part of Taiwanese singing- songwriting duo katncandix2. The lengthy concert was quite a feat, considering that they have so far released only and EP, 2375 (2008), and one album, Little Flight (2009). Not that it was a drag as her refreshingly frank demeanour was most endearing and there was also an easy chemistry between her and the good-natured and more laconic Shen, whom she ribbed mercilessly. There, was a slight disconnect, though, between the humorous "talking" episodes , as she called them, and the sunny meloncholia of their music. Their songs explore themes of dreams, hope and courage and are imbued with youthful optimism. On We Are The Same, the chorus goes: "We are all the same, have a pair of wings/We can dream, we can fly/We are all the same, each shining in our own way." Indeed, B612 refers to the home planet of French author Antoine de Saint Exupery's beloved Little Prince character, a dreamy innocent, and is also the title of one of their songs. At the same time, many of their compositions are mid- to slow-tempo numbers with a distinctive elegiac tinge, a natural fit for Hsiao Chiu's girlish, slightly throaty vocals. Live, she sounded more raw and less polished, particularly on the opening numbers Little Flight and Accompanying You To The Ends Of The Earth. But that only added to the charm of the show and she grew in confidence as the evening progressed. The audience was treated to a new song, 22, from their forth-coming second album and also covers of sodagreen's Minnan ballad Sleepless and Yoga Lin'smoving Heartbreak. As Hsiao Chiu became more confident, she became more loquacious. She talked about how the band, including their keyboard accompanist, felt quite nervous when they first arrived in Singapore as everyone spoke to them in English. She told the stories behind the songs and poked fun at her image make-over by the record company, which had her looking "nauseating" and wearing a skirt. For the show, she was comfortably dressed in a T-shirt and overalls while Shen wored a short-sleeved shirt over khaki pants. She invited fans to leave messages on their blog and suggested they could chat about all sorts of things, including where Shen bought his trousers. In a long spiel near the end, the audience learnt how the two met, came together as a band and about the journey they have since undertaken. Hsiao Chiu pointedly ignored the efforts of the other two on stage to drown her out with guitar and keyboard at several points. Having gone severely overtime, the encore was a bit of a rushed affair. But despite the unexpected length, the trip to B612 proved to be a delightful one. -- 看來這位記者先生也跟我一樣很enjoy棉花糖的演出 :) --

※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 116.14.23.175 ※ 編輯: LikeAChild 來自: 116.14.23.175 (01/26 06:45)