After I’d been unceremoniously ejected from the first band I played in, I swore that I would form a band of my own- one that wasn’t about technical proficiency or difficulty, but about having fun. I found Boon at my tuition center (where neither of us got any studying done!) and Ahmad through a couple of chance encounters and mutual friends. (There was also Terrance who I found online, but he didn’t stick around very long.) We jammed first at Fourtones in Clarke Quay where we’d play covers of pop/punk/rock songs that we liked. We’d then head over to the McDonald’s nearby to eat lunch and fantasize about someday playing shows and having fans. It was, as I hoped, incredibly fun. We’d drag our guitars onto buses and trains to get there and each spend $10 two to three times a week.

Our first gig was at the now defunct Gas Haus, on Mark Saito’s birthday. (Mark, we still owe you!) We got terribly excited and invited all our friends, including the late great Wayne Thunder. Levan was smart enough to avoid it, knowing in advance that it was going to be shit. (A note to anybody in a band who’s about to play their first gig- don’t call anybody you want to impress. You will not be particularly impressive.) I can still remember our setlist- First Date by Blink 182, Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet, Swing Swing by The All-American Rejects, Boys of Summer by The Ataris, 5 Colours In Her Hair by McFly). We were awarded with free beer and food for our efforts, and to this day I can attest that I have never tasted spaghetti bolognaise better than the plate that I had earned from playing bass and flailing around like an idiot.

We’d jam at Bluetail Studios in Katong (which is also gone).

And then there were the shows. We’ve played many interesting shows and have got many fun stories to tell. The most exhilarating shows we’ve played were naturally the ones with the biggest crowds and stages- the Esplanade Powerhouse stage, Fort Canning Park, Glass Pavilion and *scape Youth Park. We also enjoyed smaller, intimate shows- we’ve had some great shows inside *scape Labs, and one of the best shows we ever played was part of the Deafcon series at DXO.

We’ve played to absolutely empty rooms before, with nobody watching us but the bartender. We’ve played uncomfortable acoustic sets that were so bad, we were asked to leave (and offered beer to shut up). We organized several of our own gigs, playing at sleazy bars and pubs (including a really epic show at Orchard Towers- you’ll be amazed by the size of their sound systems!) We made some profit initially, but ended up losing all that and more- learning the hard way that you can’t expect too much of people. We’ve played on the streets along Orchard Road (in front of Takashimaya as well as Liat Towers Starbucks) to raise money for charity. We once played a gig in some faraway SAFRA for a group of people on stationary bikes aiming to break a record or something. That was weird. We’ve played flea markets. We played at Timbre the day before Chinese New Year (we were late, but so was the cameraman.) We’ve played at SP, NP and TP- I’m not sure if we’ve played at RP or NYP. We played at a school graduation (Dunman Sec) and another’s open house (TJC), as well as the Evening of Music and Drama at my alma mater (VS). We’ve played on two separate rooftops- one where we were asked not to play due to a delay from a power outage, but decided to do it anyway. We’ve played shows dressed up in suits, and stripped down to our shorts. We played a couple of corporate shows for the experience and money, playing oldies for drunk executives. We played a gig where we had to wait 7 hours at the venue before we could play.

We made some serious commitment to our music. Boon bought an entire drumset so he could practice at home. We’d bring our amps to his place (on the 26th floor). We’d have to lug the drums up and down a flight of stairs if we needed to bring the drumset to a gig (and we did just that, twice). I had all my bass pedals and effects stolen after a gig at DXO.

We’ve made friends and enemies in the music scene- some people know us as hardworking, friendly individuals, others think of us as arrogant bastards. (We can be, sometimes- but it’s all in good fun!)

There have been tensions within the band too.

We’ve learnt to sing. We were never able to sing before.