Bintan Lagoon Resorts, managed by Mozaic Hotels and Resorts, is now as accessible as Hogwarts from Hogsmeade with an Apparation licence. In a brilliant move, the resort is now outfitted with its very own Bintan Lagoon Resort Ferry Terminal, serviced by Mozaic Ferry Lines. This allows guests to dock at the resort’s doorstep, which shuttles guests between the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in Singapore and the exclusive Bintan Lagoon Resort Ferry Terminal. Waiting time of up to 2 hours is eliminated as guests are ferried – literally – right t the pristine shores of the resort and given private access to the resort’s dedicated immigration counter.

And the resort ain’t too bad either. Nestled amidst lush greenery, the resort sits on Bintan Island. It boasts 473 spacious deluxe rooms, suites and villas, exuding a distinctive flavour of rustic luxury and resort chic.

The room this writer was given a room outfitted with two luxe beds with high-thread-counts and marshmallowy pillows, an LCD TV, and a delightful loungey daybed area where lazy afternoon sprawling can happen.

A myriad of dining options also caters to every palate, starting with Rice, a beachfront bar and dining outfit which is situated on a sublime stretch of white sandy beach. Kopi-O serves up Asian and Western fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner, while Miyako and Orzo dish up Japanese and Mediterranean fare respectively.

Ripples and Verandah, located by the resort’s two swimming pools, boast light meals and drinks for post-swim pick-me-ups, and golf enthusiasts can nibble on gourmet bites at Haskells in the Golf Club House and Horizons Cafe. After sundown, drinks and dancing can be had at the Karaoke Lounge and Silk, the resort’s clubbing hotspot.

Activities abound at this resort, such as beach-side antics including snorkeling, jet skiing and banana boating. Land activities comprise archery, laser quest and all-terrain vehicles. The more supine-inclined can get rub downs at the Taman Sari Spa and pick from a range of options.

Finally, the resort’s two championship gold courses designed by professional golfers Ian Baker-Finch (Woodlands Course) and Jack Nicklaus (Sea View Course), feature spectacular signature holes, fast greens, undulating fairways and unique water hazards. Golf packages start at $155.

Rates
Deluxe rooms start from S$140++. Book your rooms at www.mozaichotels.com/bintanlagoon.
Ferry services start from S$62. Book your tickets at www.journeyful.com/#/Find/Ferry

The beginning of Katy Perry’s spectacular show revealed to the audience her vintage racecar-themed stage set (first proof to show that thought had certainly been put into shaping this show). She came out onstage, donned in a short racer-inspired get-up, and sang the all too familiar words, “You, change your mind…”, which led to loud outbursts of happiness from the crowd.

Each song was not only accompanied by stunning bright visuals on the large screen onstage, but also the quirks of Ms Perry. She was vivacious and was an even bigger tease than Adam Levine was! Whispering flirtily to the crowd after Ur So Gay, she got up and delved into Peacock, a song that is almost as big a tease as she was.

Katy made full use of the T-shaped stage, which meant that the audience were able to get a closer look at her. She didn’t keep to the stage; she walked out on the mini-runway on most of her songs and interacted with the audience. Just like how those who saw her in Singfest 2009 saw her picking a boy up onstage before she sang I Kissed A Girl, this F1 experience was no different. She called for another male, but this time an adult, onstage, and tricked him into looking at the screen before she planted a kiss on his cheek. Cheekily saying that she’ll never meet him again, the audience was certainly amused when the lucky guy told her that he too, was from California.

Every concert needs a time-out however and Katy did just that when she slowed things down with The One That Got Away. Everyone had their cameras out, recording the vulnerable moment forever. There was some technical faults there, but we’ll let it pass. She also took a step back before singing Fireworks, dedicating the song to everyone who has a spark in them. Of course, real fireworks were included in the performance of the song.

Ending her colorful and energetic set with California Gurls, Katy Perry has wowed me to no end with her insanely gorgeous set that I was actually feeling sorry it had to end so fast. While we can argue and say that real music wouldn’t need an extravagant set-up, she’s a pop star and this is what a true pop star does – they give people a good time.

Image credits: Singapore GP via ActionImages

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It was hardly the most ideal location for a Noel Gallagher concert. The racecars provided an unwelcome distraction, the crowd comprised of disinterested race-goers, but the Chief was still here, in person, on Saturday, 23 Sept for the 2012 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix!

Three years on after his acrimonious split from influential British icons Oasis, the former principal songwriter of the band has grown from strength to strength, releasing his debut solo album under his moniker Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds to great reception.

Kicking off his short (too short, might we add), one-hour set with a cover of the Oasis track “(It’s Good) To Be Free)”, the NME’s Godlike Genius award winner was in fine form, delivering a near flawless vocal performance. In all honesty, he was greeted with a lukewarm response at best.

Regardless, the Chief and his High Flying Birds were unfazed by the lackluster showing of the crowd and followed this up with “Everybody’s On The Run”, the mid-tempo, thumping opener to 2011’s self-titled debut record. It wasn’t just Gallagher’s fine vocals in the spotlight that night – Jeremy Stacey put in a brilliant performance behind the drums, keeping the rhythm of the show spot-on throughout.

Addressing the crowd only two songs in, the Chief slowly opened up and by the half-hour mark was constantly bantering and poking fun at the audience – particularly the attendee in the ‘stupid hat’. One thing was certain that night, the man behind the microphone was brilliant – and he knew it.

Following up the set with “If I Had A Gun”, the frontman was at complete ease with his many guitars (we’d assume none of them were Yamahas) and there was a sure sense in the air that this was certainly an iconic performer on stage.

Taking things down a notch with a stripped down, acoustic version of the excellent “Supersonic” from Oasis’ debut album Definitely Maybe, the Chief ushered a screaming portion of the F1 Village Stage into the iconic chorus brilliantly. Keeping the energy levels up, NGHFB quickly went into the rousing “(I Wanna Live In A Dream In My) Record Machine”.

Performing a good selection of tracks from both his time with Oasis and as NGHFB, the set really shone when it came down to “Half The World Away”. The slow, predominantly acoustic guitar driven track was well received by the crowd, some of whom sang along at the top of their lungs.

Largely unmovable throughout the gig, NGHFB finally got the reception it deserved at the last two tracks of the set. “Whatever” was a delightful, carefree track and the audience lapped up every moment, singing along to the Chief as he belted the iconic chorus.

The highlight of the night for many, however, must have come at the end of the set in the form of the seminal track “Don’t Look Back in Anger”. Arguably one of the most influential tracks written in the past two decades, if not of all time, the anthemic track had the entire crowd up in raptures, singing along word for beautiful word.

Words can’t say what the Chief made us feel, but if we’d try we’d say it was a brilliant performance on a whole by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds!

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Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds Live in Singapore 2012 – 8 out of 10

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Setlist

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds Live in Singapore 2012

(It’s Good) To Be Free (Oasis cover)
Everybody’s On The Run
Dream On
If I Had A Gun
Supersonic (Oasis cover)
(I Wanna Live In A Dream In My) Record Machine
AKA… What a Life!
Talk Tonight (Oasis cover)
AKA… Broken Arrow
Half the World Away (Oasis Cover)
(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach
Whatever (Oasis cover)
Don’t Look Back in Anger (Oasis cover)

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Image credits: Singapore GP via ActionImages

This article can also be found on Poached Mag.

Maroon 5′s gig last Saturday for the F1 weekend was certainly not one to be missed. Not only did us lucky ones near the front get to witness a whole gang of girls screaming and clawing one another’s face out for a piece of memorabilia (aka a guitar pick) which Adam Levine threw out but I also saw the phenomenon that was the Padang, in its whole entirety, being filled. It may not seem like a big feat but last Saturday was probably the biggest crowd Singapore has ever seen for a concert.

Despite the pushing and shoving of excited fans trying to get as near as possible to the stage (without much success seeing as there were as many tall men as there were petite girls), the massive crowd seemed to fall perfectly into place when a dialing tone, signalling the beginning of Maroon 5′s set and also their hit track, Payphone, was played. As soon as Adam appeared on stage and sang “I’m on a payphone…”, the crowd went into a screaming frenzy.

The sexy 33-year old kept both boys and girls on their feet as he led us through a fantastic live show with all of the band’s most popular songs from all four albums. Things took a slight mellow turn when Sunday Morning was played – who could believe that it has been 10 years since the song was released? It may have been a decade since Maroon 5 broke into the scene and into our hearts but as Adam and crew did his stuff onstage, it was evident that these boys only get more charming with age.

The sweltering heat did not deter anyone from dancing and singing along to each familiar track including Makes Me Wonder, Wake Up Call, This Love and Won’t Go Home Without You. Adam knew how to work the audience up, even getting the ladies screaming louder than they already were when he took out his shirt. He had excellent stage presence and the band was terrific live, proving that the band’s prominence in the industry was not all due to Adam’s devilish good looks but their talent.

While their set had blown the non-existent roof off the Padang,their encore set was, however, the cherry on top of the mind-blowing cake as Adam appeared back onstage singing an acoustic version of the song that first introduced us to Adam – She Will Be Loved. We even got a pleasant surprise when they played a snippet of the infamous Oppa Gangnam Style and when Adam sang a quick cover of Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake and Don’t You Want Me by The Human League – two songs that added to his already blooming sex appeal.

Expectantly, they closed off with the biggest single of their career (selling more than 8 million copies worldwide) and the one song that everyone is clearly waiting for - Moves Like Jagger. Suffice to say that he did move like Jagger up onstage, with everyone in the audience strutting their own versions (even if not very well done). We were definitely “shooting for the stars” that night.

Review To Read in 30 Seconds:
If you were expecting the sexy dancer in Moves Like Jagger MV or the serious coach in The Voice that night, you would have gone home happy knowing that you got yourself the best of both worlds. Adam was cheeky and vulnerable in the right songs and even treated the massive audience to covers of Justin Timberlake and The Human League. We would have loved to have a bit more audience interaction, but we’re not complaining, I mean, we did see a little strip action there after all.

Maroon 5 Live in Singapore – 8.5 out of 10

Setlist
1. Payphone
2. Makes Me Wonder
3. Lucky Strike
4. Sunday Morning
5. If I Never See Your Face Again
6. Won’t Go Home Without You
7. Harder To Breathe
8. Wake Up Call
9. One More Night
10. This Love

Encore:
11. She Will Be Loved
12. Stereo Hearts
13. Don’t You Want Me (The Human League Cover)
14. Sexy Back (Justin Timberlake Cover)
15. Moves Like Jagger

Image Credits: F1 Singapore Grand Prix

While others may look upon the venue as an unfair and unjustified treatment to the band’s sizeable reputation, some may look at it as a way to rock out to their favourite band up close and personal. If anyone in the audience had felt the former before the show, after, they might have found themselves secretly glad that Hard Rock Cafe had provided them with an intimate setting with the band.

Opening with Someone Purer, the first single off their fifth album, Radlands, it certainly provided first-time listeners with a taste of what it”s about. Adopting a more mature modern-rock sound and dropping the pop-indie sound most familiarise Mystery Jets with, the track showed deep into the bans’s evolution throughout their years – a fresh change for the audience before we go further into the night.

Radlands seemed a crowd pleaser with the audience, even for the unfamiliar tracks. The album, which was recorded in Texas, had a very American-vintage (and slightly country too) feel to it and was completed by every member of the band sporting an Americana shirt that you’d hardly remember that these boys were born and bred in London. Hard Rock Cafe itself gave the illusion of them being an American rock band.

Radlands and Greatest Hits were the two that stuck to me after my quick listen of the album before the gig and I genuinely found myself enjoying the live rendition of it when they were played. The boys were ernest and dedicated to their music; and that reverberated through the crowd.

Of course, the night wasn’t going to sail through without a blast from the past. We were treated to past hits that brought them to where they are today like Serotonin, Dreaming and the famous collaboration between them and Laura Marling, Young Love. No band would ever finish off without an encore and the return saw them playing crowd favourite 2 Doors before stripping down to Lost In Austin.

Thanking and telling us that it”d be hard for the Australians (they were about to embark on their Australian tour) to ever top this crowd induced the last cheers from the audience before everyone retreated back into normalcy again. Not a surprise there for anyone to want a third show from these guys soon.

Thanks Chugg Entertainment for having us!

Image credits: Harris Sim

Finally after years of waiting, California-based pop punk band Yellowcard played their very first gig in Singapore at The Coliseum in Hard Rock Hotel. It has been nine years since they released Ocean Avenue, the record that is considered to be their breakout album and the first song I heard from them was a song that goes by the same name. With an impressive eight studio albums under their belt, Yellowcard was set to give us a rocking good time.

Opening for Yellowcard was The Summer State. They are no strangers to the local pop punk scene, having opened for Mayday Parade the last time they were here and when The Wonder Years perform next week, they too will be playing before that. The band warmed up the 2000-strong crowd and audiences seemed to be enjoying themselves with some bopping their heads to the beat.

Yellowcard’s set was due to start at 9pm – and it did. Exactly on time. The band opened with “Awakening”, a song from their latest album Southern Air. It was followed by older material “Rough Landing, Holly” and “Breathing”. The crowd jumped and danced to powerful guitar riffs and Ryan Key’s on key vocals (see what I did there?). His vocals were flawless! They had truly incredible stage presence that night. It was honestly hard to believe that it has been around nine years since I first listened to them. Music has a power to relive certain memories and that’s what the concert did. They played a good mix of songs from all of their five major label albums.

One thing that separates Yellowcard from any other pop punk band is their violinist and backing vocalist Sean Mackin. He is the original line-up of the band, along side drummer Longineu W. Parsons III (LP for short). Yellowcard proves that the violin isn’t an instrument only limited to classical music and orchestras. Though playing along side other heavy weight instruments, the violin could be heard clearly throughout the whole concert When Sean played the opening for “For You, And Your Denial”, the crowd went into a frenzy.  Just before they proceeded to play “Five Becomes Four”, the band requested for a circle pit and fans happily obliged. A couple of crowd surfers could be seen and security was having a little trouble handling them.

The energy declined when Ryan pulled out an acoustic guitar to play “Hang You Up” and “Sing For Me”. Both were obviously crowd pleasers. The audience seemed to know every word to the songs and they were singing enthusiatically along to it. The latter was dedicated to his Aunt Stephanie (R.I.P) who passed away last year. Next up on his acoustic set was a stripped down version of “Empty Apartment”. At the bridge of the song the rest of the band came back on stage to finish the song.

Somewhere half way through the concert, LP gave audiences a treat when he performed an epic drum solo. Also towards the last chorus of “Way Away”, Sean did his signature back flip on stage, which left the crowd roaring. The highlight of the concert for me must have been when they performed my favourites “Light Up The Sky” and “Only One”.

‘Here I go/ Scream my lungs out and try to get to you/ You are my only one’

Everyone was indeed screaming their lungs out. Just like at any Yellowcard show, they closed their gig with “Ocean Avenue”. Citing Ryan, he said that it was “the most important part of the Yellowcard show”, and I couldn’t agree more. “This is the one where if you have any voice left, you lose it now. If you go home with any voice left, you did something wrong tonight.”

Review To Read In 30 Seconds: 

They played an incredible set and gave audiences a memorable night. Yellowcard was rocking The Coliseum so hard. The whole concert was flawless. Adding LP’s epic drum solos, Sean’s smooth violin skills and his classic back flip, Ryan Key’s beautiful vocal delivery, Ryan Mendez’s powerful guitar riff, and Josh’s booming bass makes everything spectacular. The concert was a well mixed of the past five albums they released and the crowd knew every line to every song. Well done boys!

Yellowcard Live In Singapore – 10 out of 10

Setlist
1. Awakening
2. Rough Landing, Holly
3. Breathing
4. For You, And Your Denial
5. Shrink The World
6. Hang You Up
7. Five Becomes Four
8. Always Summer
9. Sing For Me
10. Empty Apartment
11. With You Around
12. Way Away
13. Believe
14. Only One
15. Lights And Sounds

Encore

16. Here I Am Alive
17. Light Up The Sky
18. Ocean Avenue

It was all screams and excitement for fans when the reigning King of Mandopop Jay Chou entered the Padang stage at the Marina Bay Circuit Park. Eager fans were seen at the fanzone area as early as three hours before the concert started.

The Taiwanese singer kick started the concert with “惊叹号”, which was one of his newer tracks. Through the whole mumbling and fumbling, along with the loud live band and wailing siren in the background, it sounded a little chaotic to me. Jay Chou’s vocals were soft, making it difficult to make out what he was singing. Still, the audience were thrilled by stage performance, pyrotechnics and light beams. He even had both him and backup dancers wearing Tron-themed LED costumes.

However, older ballads were what the audience responded better to. When he sang one of my personal favourite “说好的幸福呢”, the crowd had their hands in the air, swaying from side to side along with the beat of the song. The whole concert had a good mix of old and new material, and also smooth ballads and up-tempo tracks.

Just as he started performing “超跑女神”, a red Ferrari was brought out and I could hear audiences going “Wow!”. With the red Ferrari came three scantily dresses girls who were dancing around with Jay. Very appropriate for someone performing the song which translate to “Race Car Models” at the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Not only can Jay Chou sing, he is also a songwriter and he can play the piano, guitar, cello, drum and flute. Of course the multi-talented idol had to show off one of his many musical abilities and he played a few songs on his piano.

Though the concert only last an hour, it left me throughly satisfied.

Setlist
1. 惊叹号
2. 跨時代
3. 爱在西元前
4. 说好的幸福呢
5. 迷魂曲
6. 超跑女神
7. 开不了口
8. 青花瓷
9. 龙卷风
10. 阳光宅男

Encore

11. 双截棍
12. 千里之外
13. 霍元甲

Image credits: Singapore Grand Prix via Action Images

Seth and Scott Avett from the Avett Brothers

Well known for quality basics, retail giant Gap seeks to redefine some of its signature pieces through its Fall campaign, Shine. Clad in Gap’s iconic pieces, the campaign features musicians Seth and Scott Avett from the Avett Brothers, American pop duo Karmin, singer-songwriter Lia Ices, musician Kaki King, singer-songwriter Nicki Bluhm, ballet dancer Yuan Yuan Tan and professional “Jookin” dancer Lil’ Buck.

Kaki King

Not only have Gap’s key pieces been updated with a modern design aesthetic and a rich fall colour palette, the pieces are brought to life by the various musicians and dancers, who are clad in Gap’s apparel whilst performing.

“Gap’s fall collection clearly reflects our casual, American style through modern interpretations of our iconic classics that customers can really make their own,” said Seth Farbman, Gap’s Global Chief Marketing Officer. “With Shine, we continue our brand’s tradition of introducing emerging artists and musicians that inspire people creatively to make their mark on the world. It’s this kind of energy and passion for individual style that we are infusing into our clothes today.”

Lil’ Buck

Ever walked past a certain building, or a bus stop and wondered what typeface is being used and why? You might just find your answer with this free guided tour.

Architectural lettering and graphics that are visible to the public eye seek to grab our attention even as we traverse an urbanscape already chock-full of signs and symbols. The focus of this walking tour lies in site-specific applications of typography and lettering. Most of the signages that participants will be perusing are, like many ill-considered items, broken. The tour will also be exploring the nexus between static or moving images and architecture.

Participants will leave the tour being able to better read and understand the urbanscape and its graphic elements and perhaps critically evaluate what works well and why. And if it doesn’t work, how else could it have been done?

DETAILS

Date & TIme: Saturday, 13 Oct at 2.30pm

Participants: Open to all age groups

Fee: FREE

Starting Point of Tour: Orita Sinclair School of Design, 12A Pahang Street, Singapore 198613

Duration: 3 hours

*Come prepared to walk with comfortable footwear. Be well-hydrated and bring along an umbrella (in case it rains)

If interested, kindly RSVP to charlene@orita-sinclair.edu.sg

Bio of Tour Leader — Vikas Bhatt Kalankaje

Formally trained in architecture, Vikas Bhatt Kailankaje is the founder of STUDIO VBK, a collaborative platform for projects requiring print design, copywriting and research on design and architectural subjects. Vikas is also actively engaged in teaching as a Part-time Tutor at National University of Singapore and as a Part-time Lecturer at Orita Sinclair School of Design, New Media & the Arts.

Image Credit: Orita Sinclair School of Design, New Media & the Arts