After six record breaking and unforgettable parties this year, it has all come down to this. The party to end all parties, the holy-grail of all H-Artistry events, and the promise to ‘mix it up’ even bigger and bolder, the biggest H-Artistry “The Global Art of Mixing” party of 2011 will be descending upon the Malaysia International Exhibition & Convention Centre (MIECC) at Mines Resort City on 12 November 2011.

With an expected crowd of more than 4,000 party-goers, the annual H-Artistry highlight event looks set to create waves all across the country as fans can look forward to being treated to one incredible night where sights, sounds, and tastes collide to form an eclectic and explosive clubbing experience.

On the music front, H-Artistry “The Global Art of Mixing” is pleased to announce its preliminary list of acts which include Australian mega electronic duo, Yolanda Be Cool, who gained worldwide fame through their single, ‘We No Speak Americano’ which was a chart topper in no less than 20 countries. Also confirmed for the big bash on November 12 is internationally acclaimed American singer, songwriter and producer, Chris Willis, who is also the voice behind David Guetta’s hits such as ‘Gettin Over You’, ‘Love is Gone’, and ‘Everytime We Touch’. Taiwanese songstress, Landy Wen will also be performing at the upcoming party alongside Korean superstar, Park Jung Min of the popular Korean boy band SS501. Joining them also on the H-Artistry stage are local superstar DJs, Goldfish and Blink the headliners of what could arguably be, the hottest club set in Zouk KL – LOUD!

Revellers can also expect the MIECC to be completely transformed into one enormous superclub with a classy world class set-up where revellers can expect to be blown away in what will undoubtedly be one of the largest and most sophisticated clubbing events the country has ever seen. With the set-up featuring countless plasma screens displaying head-turning visuals and futuristic bars that will be serving delectable concoctions of, Hennessy V.S.O.P signature long drinks such as: Hennessy Apple, Hennessy Berry, Hennessy Ginger, and a new addition, Hennessy Soda, this H-Artistry party on November 12 will be one nobody would want to miss.

And as previous years around this time where H-Artistry’s famed interactive arena – the Hennessy Mixing Zone – is elevated on to a whole new level, 2011’s biggest bash will be no different. Expect more Hennessy Mixing Bars, Hennessy Music Mix Synths, Hennessy iMix Challenges and Hennessy Interactive Photowalls that is sure to keep revellers busy before the party begins.

A global musical phenomenon, H-Artistry ‘The Global Art of Mixing’ parties also takes place in some of the largest cities around the world which includes New York, Shanghai, Taipei, and Los Angeles. Among some of the big names who have performed at these international parties includes Ciara, The Roots, Mike Posner, Alexandra Burke, Harlem Yu, Jay Chou, Jacky Cheung, and Sammi Cheng. The parties in Malaysia have also been nothing short of impressive. Locally, the event has in the past, featured a host of star-studded performers such as Flo-Rida, Kardinal Offishall, Shayne Ward, Boys Like Girls, The Ying Yang Twins, Da Mouth, and many others.

For more information and details on how to obtain passes to the upcoming H-Artistry ‘The Global Art of Mixing’ party at MIECC, visit the official Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/HennessyMalaysia. Alternatively to receive updates about the latest artiste line-ups follow H-Artistry on Twitter: twitter.com/hennessymy. The H-Artistry party in MIECC is strictly open to non-Muslim guests aged 21 years and above only.

MTV World Stage Live In Malaysia 2011 is just mere minutes away! Follow this live blog as we bring you all the happenings from i-City, Shah Alam!

2:30pm – 4:30pm
VJ Utt and VJ Holly made a quick tour to the queue and gave away posters, t-shirts and express passes! It was mayhem!

VJ Utt and VJ Holly at the queue line!

5pm
The crowd is filling fast and now we wait for the rocking to begin!

The crowd at MTV World Stage Live In Malaysia 2011

Are you guys ready to rock?

7pm
VJ Utt and VJ Holly are on stage right now! Are you guys ready to rock with Thirty Seconds To Mars, Neon Trees, Beast and Pop Shuvit!!!

VJ Holly and VJ Utt getting ready to go onstage!

7:03pm
Pop Shuvit kicks off the show with “Old Skool Rocka”!

Pop Shuvit

7:07pm
Go for “Oh! Sizuka”! Malaysia are you proud of your local band, Pop Shuvit!

7:09pm
Super hand claps from the audience! Awesome stuff, Malaysia!

Moots from Pop Shuvit

7:11pm
Moots says “GO! GO! GO! GO!” And the next song? “Running Away”!!!

7:16pm
The band brings in a special guest, Man Bai, for their next song, “Serperti Syurgamu”!

7:21pm
Project E.A.R gets on stage for “Mantera/Marabahaya”!

7:23pm
Crowd is getting really hyped up! Great show put on by Pop Shuvit! It’s true what they say! MALAYSIA BOLEH!

7:29pm
VJ Utt and VJ Holly: “Malaysia rocks!” And now, we bate our breathe for Korea’s super pop band, BEAST!

BEAST

7:58pm
BEAST is now on with “Shock”! The boys are looking very good in all white!

8:02pm
K-Pop fans, you are in for a treat! BEAST are belting out the smooth grooves with the song “Fiction.”

8:05pm
Gi-Kwang says, “I love Malaysia!” What a sweet dude! And the boys launched their ballad, “When It Rains.” But luckily, it didn’t today!

BEAST

8:11pm
Half-time! BEAST are going backstage for a costume change…

8:16pm
And the boys re-emerged for a costume change! It’s all very “Special”!!!

8:20pm
The boys from BEAST can really dance! Another high octane dance routine with the song, “Breathe”!

8:25pm
Pretty sure the girls are fainting when BEAST sings “Beautiful”!

So BEAST!

8:27pm
VJ Utt and VJ Holly: “Malaysia, give it up for BEAST!” Great eye-candy, awesome dance routines, what more can we all ask for. Up next…NEON TREES!!!

8:54pm
NEON TREES ARE ON STAGE! With their latest single, “Your Surrender”!

Elaine Bradley of Neon Trees

8:56pm
“Your Surrender” drum breakout – ELAINE BRADLEY TOTALLY KILLED IT. Female drummers FTW!

8:58pm
Super disco dance beats for “Calling My Name”! Tyler Glenn is such a consummate frontman! Dance, Tyler, dance!

9:02pm
Fingers snapping time with “In The Next Room.”

Neon Trees

9:08pm
Let us marvel at Elaine Bradley’s super drumming skills again. The opening drum rolls of “Love and Affection” was thunderous!

9:10pm
“I want you to feel something running through your veins!” shouts Tyler Glenn! Dude just wants to bring you back to “1983″!

9:17pm
Heavy grooving with “Attraction.” Neon Trees are superbly awesome live. Those who can’t be here with us, WHY AREN’T YOU HERE?!

9:21pm
“Your country is really really beautiful! We love you!” shouts Tyler. We love you too!

Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees

9:22pm
“Sins Of My Youth” – Not attending MTV World Stage Live In Malaysia 2011 has to be one of them, surely?

9:26pm
Give it up for Neon Trees! Their hit song “Animal” was a definite win, win, win with the fans!

Jared Leto of Thirty Seconds To Mars (Photo: Kristan Dowling. PictureGroup)

10:09pm
Shannon Leto opened the set with his unmistakeable drum sound to “Escape,” followed by the song, “A Beautiful Lie”!

10:13pm
Thirty Seconds To Mars. “ATTACK.” You? Surrender, of course!

10:19pm
Song up next: “Search And Destroy.” Jared Leto has real nice slicked back hair. Shannon does his beastly drumming. Tomo with his hair a-whipping. This is simply awesome, guys!

10:25pm
“THIS IS WAR”! A total epic affair.

10:33pm
“Vox Populi”

10:42pm
Jared is strumming an acoustic version of the song, “Hurricane.” Just him, his guitar and his amazing voice shining through.

10:46pm
Jared is picking fans from the crowd to get up on stage with him! That is one lucky guy in red!

10:49pm
Up next: “The Kill.” “Bury me, bury me, bury me!” Super sing-along by the massive 15, 000 strong crowd.

Jared Leto of Thirty Seconds To Mars (Photo: Kristan Dowling. PictureGroup)

10:55pm
Jared asks everyone to JUMP for “Closer To The Edge.” The earth is shaking right here!

11pm
Gasp. Is that it?

11:09pm
And the band is back for more with “Kings And Queens.” Jared is getting a lot of fans on stage to rock out with him!

11:18pm
To the 15, 000 fans at MTV World Stage Live In Malaysia 2011, you are the true kings and queens tonight. YOU ARE THE ONES WHO MADE THE NIGHT TRULY AWESOME. Here’s to next year!

* * *

TEXT: LENNAT MAK

Talk about the golden age of the music industry and what comes to mind? Private jets, fur-lined limousines, free flow champagne, five-star hotel rooms, hanging with high rolling record executives and indecently glamorous rock stars, and all the decadent stories that legends are made of. But when all these excess went bust with the well-documented decline of the recording business in the last decade, you’d be one of the few privileged (and probably truly prestigious) ones to enjoy modern day debauchery like a real rock star.

Then again, there are always exceptions. Just like how Sony Music Singapore chartered a private limousine just for a special preview of the new Foo Fighters documentary, Back And Forth. In the words of Almost Famous, Cameron Crowe’s 2000 love letter to rock ‘n’ roll, “it’s all happening.”

And an honest opinion? It is quite an experience. A bottle of Moet was popped. Congratulatory cheers went to Dave Grohl and co. for debuting at No. 1 in 12 countries with their latest album, Wasting Light. Basking in the buzz of champagne and cruising along the high streets around town, the entourage in the limo was on a high, both from the white limo experience and the riveting documentary that is Back And Forth.

Like all documentaries do, Back And Forth started with the genesis of Foo Fighters – what bands the members were previously from, how the band was formed, line-up changes, conflicts and punch-ups with candid interviews from ex-members such as William Goldsmith and Franz Stahl. Grohl himself had some pretty big shoes to fill after the passing of Kurt Cobain, followed by demise of Nirvana. The emotions and struggles weren’t something a fan would easily claim to understand. To paraphrase Grohl, fans were questioning his motives for forming a new band that play music that’s similar Nirvana, to which Grohl said something to the effect of loud guitar riffs and drums are what he does. What do fans really expect him to do?

Which goes to say, for him to be able to strike out on his own together with the solid formation of Nate Mendel (bass), Taylor Hawkins (drums), Chris Shiflett (guitars) and Pat Smear (guitars) for the past 16 years is definitely a feat on its own and not something to be taken granted. One moment you are playing small club shows and the next you are playing a sold-out concert of 85, 000 at the Wembley Stadium in the U.K.? Tell that to any budding band that they’d say you are on crack.

Emotions and relationships between the band members aside, Back And Forth never wanders off what Foo Fighters are about – music that packs a mean punch to the gut. From the 1995 self-titled debut to The Color and the Shape, There’s Nothing Left To Lose, One By One, In Your Honor, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace to the new rock magnum opus, Wasting Light, Foo Fighters’ career is nothing sort of illustrious and lined with good humor and intent.

Watching Back And Forth can be surmised into this: You go in thinking you know all about Foo Fighters. You come out having a deeper appreciation for the band and what they stand for. And it’s true what they say. Rock ‘n’ roll isn’t just music. For Foo Fighters, it’s their lives.

***

Back And Forth will be screened this coming Wednesday (April 27) at Beer Market at 8pm. To gain entry, simply purchase a copy of Wasting Light in all good record stores. According to the label rep, this is the only public screening of the documentary so don’t miss it! Back And Forth will also be released on DVD sometime in June.

Lenka (Photo: Sony Music Singapore)

It’s been two years since her debut album The Show and Lenka is back with a greater zing of indie-pop, backed with a hearty dose of electronic beats. In town recently to promote her sophomore album entitled Two, the 33-year-old Australian singer-songwriter also gave a private showcase in the intimate setting of TAB at Orchard Hotel on a Saturday evening to a sizeable crowd ranging from the likes of teenage girls to the older and more sophisticated.

The doe-eyed pop-meister, clad in a black dress dotted with silver glitter and a gold ribbon headband, came on stage with her band (guitarist/keyboardist John Graney and keyboardist/trumpeter Danny Levin) upon the fans’ roaring applause and kicked off the show with the dance floor-friendly “Two” and “Roll With The Punches.” Undoubtedly, Lenka is consummate performer and it is not just due to her good looks. Her playful wit and humor came across during the one-hour showcase as she bantered about being a Singaporean for the night, from greeting the crowd with “Ni Hao” (Mandarin for “How Are You”) to proudly proclaiming she learnt a new word and is able to use it in the right context – “Shiok”.

Lenka (Photo: Sony Music Singapore)

Crowd interaction aside, the former vocalist for indie band Decoder Ring also slowed things down a little as she serenaded the crowd with the poignant and melancholic “Knock Knock” and “Don’t Let Me Fall.”The songs served as a great prologue to “Heart Skips A Beat”, her current hit which was recently made into a stop-motion animation video with a medical pop theme. The clever use of synthesizers in the song is undeniably a great portrayal of Lenka’s distinct new sound: less bubblegum, more upbeat and dance-y.

But the true winner of the night was definitely the crowd. Not only did they clap and dance along to almost every song, their roars of “We want more!” and “Encore!” ripped through the bar, which led to Lenka treating them to two of her widely famous songs “Trouble Is A Friend” and “The Show” after the supposedly set closer, “Everything’s Okay.”

Lenka (Photo: Sony Music Singapore)

Needless to say, the audience could be heard singing along to every line to “The Show.” Lenka even teased the crowd by saying “This feels like a choir!” and pretended to be a conductor in an orchestra ensemble, waving her invisible conductor’s wand to harmonize everyone. Before leaving the stage, Lenka gave her sweetest parting shot of the night – what made her heart skipped a beat was the people of Singapore.

St. Jerome's Laneway Festival in Singapore (Photo: Aloysius Lim)

Relentless rain, cloying mud and uneven grounds – that certainly do not sound like it’s the most comfortable setting for an outdoor live music festival. But if Glastonbury can do it, what’s stopping Southeast Asia’s first St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, held on the historic slopes of Singapore’s Fort Canning Park on January 29, 2011? The 11-hour indie music festival saw a 6000-strong crowd of music lovers singing and dancing to the beats of nine critically-acclaimed bands from the likes of Beach House, Foals, and The Temper Trap.

Theresa Wayman of Warpaint (Photo: Aloysius Lim)

Warpaint, the experimental art-rock all-girl band based in Los Angeles, kicked off the festival with the song “Bees.” All ears and eyes were firmly fixated on the band as Emily Kokal’s starkly haunting vocals, accompanied by the intricate and rich electronic sounds from the guitars and drums, burst into the afternoon air. Indeed, the girls are highly talented, swapping instruments and taking turns on lead vocals duties. Warpaint demonstrated their musical chops well with the tribal-like tunes of “Composure” and their first single, “Undertow,” amongst their other hypnotic tunes taken from their Exquisite Corpse EP and debut album, The Fool.

Ladyhawke (Photo: Ryan Chang)

Ladyhawke, with her grunge-y golden tresses, was second to take the stage that afternoon, just as a light drizzle began to set in. The singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from New Zealand belted out hit singles such as “Paris Is Burning,” while a sizeable crowd started to gather in front of the stage. The mood continued its upward trend throughout the set, which then culminated in a sea of bodies dancing to the energetic anthem, “My Delirium.”

Victoria Legrand of Beach House (Photo: Bryan Soon)

With pretty stage props made by The Confetti System as their backdrop, highly-acclaimed dream-pop purveyors Beach House came on as the third act for Laneway Festival. Clad in a spring green coat, vocalist Victoria Legrand launched into a string of singles off their Sub Pop-released record, Teen Dream. Their slow, atmospheric sounds accompanied by soaring vocals kept festival punters hypnotised for the next 45 minutes.

Deerhunter (Photo: Ryan Chang)

As the rain began to recede momentarily after Beach House, Atlanta, Georgia’s Deerhunter came on and delighted with their blend of neo-psychedelia. Beautiful harmonies and instrumentation aside, lead singer Bradford Cox, in his over-sized yellow polo, also delivered the hits like “Revival” and “Helicopter” with great vocal abilities.

Holy F**K (Photo: Bryan Soon)

As dusk approached, the crowd was once again wowed by the next act. Truly, there’s no reaction more appropriate to this band’s live show than an exclamation of the band name itself. Holy F**k’s sunset slot was the perfect catalyst to an upward spike in the overall pacing of the bands that day. Occupying only a fraction of the stage in an intimate setting resembling a rehearsal space, the band from Ontario was a chaotic bunch, interacting with a host of musical instruments and contraptions, many of them being played at the same time. Throughout the set, effects instrumentalists Brian Borcherdt and Graham Walsh could be seen hunched over their array of instruments like master craftsmen, seeking out the perfect sound. The result? A tight, though fully-improvised set of dance-y electronic rock.

Nic Offer of !!! (Photo: Ryan Chang)

And if there were to be an award at Laneway Festival to be given out to the musician with the best showmanship, it would without a doubt, be awarded to Nic Offer, vocalist of !!! (pronounced Chk Chk Chk). Decked in mini shorts and an “I Love Singapore” tee, Offer was exploding with so much energy and exuberance from the first song to the last. The dance-punk band from California infected the audience with almost a jitterbug fever as soon as they came on. The crowd went wild when Offer maneuvered his way through music goers who were standing at the front, hi-fiving them while at the same time, still singing into the microphone. Evidently, the band’s playful performance was too hot to handle as a pink bra was swung onto the stage, straight into Offer‘s chest. And being the flamboyant frontman that he is, Offer cleverly improvised the pink bra as a prop till their final song for their set.

Anand Wilder of Yeasayer (Photo: Ryan Chang)

The night was in full swing by the time New York quartet Yeasayer stepped on stage with their unique blend of psychedelic pop with world music influences. Songs such as “O.N.E.” and “Ambling Alp,” taken off their second studio album Odd Blood, showcased an impressive three-part vocal harmonies (led by vocalist Chris Keating) that were coupled with the sounds of electronics and synthesizers. This was a band that constantly kept punters on their feet and smiling, moving and grooving throughout their live set.

Foals (Photo: Ryan Chang)

Cheers and screams ripped through the blanket of darkness (save for the LED lights dotting the stage’s backdrop) as soon as the members of British band Foals took the stage. The pulsating depth they evoked was more than adequate to distract everyone from the incredibly heavy downpour. Their dance beats got the crowd jumping even on the muddy and slippery upland. The cadence was moving and exuded a rhythmic high, made even more magnificent by the lyrical poignancy and thundering tom rolls. The indie disco set was aptly accompanied by flickering lighters and black balloons blown up by fans of Foals who could be heard singing along to the tunes of “Spanish Sahara” and “Cassius.”

The Temper Trap (Photo: Ryan Chang)

As we approached the homestretch, the downpour began to get lighter. The soft midnight rain was the perfect complement to the atmospheric sound of The Temper Trap. Mud and rain? It all did not matter. The music magnified that magical experience of simply being there, together with great music and a sea of appreciative crowd. Controlling one’s self from moving to the upbeat tracks was just foolish, even with the space constraint and cold humidity. The driving, pulsating beat of the drums and Dougy Mandagi‘s emotionally-charged vocal performance effortlessly came together as the band serenaded the rain-soaked crowd with hits such as “Fader,” “Science Of Fear,” and their hit song (which many first heard as a soundtrack on the film 500 Days Of Summer), “Sweet Disposition.”

VJ Holly and VJ Utt (Photo: Ryan Chang)

Although at the end of the day many dubbed Laneway as “Rainway” (no prizes for guessing why), truth be told, St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival was worth every speck of dirt, mud and penny spent and has no doubt amplified Singapore’s spot on the world map as a flourishing music scene, both mainstream and indie.

(L-R) VJ Utt, Michael Chugg, Danny Rogers and VJ Holly (Photo: Jonathan Fong)

Text: Lennat Mak

Indie kids, here’s a music festival that will truly make you go ga-ga for – Australia’s St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival is set to hit Singapore shores come January 29, 2011 at Fort Canning Park!

Earlier this year, Chugg Entertainment gave Singapore a teaser of the Laneway Festival by bringing in Florence & The Machine, The xx and Echo and the Bunnymen. Boosted by the immense reception, Michael Chugg (chairman of Chugg Entertainment) together with Danny Rogers (co-founder and promoter of Laneway Festival) decided to stage a full-blown festival debut with an outstanding lineup featuring some of the latest indie acts that are currently on various critics’ hotlists.

“We tested the waters with two shows – Florence & The Machine with The xx and Echo and the Bunnymen. Danny and I believe for a while that there’s an audience in Singapore for cutting edge rock ‘n’ roll music. We proved that with Florence’s sold out show and I’m very proud that we are able to bring Laneway to Singapore next year,” says Michael Chugg at the Laneway Festival press conference held yesterday (November 16, 2010) at the New Asia Bar at Swissotel Stamford.

The inaugural Laneway Festival features a stellar lineup of !!! (Chk Chk Chk), Beach House, Deerhunter, Foals, Holy Fuck, Ladyhawke, Warpaint and Yeasayer and is scheduled to run for one day starting from 2pm on January 29, 2011.

“We spoke to some locals and we handpicked a bunch of bands that we felt that will really suit the market here,” explains Danny Rogers. “We are really focused on giving the punters a good experience. We are not going to put on bands because they are going to sell a lot of tickets (but obviously we hope they do). We are putting on bands that we really love. Laneway Festival is for music lovers and for people who seek out music.”

The Temper Trap (Photo: Jonathan Fong)

Australia’s home pride, The Temper Trap, who made a special appearance at the press conference, will also be on the bill for the Singapore leg of the festival only.

Says Dougy Mandagi, lead vocalist and guitarist of the Temper Trap after their intimate four-song acoustic set with the songs “Fader,” “Sweet Disposition,” “Love Lost” and “Science of Fear, “I’ll see you soon for the real show where we will turn the amp up to 11!”

VJ Utt and Holly with The Temper Trap (Photo: Jonathan Fong)

Event details as follows:

Laneway Festival Singapore
Date: January 29, 2011
Venue: Fort Canning Park

Tickets:
Early Bird Ticket Price: $99.50 + $3 SISTIC booking fee
Ticket Price: $109.50 + $3 SISTIC booking fee

Tickets go on sale on Friday, November 19, 2010 at through SISTIC. For more information, log on to http://singapore.lanewayfestival.com.au.

MTV is the official music channel for Laneway Festival Singapore.

Want to find out more about the acts playing Laneway Festival? Here are some videos for you to check out!