It’s Quite A Company: Hostess Club Weekender Review

Fort Canning park was overflowing with quality music during the first edition of Hostess Club Weekender, held on Saturday, 22 Feb. Reviews Editor Zachary Tang takes you through the festival highlights.

By Zachary Tang [Reviews Editor]

PHOTO: MARCUS LIN

Fort Canning Park was overflowing with quality music on 22 Feb, where bands wasted no time on small talk and went straight to the heart of mind-blowing performances. Its grassy fields were host to the first edition of Hostess Club Weekender, a live music series organised by Hostess Entertainment Unlimited. The festival saw international musicians such as King Krule, Mogwai and The National unveil their powerful songs to a 3000-strong crowd.

Scottish post-rock band Mogwai and American indie rock band The National were the headlining acts of the day, and were preceded by international acts Buke and Gase, Asgeir and King Krule.

Although having performed at the Esplanade in 2011, it was still a dream come true for many to witness The National perform live — they were the most highly anticipated act of the day. These luminaries of brooding indie rock were the last act of the day and had everyone singing along with fiery passion.

A wistful-looking Matt Berninger of The National on stage at Fort Canning Park, 22 Feb
PHOTO: DOMNIC PHUA

They launched their set with Don’t Swallow The Cap and I Should Live in Salt from their sixth and newest album, Trouble Will Find Me. Their songs, many of which waxed lyrical about the emptiness of 21st century urban life, were unexpectedly uplifting.

Their encore was also packed with substance –– they left three of their hits, Mr. November, Terrible Love and Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks for their re-entrance at the end of the night. Lead singer Matt Berninger broke the physical boundary between audience and performer when he descended from stage and disappeared into the sea of sweaty people. This sent the audience out of control, with fans scrambling for a glimpse of the captivating frontman in his sharp outfit.

The last song of the night, Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks, was especially affecting as they stripped down from their full band setup to just an acoustic guitar and two microphones. All that the crowd was left with was Matt Berninger’s raw, baritone vocals — accompanied by quiet guitar strings — as he delivered the evocative refrain, “Vanderlyle, cry baby cry”.

Mogwai drowning the crowd in sombre, reverb-heavy post-rock.
PHOTO: DOMINIC PHUA

Mogwai, the other headlining act, had equally majestic sounds to play. However, they did so with few lyrics and more overpowering instrumentals, which was characteristic of the band. Audiences did not need to be familiar with their music in order to immerse in it. The ebb and flow of slow, mournful bass tones to riveting cacophonies filled every inch of our ears with sound, and by the end it was an incredible sensory overload.

The other acts were equally spectacular. Brooklyn art-pop duo Buke and Gase used hand-built instruments to create skittishly catchy beats. Icelandic singer-songwriter Asgeir was a spellbinding cross between indie folk band Bon Iver and fellow Icelandic band Sigur Ros. Archy Marshall, the 19-year-old teenager behind King Krule, blew the crowd away with his eccentric marriage of hip hop, jazz and punk.

Archy Marshall, better known by his stage name, King Krule.
PHOTO: DOMINIC PHUA

Hostess Club Weekender marks Hostess Entertainment Unlimited’s foray into Singapore’s concert industry. Bands were presented on a single stage, with well-timed intermissions between each band, and headlining acts had the opportunity for almost two-hour setlists, something recent festivals like St. Jeromes Laneway Festival and Camp Symmetry did not have the time to afford. This created a relatively carefree atmosphere, compared with the aforementioned festivals, which could have been a little overwhelming due to their larger scale.

Hostess Club Weekender would go down in festival history as a resounding success — despite the relatively small turnout (compared to Laneway, which saw more than 10,000 people this year), musicians played their hearts outs and the audience revelled in every second of it.

Details about the next edition of Hostess Club Weekender will be announced soon on Hostess Asia’s Facebook page.