If you were walking along Clarke Quay last night, you’d probably be shocked at the number of obviously underaged teens in the queue outside Zirca. No, Zirca had not decided to lift the 18-and-above only policy. Take a closer look, and you’ll notice groups of them wearing kitty ears and eyeliner-drawn whiskers. Strange? Not really, they were all there for Pixie Lott’s showcase, and the cat getup? Fans of the Brit singer are called “Crazy Cats” so it was kinda expected for them to turn up like that.

Pixie opened the gig with the lead single off Young Foolish Happy, All About Tonight. While the crowd was jumping and pumping their fists to the dance track, the singer herself looked rather reserved, almost as if she was restraining herself. Her vocal delivery was still brilliant though; it was hard to believe she wasn’t lip-syncing.

Next up on the setlist was Boys & Girls (which I thought was rather apt, since a majority of the club that night were just, well, young boys and girls). Right after that, she invited Kevin Lester of local band Sixx on stage to rap on Dancing On My Own, originally done by GD & TOP of Korean pop band, Big Bang. I’m sure Kevin is a really good rapper, considering the fact that he was chosen to perform for Pixie, but he was barely audible. It wasn’t his fault though; the sound system was a bit dodgy for the leading lady as well.

Don’t be fooled by her nickname “Pixie”. She was towering over Charmaine Yee and Boy Thunder, the hosts for the event (partly because of the killer block heels she had on). While the two DJs from 91.3FM were bantering away, it was pretty clear that Pixie was feeling a little under the weather, as she replied questions with short sentences and a bit of a forced smile. You okay there, sweetcheeks?

It’s possible that she was getting into character for the next song, Cry Me Out, stripped down. Not her though, I meant the song. Forget the beats and piano melody, she sang this one with just an acoustic guitar backing her up. The emotions she put when she sang this was scarily goosebump-inducing. The girl even had tears peeking from the corner of her eyes (no, I am not exaggerating). If I didn’t know better, I’d think she got dumped right before the show. But of course, who would dump such a lovely young thing?

BT and Charmaine then welcomed the big guy of Universal Music Singapore on stage, to present Pixie with a plaque for reaching the Gold status for combined sales of Young Foolish Happy and Turn It Up albums. Well done, Crazy Cats! A (really) short thank you speech later, she started on the final song of the evening, Kiss The Stars. This time, she injected a little bit more energy, to end the set on a high note.

Fans were still hanging around after she left the stage, convinced that she would come back for an encore. I, too, expected her to burst through from stage left for a second round. I mean, she skipped Mama Do, her breakthrough single! You can’t do that at show in a country you’ve never played at before! That’s like, the rules of feminism.

I kid, I kid.

All in all, the showcase was mediocre. She has the talent, but the less-than-stellar sound system held her back a little. And not to mention how rushed everything was; there was an insignificant “breathing space” between the tracks, and minimal audience interaction.

Come back soon and put on a better show, Pixie!

Setlist

1. All About Tonight
2. Boys And Girls
3. Dancing On My Own (ft. Kevin Lester of Sixx)
4. Cry Me Out (Acoustic)
5. Everybody Hurts (Acoustic)
6. Bright Lights (ft. Kevin Lester)
7. Kiss The Stars

Neon Trees are sure on a roll. The Utah indie-rock quartet are back with more oomph with their sophomore album, Picture Show, although showing a few signs of repetition in their melodic compositions, which is a big taboo in today’s industry.

Starting the album with a synth-heavy intro to Moving In The Dark, the opening melody immediately reminded me of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, albeit at a slightly slower tempo, and with a bit more kick. But if you can look past that comparison, the chorus has a very melodramatic feel and is a combination of what we first heard in Habits, with an alternative twist that I’m finding refreshing.

“The truth is hard to swallow when it’s choking you”, growls frontman Tyler Glenn in the rebellious Teenage Sounds. Notwithstanding the fact that they aren’t exactly teenagers anymore, you cannot help but feel a sense of curious animosity in this song towards the world in general. Also, it captures teenage angst quite aptly in the ripping electric guitars and fast tempo drum beats and the cocky tone. Definitely an anthem that the young uns’ can play as they plot yet another revolution.

Single Everybody Talks is radio-friendly enough to garner attention, but I don’t think it got as much favorable response as Animal did when it first came out. Oddly enough, the verses sound pretty similar to 1983… or is it just me?

The album title hints at the tracks’ nostalgic theme, with an 80s’ feel, caught between the disappearing bubblegum disco pop flavor and the emerging trends of alternative rock and roll groove. Mad Love is pretty much a stoner tune reminiscent of that era, sort of like the song to set the tone for when you are on a date and cruising with the top down. Similarly, Weekend oozes more of that laid-back, New Wave vibe.

The album also seems to rely more on infectious synth melodies than it did on Habits, which I think is a good direction to head towards, in terms of the development of their distinctive sound. Songs like Lessons in Love (All Day, All Night), I Am The D.J. all allude to the nostalgic theme and synth-driven tunes.

The punk spirit is overflowing on Picture Show, infused with synth riffs and a charismatic and gutsy frontman (unlike Adam Levine, both shine in their own right), and I wouldn’t mind spinning this disc whilst having a retro-themed party. It would be well groovy!

Track Cuts: Weekend, Mad Love, Everybody Talks, Teenage Sounds, I Am The D.J.

As part of their 167^th birthday and its attempts to further engage its readers, The Straits Times is throwing a huge day out including a carnival and concert at the eagerly anticipated Gardens by the Bay on July 15.

The concert will be headlined by international acts including singer-songwriter Jason Derulo and Bostonian rock band Boys Like Girls. This will be Derulo’s first time in Singapore so that’s definitely something to look forward to. But the highlight for me would be finally catching Boys Like Girls after missing out on them twice. You’d think that after the Nike Human Race in 2008 and being the first band to headline the Compass Ballroom in 2010, they wouldn’t return here for a really long time.

Along with the mandatory local (Singapore Idol) acts; Taufik Batisah and Hady Mirza, Kpop group, 4Minute has also been invited to play a slot in the 2 hour set. I admit I’m not the biggest Kpop fan around but I guess this is ST’s way of sticking to their roots and drawing in the hypothesised 30,000 strong crowd with a wide range of performances.

Tickets are priced at $67 for The Straits Times readers and $75 for everybody else.  No other ticketing information has been provided yet and ticket holders will also be entitled to a post-party at Universal Studios Singapore.

In case you were wondering, yes, MTV still does Unplugged. It’s been about two decades, and they’ve roped it artistes from a spectrum of genres (from Adam Lambert to Paramore, and Korn to Katy Perry). But of course, I’m sure music fans would agree when I say none has even come close to beating Nirvana’s Unplugged gig in 1993.

No, not even Florence + The Machine. Sure, Florence Welch, frontwoman of the indie/pop band is gifted with soulful, powerhouse vocals. But you see, with F+TM, it has always been about their showy-ness on stage, which is why watching a toned down version of them was rather strange. It was almost like they had chains restraining them, really. Then again, that’s the whole point of MTV Unplugged, isn’t it? Stripped down to just the acoustics and vocals.

They opened the set with Only If For A Night, which I found to be rather shaky, in the literal sense. Welch always had a permanent vibrato, but somehow her voice quavered when reaching the high notes this time. Nevertheless, the absence of the whole electro-ish beat gave Welch a chance to really showcase the emotional connection she had with the song.

One track that deserves mention is Drumming Song. The original version is good, but the unplugged one is surprisingly just as wondrous. There were no “drumming noise in my head”, since the beats were replaced with a piano arrangement, just like No Light No Light was. The reinvention of the two songs was a little peculiar at first, but I guess a couple of listens after the first, it’ll kinda grow on you. That said, this version of Drumming Song isn’t exactly gonna reel in any new fans of their music.

The biggest surprise came in the form of Welch’s take on the 1930s classic Try A Little Tenderness. While I applaud her courage to attempt to cover this song, I kinda wish she kept the bluesy feel to it, instead of spinning it into an agonizing piece. Wear a black veil; she’s ready to be a funeral performer.

All in all, I’d say this MTV Unplugged album has a few tunes worth space in your iPod. Florence Welch really got a little space to show off her talent, you can’t deny that, but Florence + The Machine didn’t engineer their songs for this setting. It’s a record you’d sit down and listen to on a chilled-out Sunday over tea, but it’s definitely not going to be a classic.

For those of you who are still fussing over Glee, please stop and pay attention. There is a new TV series that is a million times better (I may or may not be exaggerating here) in terms of the cast’ acting and singing abilities, called SMASH.

SMASH is a musical drama that celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater, as it centers on a desire to create a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. With a star-studded cast, including the likes of Tony Award nominee Christian Borle (Legally Blonde: The Musical), Emmy Award winner Debra Messing (Will & Grace), Katharine McPhee (American Idol) and Oscar winner Anjelica Huston (Prizzi’s Honor), SMASH stemmed from an idea of executive producer and multiple Emmy and Oscar winner Steven Spielberg.

The music on SMASH has a fantastic mix of original Broadway music from from Tony-winners Mark Shaiman and Scott Wittman, as well as covers such as Florence and The Machine’s Shake It Out.

Pardon my fangirl-ism, but as a HUGE fan of SMASH, it is my greatest pleasure to announce that Spin or Bin Music is streaming the FULL album of The Music of SMASH exclusively on the site! Sit back, relax and enjoy the musical kaleidoscope that you are about to experience!

P.S. My favourite track is History Is Made At Night. Love love love the harmonies and dynamics of the song!

Not only did indie rock band fun. cover Gotye’s widely-successful single Somebody I Used To Know, but they also invited fellow label mate, Hayley Williams of Paramore to help them out with Kimbra’s vocals! Over Skype, apparently.

The trio were in London as part of BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge segment where artists would usually perform one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format. fun. performed an acoustic rendition of their own similarly successful single, We Are Young before collaborating with Hayley (who was in L.A.) for their cover segment.

The incredible thing about fun. (and Paramore) is that there really isn’t much difference between their live performances and their pre-recorded studio versions. Despite the unplugged, acoustic setting, Nate Ruess’ clear and ringing vocals are still maintained and he is able to hit his high notes with ease. Sure fun.’s cover might not possess the eerily haunting sound of Gotye’s original, but with only an acoustic guitar and a keyboard, they really did a splendid job.

Take a listen to fun.’s cover of Somebody I Used To Know below!

With lyrics like “Big hair, nice rack/High heels, sweet a**…boy, you’re such a pretty lady!” Ke$ha’s ode to all drag queens out there is a sure way to win them over.

While still in the studio working with rock band, The Flaming Lips, Ke$ha managed to record Pretty Lady, a little ditty meant to pay tribute to drag queens and celebrate their fabulosity! The song was actually leaked without the consent of Ke$ha’s record label.

Pretty Lady is bass heavy and features real life drag queen superstars, Lady Lloyd and Detox, who do a little witty banter midway through the song amidst growls by Ke$ha.

Overall the song is fun and is something you’d expect from Ke$ha. Although she has not confirmed if the song will be featured in her upcoming album, she has confirmed that for her album, she will feature a collaboration with rock star Iggy Pop!

Take a listen to Pretty Lady below!

She’s conquered Seoul, Hong Kong and Japan and she’s off to Taiwan next. There have been videos, photos and audio clips – all proofs of how amazing the show has turned out and how it will be. Guys, very soon, it will be our turn.

Are you prepared, though?

Previously, I’ve dished out advice on how to make friends with audience members of the Ball. Now I’m back once more! This time boys and girls, I’ll be giving some advice on how to prepare your outfit for the BTW Ball.

1. Why Should I Dress Up?

It’s called a Ball for a reason honey. Back in the olden days (circa 70′s-90′s), Balls were exclusive to the drag community whereby drag queens gathered at small venues. They would come dressed in their best to compete for prizes and some cash money. You might not be competing for any money or any prizes at the BTW Ball, but I’m pretty sure you do not want to feel left out when everyone else around you looks like this:

 2. How Should I Dress Up?

The key here is to express yourself while referencing Lady Gaga’s past outfits. If you feel that a Lady Gaga tee and a pair of leather shorts is your thing, then so be it. Here are some very good examples of fans pulling off a good Lady Gaga outfit:

Comfort should also be a factor. You’re going to get all hot and sweaty, so try your best to not end up like this:

Also, try your best to keep the costume to yourself. Little Monsters may be some of the most peaceful people around, but if you’re obstructing their view with your costume, expect some wig snatching to occur. (Sorry Lady Gaga! It’s the #truthtea.)

3. Where can I get my outfit?

You can always order your costumes from any costume store online, but if you’re broke like me, you can always turn to making your own D.I.Y costumes. Here are some places you could get your costumes from:

Get your cloths from the Textiles Centre near to you. Textile centers usually have a wider variety of fabric, sold at a much cheaper price as compared to other places. If you’re in Singapore, be sure to head down to Arab Street or Chinatown’s People’s Park.

Deck the thrift stores! You’d be amazed at the kind of things you can find there. The best part is that, you can haggle the price even further. Who knows you might even find an Edge of Glory Versacesque  top at Salvation Army?

And if you still have energy after your day of scavenger hunt for gaga wear, head over to Peninsula Plaza! You’ll be able to find your wigs, studs, denim and leather jacket all in one place! The trick to buying at this places is to state them your budget first (keep it as low as possible) and that’s a starting point. Usually, they’d quote you the original price and if you don’t do anything about it, you’ll be spending quite a lot.

If you don’t feel confident doing your own costumes, get your Mum, sister or friends to help you! I’ll assure you that you’ll bond with them even more over your costume. Who knows? They might even convert to Little Monsters after seeing how passionate you are about Lady Gaga!

I hope this helps a little with your BTW Ball outfit woes! With that, I sashay away. See you at the Ball, Little Monsters!

P.S. Check out my ultimate gaga outfit in our final guide to BTW Ball next week!

He may only be 17, but our YouTube Featured Artist of The Week, Diggy Simmons, seems very much promising. This young American rap emcee is on the rise and has recently released a music video to his latest single, Two Up.

If you listened to this song with your eyes closed, you might have thought that it was a song by Kanye West. On the first listen, the vocals are very reminiscent to Kanye’s in Stronger. Diggy has cited Kanye as a major influence in his rapping style. Lucky for him, Kanye is actually in favor of him and has in fact praised him when a video of him freestyling to Nas’s Made You Look went viral.

Two Up is very radio friendly and I have to admit that Diggy’s swag had a growing effect on me (no no, I didn’t grow any swaggie after watching the music video). The pretty visuals in the video pretty much roped in my attention. The video was minimal, cool and refreshing all at the same time.

Cover photo-worthy stills from the music video.

Interesting fact: Diggy is the son of Rev Run from MTV’s Run’s House. His dad was quite the rap icon! We wonder, will Diggy make it as big as his dad? Or will he be even bigger?

Well, make the verdict yourself by watching the video below:

As soon as they revealed their next album release date, No Doubt was quick to post the first in a series of in-studio webisodes which featured a short preview of the track Push & Shove.

Scheduled to be released on September 25^th, the new record will be No Doubt’s first in over a decade. Push & Shove is a collaboration with Major Lazer and Jamaican artist Busy Signal whose vocals are featured in the track.

The webisode shows drummer Adrianne Young laying down the drum tracks while lead singer Gwen Stefani croons the chorus. The track is reminiscent of previous No Doubt single, Underneath It All with its catchy beats albeit with a little more pace due to more heartfelt lyrics. With lines such as “You push and shove, I take the bait. It’s a risky business, gonna play it anyway,” Gwen still possesses her signature piercing vocals at the ripe age of 42 and will definitely shine in the new album.

No Doubt’s website also states that Push & Shove “is the only collaboration of its kind,” hinting that Major Lazer aren’t the only producers, which leads me to believe that we can expect a wide range of sounds to come.

Take a look at No Doubt’s first studio webisode below!