Venues: Downtown/Esplanade Outdoor Theatre/The Padang, Singapore
Date: 30th September 2022
Promoter: Singapore GP Pte Ltd
Review by: Nate Eileen Tjoeng
Special Thanks: The Singapore GP Pte Ltd Team
Photos by Cliff Yeo: Bandits on the Run | ShiGGa Shay | When Chai Met Toast
Revving Up for the Weekend
When it comes to reliving the good times, Singapore’s memory could be said to be impressive. The merriment and cheer of 2019 was revived vividly over the weekend from 30 September to 2 October. Tickets to the long-awaited race that took a two-year hiatus were seized rapidly from sales day and people are hungry – because they’ve been starved of what everyone recalled as normalcy.
Singapore stopped in its tracks once again (pun intended) for this grandiose event that is akin to, or I dare say, more monumental than our nation’s birthday. Structures were erected, roads diverted to much inconvenience but really, who’s complaining? Everyone is glad that we can do this again, jeering at the virus that was almost victorious in deflating our morale.
The city celebrated in unison, with retail and restaurants riding on the atmosphere, whether or not they were officially part of the Grand Prix.
The weather joined the nation’s jubilee by being agreeable. Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2022 brought many familiar elements – the different zones, the various entertainment stages, well-loved F&B vendors and favourite roving acts like Bloco Singapore (SG) and DJ stations. Some lament the lack of a lanyard that many kept as souvenirs as patrons were mostly admitted with e-tickets this time.
Paying homage to local and south-east asian music, Day 1 featured mainly home-grown acts or talents from neighbouring countries. The local vibes were carried in different forms and genres – from electronic ones such as Mantravine (SGP) and Nysah Tan feat. Ridz Razali (SGP) funk/soul outfit The Countdown (SGP) homeboy-rapper ShiGGa Shay (SGP).
As usual, the Day 1 crowd pales in numbers compared to the other two days but the festival grounds were far from scant. As the sun set, Malaysian rockers Wings (MYR) kickstarted the festivities on Padang sending reverberating energy to 15,000 at the field. The veteran band that debuted in1985 had their set glide over the 11 studio albums they have under their belt and didn’t miss out playing their iconic “Sejati” which had their fans going wild. While the masses were head banging at the Padang, those in Zone 1 started the evening with chill vibes as Altoduo (SGP) took the Sunset Stage.
Southern Singapore was set ablaze with heated tarmac and a cacophony of sounds resounding in the air when the sun went down. Your ears would have been invaded with music from every corner as you strolled through circuit grounds because the entertainment schedule was packed, with performances overlapping at various stages and points. F&B vendors such as Bikini Bar also had their own DJs and groups like Glitter Belles (GBR), Nomad (GBR) and Kaguzuchi (JPN) roved around to amuse clusters.
Two influential local acts were lined up that evening, the first being ShiGGa Shay (SGP) which took the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre. This may be a familiar stage to many of our local musicians, but the crowd that evening was different. The audience emitted youthful energy as ShiGGa, decked in red and white, performed to a mix of internationals and locals who automatically grooved to his rhythm, whether they knew his music or not. ShiGGa proved himself to be an embodiment of a local product as he verbally glided through a slew of lyrics that were pieced together in colloquial vernacular. The mix of Singlish, Hokkien and Chinese may sound like gibberish to a non-native, but rhythm and beats had the crowd strung melodically along anyway. ØZI, Taiwanese-American singer-songwriter and rapper came up as a guest performer for two songs, including their number “Mercury”.
The other local juggernaut INCH (SGP) performed at Zone 4’s Downtown stage which is a new set up for 2022. The 360° stage was intimate and the audience was just an arm’s length to the band which was made up of four other members including Tim De Cotta on bass. The idea of a small stage accessible from all sides seemed novel but the sound left much to be desired. The speakers projected further than the crowd could gather so fans right beneath the band could barely enjoy class-acoustics. In order to appreciate INCH’s music at decent EQ levels, one would have to move metres away. The area was also poorly ventilated as the stage was cloistered by bar tents and the DJ booth, so sweat buckets started forming amongst the audience. Nevermind those off-stage, INCH was at least blessed with a fan right at her feet that kept her energy going and her wind-blown-hair made her photo-ready.
As the F1 crowd slipped deeper into the night, they could choose their appetiser before the electronic giant headliner. For some DJ action they could head over to Waterside, also recognised as the Heineiken booth where DJ Joshua P was at. He catered to the more mature audience who grooved to his latin beats. Younger folks preferred to catch indie hits from The Killers and Coldplay at the good ol’ Poptart party delivered by Adrian Wee at the Downtown Stage.
When Chai Met Toast (IND) got a little unlucky with the timetable as their set clashed with headliner Marshmello (USA). However, fans and those who preferred folk-pop still granted a full house for the Indian band when they performed at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre.
Others trudged across circuit grounds and trickled towards Padang Stage for the long-awaited Grammy-nominated star. The DJ-producer took the circuit’s biggest stage with his iconic marshmallow-shaped helmet and started to shake thousands on the ground with mesmerizing video animations and dubstep pulses at half past-ten. Fans, known as Mellogang were sighted as some donned copycat-helmets and merchandise.
The man may be masked but he was hardly silent. He roused and spoke to the crowd throughout his set as he mixed from dubstep to EDM to trap in short spurts. Pyrotechnics and light dances accompanied his performance and the symphony of elements got the crowd moving. His barrage of beats paid tribute to Avicii and Calvin Harris, while he made sure not to deprive fans of his originals which include collaborations with Selena Gomez, CHVRCHES and Anne-Marie.
A Marshmello (USA) set emphasizes on the essence of a live show – listening to his tracks on Spotify will never be the same as watching him mix live. His skills at the deck speak echelons of his craft beyond the recording studio as he mashes tunes from Post Malone, Kendrick Lamar to even Vengaboys.
The amalgamation of pop, house, EDM, dubstep and trap elements into infectious two-minute ditties, together with arresting visuals and animation made the 75-minute set fly past and soon it was nearly midnight.
Day 1 started with a huge bang and ticket-holders who persevered the night for this climatic end must have started their weekend with a grin – like the one on Marshmello’s mask.