Venue: Playden, Arthouse, Singapore
Date: 15th June 2012
Promoter: Reconstrux Booking
Review by: Nadiah H.
Special Thanks: Jai and the Reconstrux Booking team
Photos by Kenneth L.
When I heard that William Beckett was coming to town, my heart literally flipped and there was no doubt in the world that I was going to give his show a miss. Having been a huge fan of his now defunct band “The Academy Is…” since their release of Almost Here, it’s only natural for me to support William as a solo artist. So there I was, on 15 June outside Playden Arts House, eagerly waiting to meet and watch the man whom I grew up with and got me through my teen angst, via his songwriting.
The turnout of the show was pretty intimate, to put it in good words. It was just enough to fit the small venue, without fan girls constantly screaming at his every move thankfully. William’s attempt at making a dramatic entrance was a total fail because of the dwindling sound system but the humble man made up for it with an encore. It was his opening song cover of Damien Rice’s “Elephant” that swept fans of their feet. There was so much emotion executed from his chiseled face and distinct tone in his voice, we all fell in love.
Reconstrux Bookings informed the Singaporean fans that William Beckett’s show was going to be an intimate one and boy, was it intimate. It’s so rare to see the personal and humorous side of musicians on stage. Bill was almost like a stand up comedian, cracking impromptu jokes, conversing with the crowd, making impressions and references from comedy classics. William should definitely look into that industry as a side job! What really crazed the crowd was his smooth dance to “Never Gonna Give You Up”! That is one talented man.
William Beckett put on a solid show by playing all the songs from his latest album, some from TAI records, covers, and even gave a sneak peek of his upcoming “Winds Will Change” EP releasing mid-July. Honestly, the songs from his EP “Walk The Talk” sounds much better live, because the background is less clean and the bass is amplified.
When William played the songs from the TAI records, the atmosphere immediately escalated with fans singing their hearts out, word for word. Anyone can tell the amount of joy in their eyes, watching their idol on stage performing songs they never thought they could listen to live anymore. My absolute personal favourite however, was William’s cover of Death Cab’s “Marching Bands In Manhattan”. Although no one can beat Ben Gibbard’s original, William managed to bring the song to a different level that was as cozy and as relatable. William seemed so comfortable on stage even without a band to back him up and I was so impressed. It really brings me pleasure to see a musician who has gone through so many life experiences that was pulling him down but still managed to climb back up for his fans. All for the love of music.
Setlist
Elephant
Pour Yourself A Drink
You And I Against The World
The Test
Compromising Me
Girl, You Shoulda Been A Drummer
Oh Love
You Never Give Up
Marching Bands In Manhattan
Down And Out
Fever
Everything We Had
After The Last Midtown Show
Attention Attention
Great Night