Don't Dream It's Over – KR Rockers @ Timbre

The Tuesday which fell on 15th October was different from your typical Tuesdays of the semester. On this day, the KR Rockers were seen hastily loading guitars, keyboards and other equipment into bassist Shasqil’s car before rushing off to Timbre @ The Substation for their much awaited soundcheck. KR Rockers performs bi-annually at Timbre and this year, they covered 16 songs across two bands.

In between laughter over a couple of complimentary drinks on the house and some last-minute rehearsals, Kent Ridgeans began arriving and quickly filled up the venue, eager to watch their fellow residents perform.

It wasn’t long before the first band kicked off the gig with Paramore’s “Fake Happy”. Following which, the audience were taken for a throwback to the 2000’s with Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day”. The vocals of veteran rockers Jarel and Mel Boey undoubtedly did justice for crowd classics such as “Don’t Dream it’s Over” by Crowded House and “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles.

Band 1: Jamie (Keys), Samantha (Drums), Justin (Guitars), Jarel (Vocals), Mel (Vocals), Yu Qing (Bass)

The band also covered numerous other hits (both old and new) such as “SUPERPOSITION” by Daniel Caesar, “She’s American” by The 1975 and “Open Arms” by Journey before finally closing off their set with their stunning and high energy take on Demi Lovato’s “Here We Go Again”, where guitarist Justin wowed the audience with his blistering outro solo.

As the first band were closing off their set, the second band was seen huddling at a corner offstage. “We’ve prepared for this, we’ve nailed the practices, so let’s do this,” said culture enthusiast Danny (who no longer resides in hall but returned specially to sing for the gig). The band started off their eight song set with a live rendition of Jonas Brothers’ “Burnin’ Up” and “Everybody Talks” by Neon Trees.

Aside from playing hits such as “Lost in Japan” by Shawn Mendes, “Nine in the Afternoon” by Panic! At the Disco and Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times”, the band also played Scary Pocket’s funk rendition of Cat Steven’s "Wild World”.

Band 2: Raymond (Drums), Adriel (Guitars), Tish (Vocals), Shas (Bass), Danny (Guitars/Vocals), Russell (Keys)

But of course, what would a gig be without a Beatles' song, especially when vocalist/guitarist Danny has a tattoo of their iconic Abbey Road album cover on his bicep. The band brought the audience on a thrilling ride during “Come Together”, where the band gradually brought up the energy across the verses, with Danny playing George Harrison’s legendary solo. We have reached out to Danny to inquire whether his guitar playing skills have improved since getting the tattoo, but he has not given confirmation as of yet.

Musicality aside, the Rockers had also intended to finally make public their dance prowess with Shasqil’s choreography of The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back”. However, we are disappointed to reveal that the band had finally decided against performing the choreography in fear that the stage could not accommodate the sheer amount of talent. Reports say that Shasqil was desperate to perform his signature “twerk” on stage as a replacement act but the idea was quickly shot down by his fellow bandmates. Finally, the band decided to end off the gig with a loud and head-bang worthy “Five Colours in Her Hair” by McFly.

Do not let his ability to play bass fool you, Shas choreographed a potential dance to “I Want You Back”

As the performers gathered to take their group photographs, C Block could be heard shouting for their much-desired block photo and claimed to have contributed to 80% of the Kent Ridgeans present. Meanwhile, record turnout was observed by E block as a grand total of three residents came down for the show. The three of them were seen beaming with pride and requesting for others to help them snap a photo to immortalise the moment.

There is speculation that Rockers is dominated by C Blockers. This claim is unconfirmed.

It was a night of celebration and support for the hard work that the Rockers put in for the performance, as well as an opportunity for Kent Ridgeans to take a break over the week and bond with one another over drinks and pizza. KR Rockers would like to thank everyone for coming down and looks forward to the next Timbre gig.