Festival season may have been ravaged by the pandemic, but music lovers in Singapore won't have to wait long for live performances to return on stage. Recently announced by the Health Ministry (MOH), live performances can resume from November 1 at designated venues with up to two zones for a maximum of 50 audiences each.
With this in mind, Baybeats has decided to make an online and offline combo return from November 6 to 8 – an unprecedented second time this year after its first digital edition in August. Discover brand new sounds – and faces – from the Lion City through small-scale sets performed by a diverse range of artists dabbling in genres from post-rock and heavy metal to indie-pop and hip-hop, and everything in between.
Another first for the free alternative music festival, Baybeats is moving indoors to the Esplanade’s crown jewel – the Concert Hall – and the grand Esplanade Theatre, with all performances live-streamed for home audiences. Six Baybeats Budding Bands are set to make their debut after two months of mentorship at the Concert Hall, while crowd favourites including electronic duo .gif, emo math-pop band Forests, indie-rock quartet M1ldl1fe, and hip-hop wunderkind Abangsapau get loud against the dramatic backdrop of the Theatre’s auditorium.
To amp up the live music experience, Baybeats is also creating a special two-way live-streamed programme that comes close to a live gig, allowing audiences to relive their physical music appreciation ritual. Local music heavyweights such as indie-rock stalwarts Astreal, and rapper TheLionCityBoy are set to take the mics with live audiences – and maybe some screaming fans – projected on screens around them. There's also Chillout Sessions on Instagram Live where you can hang out virtually with selected artists pre- and post-show.
While we can only dream of the next moshpit, for now, Baybeats 2.0 makes an ace alternative in transporting you to various sonic worlds without leaving the house. So gather your friends for a mini music festival in your living room and relive those much-missed moments. Pro tip: turn up the volume for the maximum experience. For the full lineup of programmes, visit esplanade.com/baybeats.
