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Justin Sweeting

WHILE SUMMER signals festival season throughout Europe and America, in Southeast Asia the unpredictability of the weather forces even the most ardent music promoter to think twice about outdoor events between June and September. However, one festival held annually in Singapore  proves  that with the right support and expertise, it is achievable.

Billed as 'Singapore's biggest alternative music gathering', the three-day Baybeats Festival takes place from July 16 to 18  and includes performances by more than 34 acts from around the world. Held on  the island nation's waterfront and including three performance stages, a visual arts space and an official gathering area,  the festival  boasts an impressive  infrastructure.

What's more, it's totally free. Presented by Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay (Singapore's national performing arts centre), and produced by Awakening Productions, Baybeats is now in its fourth year  of operation.

Twenty-nine-year-old festival organiser and Awakening Productions head honcho John Chiong says he was   approached in  2000 to discuss possible weekend programmes by the Esplanade.

'We went through various types of events and thought we needed something special and different from the normal gigs,' Chiong says.

'Thus the talk of a massive festival began.'

Baybeats' agenda is to promote new music to the Singaporean masses. 'Our focus is on the underground, unheard, under-rated talents of the region,' Chiong says.

However, the festival does pull in established  acts from around the world.  Past international bands have included  US act The Gloria Record,  Stamina MC (Britain) and Fonzie (Portugal). This year's lineup comprises 15 foreign acts, such as Sweden's Last Days of April, Australia's Blueline Medic and Kenneth Ishak from Norway.

'Last year we had a massive turnout, filling up every part of the event with people streaming along the waterfront of the Esplanade, all adding to the festival vibe,' says Chiong. This year, the organisers are conservatively expecting about 15,000 people to attend over the  three days. 'It's hard to have a head count when you don't sell tickets. It could well be more.'

This year's event looks set to be a more comprehensive festival spanning diverse styles and mediums.  'Come this year, we have introduced a separate stage to feature laptop musicians and also a visual-arts component to exhibit some of the fine photography taken over the past Baybeats. It has been quite a ride if you ask me,' says Chiong.

Beyond the exhibition of past Baybeats photographs, the festival will also feature a series of works by Brian Rasic, entitled Rain or Shine. Generally considered one of the finest live music photographers in the business, Rasic has worked with everyone from David Bowie to Led Zeppelin, and has had his work published in the world's leading publications.

Central to Baybeats' success is the participation of local and neighbouring talent. Nineteen Singaporean bands will be joined by artists from around Asia.

'We hope to really call out to all the musicians in the region to respond to this festival and actually be part of it. Joining us this year, we have got Venus Butterfly from Thailand, Buddhistson from Japan, Whence He Came from Hong Kong, and eight other bands from Malaysia. It's an Asia thing ... I hope,' says Chiong.

Whence He Came are no strangers to the Singaporean scene. 'This is the third time we are receiving Whence He Came into Singapore,' Chiong says. 'I have worked with the band since 2001.

'We also released a split label release called the Stockbroker's Consortium with their former label, Far East Records.'

Whence He Came frontman Josh Wong  says: 'We've actually toured a lot in Singapore and have quite a large following over there.

'We play Baybeats because we love the organisers and bands involved. We actually decided to play even though we're not getting paid, simply because it's all about the music for us. This festival is very impressive actually - huge venue, great sound and incredible lights. Great people and a great show.'

Part of the appeal of the festival is a sense of  musical solidarity. Throughout the weekend, bands meet and mingle among fans, with no real divide.  Moreover, many acts will perform more intimate, up-close acoustic sessions.

But staging such an impressive event is not without its obstacles. 'The greatest challenge so far is actually the weather,' Chiong  says. 'We were hit by storms in the first Baybeats, since we are outdoors. Government policies are pretty tight, though everything seems to be comfortable to abide by them. There are no major problems in that sense.'

Of course there are emergency cases. 'During the Sars issue last year, we managed to get everybody's temperature taken and recorded in order for us to go ahead with the festival.' That was no mean feat considering that artists and crew members numbered more than 1,000.

Planning for the festival takes  up to eight months. 'We spend the time evaluating, planning, vision casting and scouting for the foreign acts,' Chiong  says. 'To a certain extent it gets easier every year as quite a lot of the work is already down on a blueprint. We always aim for higher goals, though, and thus we have many discussions and meetings. That can be very tiring.'

Despite the complications,  Chiong is already looking forward to upcoming festivals. 'In the future we look forward to featuring more Asian bands. Also, in terms of stages, if the finance permits, we'd like to bring back the dance stage and also introduce other visual stages, probably along the lines of film and visual mixing.'

With an established name and arrangement, the future of Baybeats is very much assured. Hopefully with the likes of the Rockit Festival now confirmed for a second year, Hong Kong can also build on a  renowned annual outdoor music event of its own.

Baybeats Festival, The Esplanade, Singapore,  Jul 16, 8pm-11pm, Jul 17, 4pm-12am; Jul 18, 4pm-11pm. Free admission. For more details, go to www.baybeats.net



Riders of the storms