The fifth edition of Rock & Indie Festival (RIF) makes a comeback to the physical stage from 17 to 18 September 2021 with bands performing live to audiences at LASALLE College of the Arts.Celebrating Singapore’s diverse range of underground music are 14 acts, with some debuting new music at this electrifying student-led concert.
For starters, revellers at the first day of the festival will get to hear chillwave maestro Houg sing Metro in the flesh. Freshly released, the lyrics’ oscillation between working for survival and hustling for the dream will surely resonate with many during these hard-hitting times.
Power pop songstress kotoji will also take to the stage for the first time to premiere a new song. Titled Caving In, audiences can be sure to feel the honesty in her voice through the airwaves.Other acts continuing the feel-good vibes are indie rock outfit Stopgap and alt-pop darling Kitty Purrnaz.
The second day promises more head-banging action with driving rock bands such as cult emo outfit Forests. They will be offering audiences a sneak peek into their upcoming album with a new drop Resting Peach Face.
Also, not to be missed is instrumental prog-rock heroes Amateur Takes Control. Their return from a three-year hiatus is marked by a darker and more aggressive sound and fans will get an exclusive glimpse in a live debut of three songs –Refuse, Pondok and That Cable Sucks.
Ensuring blood-pumping spirits remain high, the line-up further includes psych-rock luminaries Spacedays and post-hardcore stalwarts Caracal.
Similarly joining the action are six up-and-coming bands hand-picked from an open call session.
From aspiring singer-songwriters to emerging rock bands, RIF continues its support of young talents by shining a spotlight on them across the two festival days.
Presented by LASALLE’s School of Contemporary Music, with students from BA(Hons) Arts Management, Diploma in Theatre Production and Management and Diploma in Audio Production collaborating to organise, curate and execute the festival, RIF has grown through the years to become a bookmark in many music enthusiasts’ calendar.
“There is a renewed sense of hope as Singapore and the world progressively opens up. We want to share our excitement with audiences as well as showcase familiar and rising local acts. The challenging part to this edition of RIF was definitely navigating the logistics of making performances accessible to audiences on-site. We hope that through RIF, the spirit of rock and indie music will continue to grow in Singapore no matter the circumstances,” said Ashikin Ali, Festival IC and BA(Hons) Arts Management student.
In line with prevailing safe management measures, artists will perform at two venues within LASALLE’s McNally campus – the Singapore Airlines Theatre (B1) and Flexible Performance Space (Blk F, Level 1).
Performances from the Singapore Airlines Theatre stage will further be live-streamed to the College’s Creative Cube (Blk C, Level 1), where more attendees will be able to enjoy the festival onsite.
Concert footage from both nights will also be released for viewing on RIF’s various social media platforms.
Event details
Title: Rock and Indie Festival 2021 (RIF2021)
Date/Time: 17–18 September 2021, 5pm
Venue: LASALLE College of the Arts, 1 McNally Street, Singapore 187940
Price: Free but ticketed in order to manage audience size as part of safe management measures. Book online at Peatix.
Who: 14 Singaporean bands and musicians.
