SINGAPORE: Thousands of fans turned up on opening night at Baybeats, one of the biggest indie music festival in Singapore on Friday.
More than 10 bands rocked the house on three different stages on opening night alone at the Esplanade.
The annual indie music festival Baybeats is into its seventh year and is all about showcasing independent music from Singapore and the world.
A total of 35 local and overseas bands are expected to take the stage over the three-day event.
One male fan said: "It's huge and there are lots of regional bands, not likely you can find it in town and other events in Singapore."
Another female fan said: "It's free and it showcases local talents."
For veteran Singapore performers, it's a chance to extend their music reach.
Singapore band "Vertical Rush" had performed five times at the annual festival.
Esmond Wee, Lead Singer of "Vertical Rush", said: "Baybeats is a bit different for us. It's a brand name, it's a big festival. People are a bit more open to talk to you. If you play in a small club, chances are you might get someone who's drunk, you may get someone who's too 'paiseh' or embarrassed to talk to you.
"We do get a bit of the industry people come up to us and say, "Hey, would you like to play for my event?" I remember my first Baybeats, someone from the National University of Singapore came up to us and said, "Can you play for a beach party?" And we were like, "Huh? A beach party?" So that's very interesting and very heartwarming as well."
As for overseas groups like Malaysia's "The Otherside Orchestra" - greater exposure to an international audience is the aim.
Izwin, Lead Singer of "the Otherside Orchestra", said: "It's important in terms of marketing and promoting ourselves and our music. It's a big event, there are three stages, there are different kinds of people, not only kids, but we get like young adults, parents, grandma, grandpa so you don't know what you're going to get out of this. It's interesting to see what comes after this."
When the event first started in 2002, it attracted a crowd of about 9,000. But that number has since multiplied eight times to over 70,000 in the last two years. And judging by the turnout this year, the response looks set to grow. - CNA/de