We saw you had your trusty pi pa gao with you on stage at Laneway. What other little rituals do you have to keep your voice in tip top condition?
Weish: It isn’t a ritual at all—it was my first time! I ended up not having much time to sip at it between songs, and having just recovered from a cold, my voice was honestly strained for most part of the set. I don’t have any rituals at the moment, but I’ve been looking into some warm ups and habits to help improve my vocal tone.
You’ve performed at a couple of huge events in the last year. What’s your most memorable stage moment?
Din: It has to be Java Soundsfair [in Indonesia]. Our power went out three times during the first song. And the best part was that everything was being streamed live.
We read that you’re quite selective about shows. What kind of shows do you stay away from?
Din: We don’t like playing shows just for the sake of playing for “exposure”. On numerous occasions, organizers and brands offer bands “exposure” in exchange for the band’s time, effort, skill, art and jamming fees. We pay a sizable sum per hour to practice, at studios.
Din: We don’t like playing shows just for the sake of playing for “exposure”. On numerous occasions, organizers and brands offer bands “exposure” in exchange for the band’s time, effort, skill, art and jamming fees. We pay a sizable sum per hour to practice, at studios.
Weish: If the organizers can afford to rent a sound system and venue, the least they could do is to offer a token sum. Or acknowledge their inability to remunerate rather than wave the “e” word around like they’re doing us a huge favor.
Din: To be perfectly honest, payment is the last thing on our minds; we’re more than happy to play shows for free—we don’t accept fees for charity shows, obviously, and we’ve waived fees on many other occasions too. It’s just a little insulting when you know the organizer is profiting from the show, and do not deem your performance, art or skill worthy. We just wish that organizers would recognize how much musicians invest into every live performance.
What kinds of shows do you have the most fun playing?
Weish: It’s always more fun to play small and intimate shows because you know that the audience is there because they really want to watch you, and not because it’s fashionable to be there. We also always end up hanging out with the bands after these shows.
Who do you have on loop right now?
Din: Chet Faker’s live cover of “No Diggity”
Weish: Kimbra’s “Rescue Him” from her latest album, The Golden Echo
What track do you put on when you’re alone and just feel like dancing?
Din: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ “The Impression That I Get” .
Weish: “Bad” by Michael Jackson.
Who are some of your fave local acts?
Din: Wow, this is a really difficult question. We love The Psalms, Pleasantry, Cashew Chemists, Anechois, Plainsunset, Serenaide, The Analog Girl, the whole of the Syndicate crew, Spacedays, Paris in the Making, Tiramisu, Charlie Lim and so many more.
Weish: We’d love to collaborate with all of these people, though we may not have the guts to jam with some of them. They’re all seriously excellent.
Weish: We’d love to collaborate with all of these people, though we may not have the guts to jam with some of them. They’re all seriously excellent.
Can’t get enough of .gif? Catch them at Getai Electronica this Saturday as they take over the open-air carpark at People’s Park Complex. There will also be a bunch of other hot local bands and beer on tap.
