We are still playing together after all this time because… we love doing it. Absolutely. It’s our greatest joy.
The most memorable gig we’ve had was at… Amsterdam. It was different and the environment was cool. The people were receptive to our original songs—Dutch society is by nature liberal. We busked in the streets, performed at arts events and parties, guested on radio shows and got written about in Dutch magazines one beautiful summer.
Some of our greatest heroes are… bands and artistes off the mainstream. Super groups like The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jethro Tull, Weather Report, The Doors, Darryl Way, Igor Stravinsky… the list goes on. But of course when we first started out, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones inspired us.
The local music scene is… still developing at a snail’s pace. Today, there are more platforms but local bands are still struggling for recognition. Support for original songs is very limited. Local tunes are hardly heard on radio and TV. The concert scene is awashed with international acts, meaning Singaporeans are spoilt for choice and in turn tend to shun homegrown events.
Performing together with The Rolling Stones will be... like making a full circle. Like I said, they were our early influences, and like the time we opened for Bob Dylan in Singapore, it will be a big thrill.
Heritage will still be around… for a few more years at least. We can never predict what’s going to happen. But even if the band doesn’t exist anymore, individually we will still be playing music until we won’t be able to do it.
Late Nite @ Esplanade: Heritage is on January 13 at Esplanade Recital Studio.
