Huayi - Chinese Festival of Arts gigs
One of the hallmarks of The Esplanade's Huayi - Chinese Festival of Arts has always been its music programming.
This year's edition includes XingPop 2.0, a concert at Esplanade Concert Hall on Feb 12 featuring home-grown acts such as Nathan Hartono, Olivia Ong and The Freshman. Tickets to this show, which is also part of the PopLore music series, are sold out.
But you can still catch other gigs, many of which are free. These include a live-stream online show, in::music, featuring fresh talent such as Taiwanese band Bestards and Chinese indie pop singer Cacien.
Jazz outfit Rit Xu Trio, comprising flautist Rit Xu, percussionist Mohamed Noor and bassist Nicholas Lee, will play three sets at the Esplanade Concourse on Feb 11.
There is also the We Are Singer-songwriters! series, which features live and online performances by acts such as R&B /hip-hop artiste Zadon and singers Chen Yi and Relyne Ban.
Where: Various venues within Esplanade, 1 Esplanade Drive; and online
MRT: Esplanade
When: Feb 11 to March 6
Admission: From $18 for ticketed events; free for some programmes
Info: Esplanade's website
Sentosa Di Kubah Hayat featuring Ramli Sarip
Veteran singer-songwriter Ramli Sarip will perform his old hits as well as tracks from his 23rd album, Rasa (Feel), which was released last year. The title of the show, which means Peace In The Dome Of Life, is taken from one of the songs in Rasa.
The gig is part of the Malay Heritage Centre's Malay CultureFest, which celebrates cultural pioneers.
Where: Malay Heritage Centre, 85 Sultan Gate
When: Feb 5, 8pm
Admission: $50 from Peatix's website
Alternative rock
The Overload
Yard Act, 4 stars
English band Yard Act's debut album succinctly captures the zeitgeist of post-Brexit Britain in their 11 post-punk tracks.
Propelled by singer James Smith's sardonic wit and narrative-style singing, the songs take aim at issues such as racism and xenophobia (Dead Horse), economic inequality (Payday and Rich) and shallow thinking (The Overload).
In Tall Poppies - which, at over six minutes, is twice as long as most of the other tracks - Smith deftly narrates a surprisingly compassionate tale of a man living a life of mediocrity.
The album ends on a hopeful note - closing song 100% Endurance is a poignant call to live life to the fullest.
The messages might sound heavy, but the danceable rhythms and singalong choruses help them go down easy.
