Singfest is certainly off to a good start in its 2nd year, but the infant of music festivals needs a bit of fine-tuning.

The line up was most certainly impressive, and the perfomers did not fail to deliver. Pussy Cat dolls must’ve been dancing at 3000 beats per second; Panic at the Disco’s energetic performance saw teeny boppers in the front row splashed with the emo rocker sweat; Alicia Keys and her band ROCKED every second with flawless, groovalicious sounds; Jason Mraz shocked the crowd (or maybe just me?) with a distinctly bluesy sound - trumpet solo and all!
Even Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up was a riot - and probably brought the most people to their feet. Although his self-deprecating Austin Powers-esque jibes (”you know this song - you must have a karaoke machine at home, baby yeah!”) made me feel a tad bit sorry for him.

The venue was a good combination of central location, wide open space, a sloping green so even the shorties can see and requisite stately colonial building. (this is Singapore after all)

Harry’s as the caterer was another good choice. Who would have ever expected sushi and vegggie wraps at an outdoor concert? There was also chicken kebabs but the cues were so long I passed. And prices were surprisingly reasonable - $6 for a wrap and $2 for a bottle of Fiji water.

Some let downs which made Singfest only GOOD and not GREAT - the sound and the crowd control.

It was just plain not loud enough most of the time and at moments the sound cut out altogether - at the beginning of Panic at the Disco no one could hear a peep, although the band was professional to a tee and the show just went on tantrum-free. A bigger, more experienced band (fronted by anyone named axel) would’ve thrown a hissy fit and walked off the stage fo sho.

The crowd got restless with the long breaks between acts - up to half an hour sometimes! PCD got everyone wound up and should have been smack bang before Alicia Keys as an opening act. But the long break between the two sets meant the buzz was gone. Many people walked out during poor Alicia’s set - exhausted and lacking the energy after a long and very hot day of listening to music.

That said, alicia herself was flawless - not a single imperfect note came out of her mouth. Her finale of No One had what sounded like an entire eastern european nation singing “Uh-uh-uh-uh-OH!” in chorus.

Would I go again next year? Yes. But I’d hope this baby would be a little grown up by then.

Sabina-Leah Fernandez