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Who's the most important person when it comes to a live performance? No, not the singer. Not the band manager. Not even the guy who removes all the blue M&Ms. If you're in a band about to do a show, the sound engineer or sound tech is the person you want on your side. They can make you sound great on the night. (And vice versa if you're being a turd to them.) Like our guest, Mark Jason. Mark has helmed the soundboard at pubs of past and present, including Balaclava, Wala Wala, and Blackbird. You've also probably heard his handiwork at many events, including this year's BigO 40 festival and the SG50 show at the National Stadium.  But why did he become a sound engineer? What were his most memorable gigs he's worked on? And what does a sound tech do, anyway? In this episode, he answers all those questions, and as a bonus, reveals how you can get on the good graces of your sound tech (note: adult beverages may be involved). *this episode was recorded in August 2025 -- "Screen Scars" performed by K. Mat. All other live audio was recorded at Blackbird. ****** LINKS Follow Mark Jason here: Instagram Follow Writers' Hall and Blackbird Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram  What would you like us to talk about? Email us: [email protected] Update: The Lion City Rock Playlist (new tracks from Shye, Dru Chen, Namie and more!) Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review) ****** Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations

What is it like being an experimental jazz singer-songwriter in the Lion City? How does one navigate a musical niche in a space like Singapore? How easy is it to explore out-of-the-box musical inspirations in a place where traditional forms seem to be favoured more? Namie Rasman, lead singer of Namie & The Waves and a jazz singer in her own right, takes the hot seat to answer these questions and share her jazz odyssey. (PS: Namie & The Waves' new EP, Tides, is expected to drop later this year.) *this episode was recorded in May 2025 -- "Screen Scars" performed by K. Mat. "Postcards" performed by AWOL. "The Lion City Rock Theme" performed by Kevin Mathews and Chris Toh. "Gone", "Wander", "Queenfisher", "What's The Beauty" performed by Namie & The Waves. ****** LINKS Follow Namie here: Instagram Follow Namie & The Waves here: Instagram Listen to Namie & The Waves here: Spotify / Apple Music Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram  What would you like us to talk about? Email us: [email protected] Update: The Lion City Rock Playlist (new tracks from Shye, Dru Chen, Namie and more!) Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review) ****** Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations

With nightlife and entertainment spots closing over the past few weeks – Projector, Vertigo26, and for one hot minute, even Wala Wala – Kevin and Chris ask the hard question: How can dis be allow? In this special extended episode, the TCSS returns – iykyk – as they also unpick the "now you can drink alcohol in pubs until 4am" scheme (but only in selected areas, T&Cs apply) and pick their choice gigs that you can spend your Culture Pass on. -- "Screen Scars" performed by K. Mat. "Postcards" performed by AWOL. "The Lion City Rock Theme" performed by Kevin Mathews and Chris Toh. "You're The Boy" performed by Shirley Nair & The Silver Strings. "Let 'Em Come" performed by Mike and Herb & The Silver Strings. "Angel In The Night" performed by Lovehunters. ****** LINKS Get tickets for Silver Strings: WhatsApp Audie Ng at 9818 4198 Get tickets for Concert Lovehunters Renaissance Get tickets for Sing60 Get tickets for Welcome To The Machine's The Wall Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram  What would you like us to talk about? Email us: [email protected] Update: The Lion City Rock Playlist Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review) ****** Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations

What do echoes, money, dogs and time have in common? What's the dark side of tribute bands? And how much stroking is necessary before a podcast episode can actually begin? Laurence and Noel of Welcome To The Machine, a Pink Floyd tribute band from Singapore, answer those questions and more. Their new show, a complete performance of Pink Floyd's landmark album, The Wall, is a cross between a musical and a rock gig. But more importantly, it answers the age-old question: which one's Pink? -- "The Wall", "Time", "Comfortably Numb" & "Coming Back To Life" performed by Welcome To The Machine. ****** LINKS Welcome To The Machine:  Website / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube Get tickets for The Wall Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram  What would you like us to talk about? Email us: [email protected] Oh, and Kevin wrote a song for National Day too! Listen here Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review) ****** Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations

Dominic Chin has been singing ever since he was in his teens. His first original song, "You First Believed" – a tribute to Singapore's founding father and first Prime Minister, went viral. Now, 11 years later, he's back with a new single, "Needy" and plans for a new album drop at the end of the year. In between, he's performed thousands of shows – on his own and with the MDC – as well as collabed with some of the coolest name in the scene, including Jean Seizure, lamin and Marian Carmel. Oh, and he's co-written a song for National Day, called For Singapore, along with RINES and Gail Belmonte. So what was that music journey like? How is songwriting helping cope with mental health? And what did LKY have to say about that song dedicated to him? -- Recorded in May 2025. "Screen Scars" by K.Mat. "You First Believed", "Needy" & "Cry" by Dominic Chin. "You Do You" by Dominic Chin & lamin. "CLSE2U (Re-License To Cry version)" by Dominic Chin and Jean Seizure. "Here (Re-License To Cry version)" by Dominic Chin and Gail Belmonte. ****** LINKS Dominic Chin: YouTube / Instagram / Spotify Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram  What would you like us to talk about? Email us: [email protected] Oh, and Kevin wrote a song for National Day too! Listen here Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review) ****** Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations

Can you believe that it was 60 years ago when Naomi and The Boys released their megahit, "Happy Happy Birthday Baby"? That same year, the Lion City decided to make its way in the world by itself! Coincidence? Maybe. But to mark SG60, we decided to do what all Singaporeans do best: go makan chicken rice – what else? Oh, and Kevin wrote a song for National Day too! Listen here -- "I Love Singapore" performed by The Fast Colors. ****** LINKS Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram  What would you like us to talk about? Email us: [email protected] Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review) ****** Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations

It's been a long time coming, but we finally did it! We have Leslie Low on the show! Sure, it took us the better part of three years – specifically three years, seven months and 3 days – but hey, who's counting? Leslie one of Singapore's finest songwriters, and if there ever is a Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame for Singapore musicians, he should be in it! So we got him to answer all our crucial questions: How did he get started all those years ago? What did author Don Bosco and Lion City icon Chris Ho do to shape his music journey? And who's going for his gig on 10 Aug, 5pm at the Esplanade Recital Studio? (tickets going fast, don't say we never say - link below) -- "Screen Scars" by K,Mat, remixed by Chris. "Jump Back", "Daddy In The Lift" by Leslie Low. "Circling Square" by Humpback Oak. "How's Life" by The Observatory. Special thanks to The Substation for arranging this and to Bad Habits for hosting us. ****** LINKS Get tickets for Passing: Leslie Low in Concert Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram  What would you like us to talk about? Email us: [email protected] Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review) ****** Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock! Let us know what you like (or don't like!) so we can improve it. Also, we can do much more if you drop a donation in the link provided. Every little bit helps. Thank you very much for all your support! We appreciate you! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations

WE'RE BACK! Welcome to the new phase Lion City Rock, which is... pretty much like the old phase Lion City Rock, if we're being honest – but with more sprinkles! We've quite a few things in the pipeline, though, and we're going to do our best to make sure they all come to pass. Just what are they all about? Listen to find out, lah... "Nothing Is Real" and "Screen Scars" by K,Mat; "Finer Life (Cover)" by The Fast Colors. Episode image done by Olly Maguire. ****** LINKS Get tickets for Passing: Leslie Low in Concert Find out about Rockoustika Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram  What would you like us to talk about? Email us: [email protected] Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review) ****** Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock! Let us know what you like (or don't like!) so we can improve it. Also, we can do much more if you drop a donation in the link provided. Every little bit helps. Thank you very much for all your support! We appreciate you! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations

DID YOU KNOW that Leslie Low's music journey kinda sorta began at the same time as one of Singapore's influential arts companies, The Substation? Well, we didn't – until we were asked to support this cool event on 10 Aug, 5pm at the Esplanade Recital Studio. Passing is a lyrical and sonic journey through Leslie's indie-pop and soft rock reflections as an artist growing up, living in, and experiencing Singapore. He has handpicked personal favourites from his solo repertoire, and will be backed by Sean Lam (Concave Scream, Hanging Up the Moon) and Alexius Cai (Piblokto). This is part of The Substation's programme, Gathering Ground 2025, and follows recent collaborations to celebrate the music of Singaporean artists, many of whom began their formative years at the old Substation Garden or Guinness Theatre – including Leslie! Get your tickets from Eventbrite here "Finer Life" performed by The Fast Colors Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations

Was there a better way to spend a Sunday than having your eardrums blasted and your face melted by some of the biggest bands of the 1990s? Well, if you're not into that sorta thing, then yes, probably. But for us at the Lion City Rock pod, Day 2 of the BigO 4-0 show brought the house down as six bands took the stage at The Blackbird! Disko Biscuit, The Oddfellows, Rudra, Astreal, The Pinholes and Opposition Party brought the two-day celebration of BigO magazine's 40th anniversary to a close the only way they knew how - with amps turned up to 11! - *audio quality inherent at source Photo by Opposition Party - "Lion City Rock Theme" performed by Kevin Mathews and Chris Toh. Audio snippets recorded at The Blackbird on 12 & 13 April. Additional recording from Room 526. ****** LINKS Our Lion City Rock videos with the BigO 4-0 bands Read Kevin's Digging Up Singapore's Indie Roots on Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram  What would like us to talk about? Email us: [email protected] Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review) ****** Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock! Let us know what you like (or don't like!) so we can improve it. Also, we can do much more if you drop a donation in the link provided. Every little bit helps. Thank you very much for all your support! We appreciate you! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations

As crowds throng the spaces to listen to political candidates wax lyrical about how they plan to improve Singapore, the LCR team look back on two days in April when crowds thronged The Blackbird Singapore to listen to veteran indie rockers who came together to wax lyrical about the 40th anniversary of BigO magazine, the pre-eminent champion of local indie music back in the late '80s and throughout the 1990s. What made the grade? What were the big surprises? And who were the candidates - er, sorry, Lion City Rockers - who rocked our boat? There's no commentary about GST, but plenty of talk about GSE! - *audio quality inherent at source Photo by Little Ong - "Lion City Rock Theme" performed by Kevin Mathews and Chris Toh. Audio snippets recorded at The Blackbird on 12 & 13 April. ****** LINKS Read Kevin's Digging Up Singapore's Indie Roots on Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram  Email us: [email protected] Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review) ****** Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock! Let us know what you like (or don't like!) so we can improve it. Also, we can do much more if you drop a donation in the link provided. Every little bit helps. Thank you very much for all your support! We appreciate you!- Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations

Where can you go to hear a live band play Steely Dan's "Reelin' In The Years" or the 11-minute opus that is the live version of "Sultans Of Swing", complete with sax solo? Well, The Blackbird at Gillman Barracks, that's where. The Blackbird's resident band, Reverie, plays songs that aren't always on your Spotify Top 10; instead, revelling in dishing out rarer tracks that you don't always hear on Singapore's live music circuit. But Reverie has a bigger stake in The Blackbird than you think: Singer & guitarist Surath helms the venue, while multi-instrumentalist Joanna helps coordinate events held there, including the recent She Shines music event, and BigO's 40th anniversary show. With Blackbird's 2nd birthday coming up, the two of them share the highs and lows of being in a cover band and running a live music venue. - *audio quality inherent at source - "Lion City Rock Theme" performed by Kevin Mathews and Chris Toh. ****** LINKS Follow The Blackbird: Instagram  Read Kevin's Digging Up Singapore's Indie Roots on Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram  Email us: [email protected] Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review) ****** Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock! Let us know what you like (or don't like!) so we can improve it. Also, we can do much more if you drop a donation in the link provided. Every little bit helps. Thank you very much for all your support! We appreciate you!- Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations

What a show we have for you! Yes, you and only you! Our featured guests on the podcast are none other than The Oddfellows! They helped spearhead the Singapore indie scene in the late 1980s and have garnered much acclaim and accolades through the years. But what exactly are they doing now? Well, they're part of BigO 4-O: 40 Years Of Counter-Culture, the music fest on 12-13 April at The Blackbird to celebrate BigO Magazine's 40th anniversary. For those who don't know, BigO was the music magazine of the 1990s and the music fest line-up features bands from that era. For this special Lion City Rock episode, The Oddfellows look back at their beginnings and what BigO meant to them. - *audio quality inherent at source - "Lion City Rock Theme" performed by Kevin Mathews and Chris Toh. Excerpts from "Your Smiling Face (1988 version)", "So Happy (live)" and "Silent Worlds" performed by The Oddfellows. "So Happy (DJ C_h_a_o_s Mix)" by DJ DJ C_h_a_o_s ****** LINKS Get your tickets for BigO 4-O: 40 Years of Counter Culture Watch the other BigO Special interviews Follow The Oddfellows: Instagram / Facebook / Bandcamp / Spotify Related episodes with Patrick Chng: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 Read Kevin's Digging Up Singapore's Indie Roots on Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram  Email us: [email protected] Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review) ****** Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others search for some good ol' Lion City Rock! Let us know what you like (or don't like!) so we can improve it. Also, we can do much more if you drop a donation in the link provided. Every little bit helps. Thank you very much for all your support! We appreciate you! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations

We're continuing our Lion City Rock x BigO 4-O series for the 40 Years Of Counter-Culture music festival, which will be held on 12-13 April at The Blackbird to celebrate the 40th anniversary of BigO Magazine, one of the cornerstones of Singapore's indie music scene of the 1990s. The line-up features The Mother, Typewriter, Obstacle Upsurge, Force Vomit, Plainsunset, Opposition Party, Disko Biscuit, The Oddfellows, Rudra, The Pinholes, Astreal and our guests for this episode: The Great Spy Experiment! They're probably one of Singapore's best live bands of all time, and in this episode, the band talks about the challenges and opportunities that have shaped them to be who they are. - *audio quality inherent at source - - "Lion City Rock Theme" performed by Kevin Mathews and Chris Toh; excerpt from "Unity Song" performed by The Fast Colors. Excerpts from "Siti in the City", "Class 'A' Love Affair", Wasted" and "In The Sun" performed by Great Spy Experiment ****** LINKS Get your tickets for BigO 4-O: 40 Years of Counter Culture Follow The Great Spy Experiment: Instagram / Facebook / Bandcamp / Spotify Related episode: It's Saiful Idris Read Kevin's Digging Up Singapore's Indie Roots on Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram  Email us: [email protected] Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review) ****** Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others search for some good ol' Lion City Rock! Let us know what you like (or don't like!) so we can improve it. Also, we can do much more if you drop a donation in the link provided. Every little bit helps. Thank you very much for all your support! We appreciate you! Read less Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations

It's the first of our Lion City Rock x BigO 4-O episodes for the 40 Years Of Counter-Culture music festival. Happening on 12-13 April at The Blackbird, it's two days of music remembering and celebrating one of the cornerstones of Singapore's indie music scene of the 1990s: BigO Magazine. Bands performing include The Mother, Typewriter, Obstacle Upsurge, Force Vomit, Great Spy Experiment, Plainsunset, Opposition Party, The Oddfellows, Rudra, The Pinholes, Astreal and our guests for this episode: Disko Biscuit! One of Singapore's earliest shoegaze bands, Disko Biscuit, has been returning to the scene in recent years, and in this episode, they talk about their origins, their future and what BigO Magazine means to them. - *audio quality inherent at source - - "Lion City Rock Theme" performed by Kevin Mathews and Chris Toh; excerpt from "Unity Song" performed by The Fast Colors. Excerpts from "Guardian Angels", "Circle Jerks", "Ethereal Walk" and "Gelombang Hati Dunia" performed by Disko Biscuit ****** LINKS Get your tickets for BigO 4-O: 40 Years of Counter Culture Follow Disko Biscuit: Instagram  Read Kevin's Digging Up Singapore's Indie Roots on Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram  Email us: [email protected] Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review) ****** Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others search for some good ol' Lion City Rock! Let us know what you like (or don't like!) so we can improve it. Also, we can do much more if you drop a donation in the link provided. Every little bit helps. Thank you very much for all your support! We appreciate you! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations