Salted KFC supper with free beans and no chili sauce. 

The first night, all looking pretty swanky and hey ya hey... 

The LCD screen poster, and we are known as Tiramasu, how nice... 

Singaporean local kids taking the tube, on the way back to the hotel. 

Syed Ahmad doing the soundcheck with Bro Dreadlock Sound dude observing. 

Soundcheck at the ICA after a 13hr flight, all ready to rock the stage tonight. 

The Opening Night

The rest of the boys arrived last night, and straight away they had to make a way to the ICA to do the soundcheck. The worst thing happened, they did not get the message, as they left the airport with a driver waiting for them. So everyone spent about £14 each on the train to town, how miserable. The soundcheck was infused with jetlagged and, for a while I thought we sounded like Echo and The Bunnymen.
All in good spirit, we even had a family pack salted chicken from KFC last night, and we had our winter gear on, but all we could go was the KFC opposite the hotel and bought a take-away. It was snowing slightly last night.
We met Peishan last night as she came to witness the great jet-lagged soundcheck, so we will try to rock it hard tonight, and give lotsa love to everyone tonight...

WE HAVE ARRIVED!

As I am using the computer in the Theatreworks office at the ICA, I have to type this really fast. Its pretty crazy, the weather is madness, 4 degrees and slight snow. I have to leave now got an interview with the tv station. The guys will be coming soon! OK will try to update more!

No point counting down: LONDON CALLING!

Hello peepsy daisies and poopsie dozos,
yes, now, the time is near, the last minute packing and shopping for the necessary necessities like cup noodles, mints, batteries, biscuits and other important ration. The important accessories like up johns?, the long johns, beanie and gloves. We are not going there as MUSE or Radiohead, so there won’t be any hospitality as such, we need to find our way to the hotel ourselves, it is somewhere near Hyde Park, off Kensington and Chelsea. There’s no reason to complain, They are putting us up in a 4 star hotel, ‘The Millenium Gloucester’, what can we say, we have to be indie.

Lan has been spending sleepless nights, burning the CDRs, while I have been running up and down the hill at Fort Canning (home of Theatreworks), settling some last minute logistics, flight tickets and the very last session at Bob’s.

As my body belongs to both KYTV/Tiramisu, (how wonderful if I have tentacles), I have to think of myself as David Copperfield, the magician. (yes I know very 80s)

There were many days as we thought, this day was like a dream, when suddenly it came slapping, how we realised the difference between reality and fantasy. But sometimes we get stuck in between or just floating around. I had a conversation with Lan the other day, he said the night before he played in KL, he couldn’t sleep, he felt this huge responsibility playing in front of a foreign audience. I understood what he meant, let’s just hope this trip will be a fruitful and mind-altering journey for all of us, you, me, us and everyone who have witnessed us on stage, as friends, foes and laughed together. We will bring each and everyone of you with us, in our hearts, our minds and our souls.

I will try my best in finding free or cheap internet access, so that we can update you with the situations, complications, joy, grief and experience, not forgetting the weather report. Those of you who are or will be in London this week, grab as many Singaporeans, businessmen, steward/stewardess, technopreneur, doctors, students, social escorts, pimpsters, drivers, maniacs anyone, And you Singaporeans who are in London, grab as many Korean, Japanese, Jamaican, Spanish, French, German, Icelandic, Zimbabwean and any different nationality of friends, come to the show at ICA.

Tentative gig timing:
ICA Theatre
Friday 25th February : 11:30pm-12:15am 12:30am-01:00am
Saturday 26th February: 11:30-12:15 12:30-01:00am
Sunday 27th February: not sure yet, but maybe earlier.

There will be a major change over right after Ong Keng Sen’s play ‘The Continuum’. So we are not sure of the timing, so be prepared for the waiting time.

1 more day to go

We had a discussion with Leonard Soosay last Thursday, so in April, we are really, really hitting the studios for real this time, no more procrastination and no more hesitation. Syed Ahmad will assist us as a producer/drummer, like Butch Vig. As for now, we are hoping to finish the album by June. But that’s not possible, as we are all working at odd hours and shapes.

This March 19th, we have a gig organised by Rock Star Collective, Ahmad will be away with Wicked Aura in Kuala Lumpur. Any interested party, please do e-mail me at manicjango@hotmail.com

Weather report from Tworks production manager, its about 0-6 degrees, snowing a little, hopefully, we will not get hungry there, as from what I’ve heard a sandwich salmon costs about 3 pounds ($9). Welcome to Europe, boys and girls.

Tonight will be our last session, we will be playing the repertoire of songs, 14 altogether, most of these songs will be in the future album. Most of you may have heard of them, some may not.

We are bringing Serenaide, Force Vomit and Wallwork records Cds to sell at the ICA bookshop. A little help to spread some ‘singa’ tunes to the folks in London. The KYTV team (which I’m in it as well) will be leaving on the 23rd Feb morning, while the Tiramisu pack is off the next morning.

So technically, KYTV will be arriving in London on the 23rd Feb around 15:30 hrs. In Which we will be having a production meeting at 18:00 hrs. So it will be a major jet-lagged madness, altogether 16 hrs flight. This does not include anxiety, technical complication, culture shock, adaptability and weather/time difference. Peace.

The 6th or 7th Session (not sure) at Garage Studios

The session at Garage Studios was productive and creative, with a fairly large dimly lit room and a be-spectacled longhaired owner dude who looks like an Indie Boy back in the 90s. As it was our first time there, we lost our humble way. As we reached the studio it was located on the uppermost floor, above a Muay Thai class and a beauty saloon.
Do pardon me, if there are no photos taken during the rehearsals, its either I was too busy or I forgot that I am greatfully in charge of this project. But nevertheless, I will try to change my habit, it would be great if we have an official photographer.
Microphones with spongy mufflers, what do they do? It feels like eating an electric ice-cream, as I’m not really a sound tech savvy person to talk about colourful spongy mufflers, they isolate the essence of a person’s voice, but me no Axl Rose.
As you know, I am trying my best to update this blog depending on the time, moment, feeling or mood. So if there are no updates or whatsoever, its probably because, we are tired, drunk, love-sick, angry or frustrated with personal or non-personal things. Like having to rehearse for small part of a song over and over again till we get it right. Dive with us...

Rehearsing the 'void-deck' regime for 3 solid hours at 'Kaki 5' , if you are at the Cafe near Haji Lane, try the potent potion called Honey Moment.
Mr Fantesticles

The Side-Show Project : Presenting from left Joni Boy, Emilio, Sunshine Kool and Raspberry Boar.
Mr Fantesticles

Post-rehearsal Teh Tarik Special @ Bencoolen, we ended up talking about The Killer Dwarf and 5 a-side-soccer game back in LaSalle in college.
Mr Fantesticles

The Acoustic session at Kaki 5

The ‘figuring out’ session at Kaki 5 (Adi Yadoni’s café) was very fruitful, and the ambience created a homely atmosphere. I started to think the very purpose of this trip, what is it really about? As most of us knew that the influences from the British music scene is so apparent to us, for me personally, from Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Erasure, Depeche Mode, Joy Division, Fat Boy Slim, Chemical Brothers, Roxy Music, Radiohead, Muse, Stone Roses, Charlatans and may more.
Last couple of nights, I’ve been watching U2’s Rattle and Hum, somehow or rather, like how Larry Mullen felt so divine after visiting Graceland, we are all so excited and nervous to the bones.
In 1989, Stone Roses performed at the ICA, and now we will be performing on the same stage where Ian Brown and friends used to step on. How do you explain that?
All we can do now, is to explode and believe in ourselves, rock n roll has gone global. And we are representing an Asian sub-cultural implosion to the British audience.
We are hoping to bring some Force Vomit, Astreal and other local Cds, a small mission to spread the music up there. Technically, we are left with 12 more days...

The 5th Session at CoxScrew

What I like about pre-gig situation is the post-rehearsal supper, the nearest supper joint if you are around Jalan Besar, would be the Bencoolen Coffee Shop. For a 70 cents teh-tarek, you can talk about everything under the sun, or even better talk about our college days, about people, situation and the most hilarious thing of all, nicknames. The rehearsal was fine, but I wouldn't want to update the rehearsal, for it was fine, and I don't think I want to be critical because I don't have to, really, its only rock n roll.
The 1st time we knew Syed Ahmad, was when he joined the 'leading art institution in Asia' LaSalle College of The Arts,we didn't know his name at that period, but Stoned Revivals was a familiar name. So we ended up guessing,we called him Bobo, Syed Bobo, and how Bobo was created, is still a mystery.
And Syed himself didn't know, he has another name till he left school. Its pretty hilarious, why Syed Bobo, who would want to call himself Bobo?
Well, will tell more anecdotes and past tales, we will be rehearsing at The Garage Studios this Friday, most of the studios are all booked. And the best thing is I don't even know where its at. Cheerios! Happy holidays..

The 4th Session at Re-Construk

Howdie doodie friends and folkies,

Mr Fantesticles is here to update you with new story and updates, the rehearsal session last night, was different, maybe because of the Line 6 amps and the much larger space than CoxScrew, but all grounds were pretty much covered. We have exactly 19 days before we embark on this historical journey to the land of fish and chips, Stone Roses and 24 hour Party People.
The friendly staff at KYTV are now diligently preparing the new 'Alistik' animated video, which will premiere at the ICA as well. Choy Ka Fai the video maestro will be handling the animation, as for costumes, the fabulous no.1 Couturier specialist Rizmanic Poitere is still planning some Retro-Metro look for the band.
Ok till then, Happy Chinese New Year in advance! Rocka a doodle poodle!

This photo was taken by the singer, as his only form of instrument is on the mic stand, by default he is responsible for archiving the process of this historical event.
Mr Fantesticles

Tiramisu's rehearsal at CoxScrew, 31st January 2005, the new look of the studio is better that the old hot and stuffy one, special thanks to Bob V for re-vamping the space.
Mr Fantesticles

The last gig we played on the 9th January, 2005, at the Esplanade Waterfront, the singer tore his pants after the third song, it was not meant to be. photo by Dovan Ong.
Mr Fantesticles

The 3rd session for Rythm Section at CoxScrew

The rehearsal last night, was productive, we managed to at least finish up the whole set list, finally. However, the songs are still very jagged and blousy, but we have time. Technically, we have 22 days left to rehearse, we are practicing with all our might, twice a week, 3 hours session. Songs rehearsed last night:

- spoon (re-structured)
- Shelter Seeking Jammie
- Chanting Bruises (not sure if we are playing this old post-grunge number)
- Carnival (a song we played only once, LaSalle Indecent Xposure gig in 2003)
- Justin (still pondering between 2 different versions for this song)

We started around 7:45pm, the most problematic of all was Chanting Bruises, we wrote this in 1998, a Seattlesque sounding, post teenage angst type of riff, that was like 7 years ago? Suddenly, started to think about how cheesy could the chorus be? "Whispering some rhymes, with a nature of youth" Cheesy or campy, that song was written when we were angry youths ok...

The next rehearsal will be this coming Wednesday night, at Radioactive studios, Peninsular Plaza. More updates to come.