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The Taiwanese all-girl pop-rock band left little doubt on their ability to bring the house down with their robust campus concert held in the Lee Kong Chian lecture theatre at NTU (National Technological University) on the 14th of September.
Hooked was left in awe...
Cherry Boom provided a refreshing take on genres such as sentimental pop and R&B that dominated the Taiwanese music scene. They veered towards the punk-rock genre for their faster tunes and an intertwine between pop and rock for their ballads.
The end result was superb, with the faster songs making your blood pound with the definite rhythm of the drum beats, while the painfully raw lyrics and beautiful, melancholic melodies of the slower numbers would make your heart stop in its track.
Decked out in similar shades of red and black (hardly a coincidence when considering the name of their band, Cherry Boom or 樱桃帮 in Mandarin), the band was a sight to behold.
Its two guitarists, Xiao-Qian and Gua (bass and lead respectively) strummed with nimble fingers and bobbed their heads back and forth in sync with the music, while the drummer Da-Tian played expertly with her eyes closed, her arms sweeping across the drum set swiftly, never missing a beat.
Centre-stage, vocalist Cha-Cha belted out their songs with ferocious gusto, sometimes beaming at the audience radiantly while gesturing for them to clap or sing along, and other times frozen in an intense moment, as she lifted her voice (and her face) upwards, allowing emotions to grip her, yet making no attempt to tuck back the long tresses obscuring her face.
These musicians indeed possessed a very distinct attitude without compromising on their femininity.
YES 93.3 DJ Li Yi was the host of the event, facilitating interaction between the band and the audience, as well as entertaining the latter with activities during the breaks.
There was also a lucky draw and a challenge directed at the audience to act the way they thought punk-rockers would normally act. Someone swung his shoulder-length hair, while another gestured the rocker sign and screamed.
However, the girl who bagged the first prize for this challenge had a head start - literally.
“At the beginning, when the audience is quiet, the punk-rock vocalist stands with her head bowed,” she said as she did the corresponding action to accompany her explanation.
“And then, when the music starts, she does this,” as she lunged forward on one foot, repeatedly thrusting her fist and bobbing her head to everyone’s (including the band members’) amusement.
Drummer Da-Tian happily chirped later that that was what she would call “Girl Power!”
There was also an amazing chemistry among the band mates, which was not much of a surprise, since all of them graduated from Fu Jen Catholic University, save for Da-Tian who has yet to complete her studies there.
Cha-Cha (vocalist) and Gua (lead guitarist), who happened to play fantastic guitar solos, used to be bunk mates back in University. Drummer Da-Tian, with her straggly locks and eccentric clothes, was said to be the joker in the band, with her loud personality and constant punch lines.
Gua, on the other hand, the reserved, sullen-faced guitarist, was given a chance to speak to the audience by Cha-Cha, who thrust the microphone in her face and demanded a speech of no less than ten words, to which Gua calmly managed, “Hello everybody, I’m happy to be in Singapore today,” which constituted a grand total of fourteen words in Chinese.
When Da-Tian’s turn for self-introduction came, she asked what her word limit might be, and when Cha-Cha limited it to three words in jest, the former thought for a brief second before yelling “XIN JIA PO!” (“SINGAPORE!”)
Xiao-Qian, with her short red-and-black bob with blunt bangs, and androgynous outfit of t-shirt and shorts, received a declaration of love from a male fan in the audience, and covered her face in an apparent show of shyness, much to her band mates’ laughter.
This band comprises of a myriad of personalities, and their easy-going nature shown through their amiable mocking and chiding of one another on stage makes them all the more adorable.
All in all, the concert was an entertaining affair that got the audience so high that some stood from their seats and started dancing, jumping and waving. When the concert drew to an end with Cha-Cha’s rendition of Zai Jian Wo De Ai (Goodbye, My Love), people queued to purchase their album, in order to have it autographed before leaving.
Outside, the Great Eastern (sponsor of this event) booth served free ice-cream to the exiting audience. The night felt strangely satisfying. Rock, ice-cream and humour made it a winning formula to overcome an otherwise sublime Friday night. HOOKED
Photos courtesy of ourvoicebox.sg.
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