adapted from Youth.Sg
The inter-tertiary rock band competition is back again! Organised by the NUS Cultural Activities Club, Jam X is into its eighth year and this year, the finals were held at *scape. 8 bands out of the 36 that joined qualified for the finals. They were vying for the top 3 prizes as well as a ‘Best Original Composition’ award.
Last year’s Jam X winner – Turning Point – kick-started the event. This was followed by performances by the 8 finalists who did their best to rock the crowd. The performances allowed the bands to showcase their technical ability as well as their ability to write and compose songs, as one song in their 2-song set had to be an original composition. Most of the bands looked like they were really enjoying their moment, without any sign of stagefright or “kancheong-ness“.
After 2 performances, the crowd cheered on as Singapore Idol (SI) finalists – Taufik, Sylvester and Olinda – took to the stage, performing a song each. Affectionately known by their fans as Fik, Sly and Oli respectively, the SI finalists were there to promote the upcoming Singapore Idol auditions happening the following Saturday at Orchard Cineleisure. The crowd went crazy when the SI finalists started giving away posters and Singapore Idol tees to the crowd. Freebies!!
The excitement died down a little after the Idols left but quickly picked up again as soon as the next band came back on. While the band was busy setting up their instruments, I decided to sneak a peek at the flea market to see if I could get any good deals. The flea market, also located at *scape, added to the buzz of Jam X 2006. On stage, the bands were displaying their musical talent while the vendors off stage displayed their entrepreneurial skills. They were selling things from handmade accessories and cards to second hand clothes. Janice Poh, 22, has a full time job but sells her handmade items at flea markets about twice a month out of interest.
The place was crowded with supporters as well as on-lookers. The Rachels, a competitor at Jam X 2006, was a hot favourite. Barely 3 months old, the band has the most number of female members compared to the rest of the participating bands and received the loudest cheers. The band consists of 7 students from Kent Ridge Hall in National University of Singapore (NUS). If you are wondering how they came up with the name, it was derived from the name of their drummer – Rachel Tan – who is a second-timer at the competition. They won the ‘Best Original Composition’ award for the song ‘A World Less Ordinary’.
The Rachels: (from left to right) Rachel Tan (drums), Sarah Chia (keys), Sherry Lee & ShiLi Yap (vox), Victor Chen (lead g.), Ivan Teo (bass) & Toh Wei Kwan (rhythm g.)
The competition came to a close at 9 P.M. and the judges took some time to deliberate the results. Finally, it was time to announce the winners. And the winner of Jam X 2006 goes to… *dddrrrrr* (attempting to create the effect of a drum roll)… the Dubious Brothers! The crowd screamed and cheered as the Dubious Brothers went onstage to receive their well-deserved prizes. The second and third prize went to Ridge and The Rachels respectively.
The energy-filled night was supposed to end after the Dubious Brothers delivered their final song. But fans were still dissatisfied and wanted more. They were shouting “Encore! Encore!”, so Lin Jiahe, the frontman of Dubious Brothers who is also the chairperson for KR Rockers led the band to perform their original composition once again, leaving their supporters pleased and contented.
Dubious Brothers: (from left) Isaac, Andrew, Galan, Lin (chairperson of KR Rockers) and Joshua.
Watch their youtube video here:
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The KR Rockers 
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