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By Arora Saksham (23S62)
Excitement. Ecstasy. Exhilaration so immense that you could taste it in the air. The lively Victorians burst into cheers as the MusicFest logo hit the velvet curtains before them. Even before the logo had made its appearance, a surprise guest had made the crowd roar in glee. Greeted by cheers from seniors and juniors alike, alumnus Zhen Xian walked into the theatre just as the fest began, a perfect mix of dapper and carefree in his slacks and college tie. After exchanging handshakes, snapping photos and bowing to his loving fans, he took his seat with the teachers, eager for the show to begin. As the lights dimmed, the lights of Victorians’ signs, lightsticks and glowsticks illuminated the theatre, warming the soul. A hush fell over the crowd as the spotlight fell onto the stage before them. At last, MusicFest was ready to commence.
Greeted by much applause and whistling, Brishen and Tian walked out in front of the curtains, embracing the spotlight. A truly dynamic duo, they capitalised on the audience’s spirit and greeted the Victorians with hilarious jokes and witty puns. After setting the scene, they introduced the first performers.
Photo by VJCPS
Photo by VJCPS
Ian and ZT
Ian and ZT
Starting off with a cheerful wave, Ian and Zhi Tien pulled at our heartstrings with their emollient and emotional rendition of Steven Sanchez’s ‘Until I Found Her’. As Zhi Tien’s fingers flew over the piano and Ian’s voice rang clear over the theatre, Victorians all around the theatre swayed with the music. To top it all off, Zhi Tien’s piano solo at the end of the song stole all our breaths away.
Faith Ho
Faith Ho
After giving the audience a moment to soak in the yearnings of the first duo, Brishen and Tian called on the next performer. Faith’s gentle and relaxed demeanour won over the audience before she even began singing. Against the backdrop of encouraging cheers, she began elegantly strumming her guitar strings. As she sang, she took the audience on a journey to a quaint field below an open sky. In this dream, the stars shone as bright as the morning sun, twinkling along to the tune of ‘Yellow’ by Coldplay. By the time the song concluded, Faith had truly proven her love for the world around her.
Photo by VJCPS
Photo by VJCPS
Joshua Toh
Joshua Toh
After Faith, Ian, and Zhi Tien’s emotional performances, the atmosphere in the theatre had comfortably settled into a quaint and cosy one. The next performer, however, held nothing back in changing that. Much to the amusement of the crowd, Joshua performed a fast-paced, lively rendition of Fukashigi No Carte by Bunny Girl Senpai. With every note that rang out from the piano, the crowd’s energy levels rose. As the final note hung in the air, the crowd burst into whistles and cheers once more.
The Struggirls
The Struggirls
A charming duo took (and rocked) the stage next. Dubbing themselves ‘The Struggirls’, the two talented ladies took the audience through a cover of Rather Be so perfect; it was almost as though Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne themselves were performing before us. The song’s popularity, coupled with their near-perfection execution, had Victorians singing the chorus at the top of their lungs. Even as the two walked behind the curtains, there was no end to the applause.
Photo by VJCPS
Photo by VJCPS
Special Division 4
Special Division 4
While that would have been a tough performance to follow, a cheeky band of J1s took up the challenge. Having coordinated their outfits, and with one member in a wig, Special Division 4 picked up their violins and played like there was no tomorrow. Even though their song, Kickback, was instrumental, the group clearly needed no words to dazzle. A glorious harmony of melody and magic, the musical talent of the five was clear to see.
Three Dozen Roses
Three Dozen Roses
As Brishen and Tian introduced the next group, exactly 36 roses were projected onto the curtains, which pulled back to reveal a lovely trio act, Three Dozen Roses. True to their romantic name, they narrated their love for an unnamed someone through Alicia Keys’ hit song, ‘If I Ain’t Got You.’ Truly, it seemed that if we had not got them, MusicFest would have been incomplete.
Photo by VJCPS
Photo by VJCPS
Photo by VJCPS
Oasis and Undecided
Oasis and Undecided
What concert would be complete without a dash of K-Pop? Lucky for us, two talented quintets fulfilled the crowd’s want for Korean music through their fantastic choreography to fan-favourite songs such as ‘ANTIFRAGILE’ by LE SSERAFIM and ‘OMG’ by NewJeans. Even Victorians who were not Fearnots or Bunnies were enthralled by the groups’ vivid visuals and mesmerising movements. As the curtain closed on them, I, like many others, was sad to see them go.
Jenna
Jenna
After a short intermission of Brishen and Tian’s signature humour, the audience was itching for more performances. Thankfully, Jenna scratched this itch with her rendition of Billie Eillish’s ‘Come Out and Play.’ As Billie and her youthful fanbase would put it, Jenna ‘ate and left no crumbs.’
Photo by VJCPS
Photo by VJCPS
Hotplay
Hotplay
When Coldplay released their hit single, ‘Viva la Vida’, it was hailed as a cultural phenomenon. Its popularity may have died down a little today, but a group of Victorians has not yet forgotten the cheery tune. To fit the heat of Singapore while honouring Coldplay, this group named themselves ‘Hotplay’, and they sure knew how to bring the heat. The lead singers bounced energetically around the stage, getting Victorians on their feet, getting the audience to sway their hips and clap to the tunes.
Carys and Zixiang
Carys and Zixiang
A set of returning fan favourites, Carys and Zixiang, made MusicFest the next in their long list of successful school performances, right after Open House 2023 and Victorian Affair 2022. As they harmonised with Adele’s Skyfall, you could almost feel Adele herself watching them and praising their talent. As the curtains closed, Victorians were even more fired up than they had been the rest of the night.
Photo by VJCPS
Photo by VJCPS
Photo by VJCPS
Snapped Strings
Snapped Strings
Before introducing the second-last act of the night, Brishen and Tian engaged the audience in an interesting guessing game. To start us off, Tian snapped a string of pearls and then threw a rose on the ground, alluding to the next group and their performance. As Brishen roved the theatre with his microphone, rows of Victorians were abuzz with speculation. Finally, after many minutes of suspense, the two introduced us to the next group, Snapped Strings. With various instruments at their command, the group’s rendition of Rosé’s beloved single ‘On the Ground’ won the hearts of Blinks and non-Blinks alike. The highlight of the performance, however, came at the post-chorus, when the spotlight fell exclusively on one member with a violin. With complete confidence, he slammed out the entire post-chorus of the song with such skill and precision that it was almost as though the rest of the band was still playing.
Dusty Bops
Dusty Bops
Giving credit where credit is due, Brishen and Tian really know how to end a night. Building up to the final performance, our emcees got us to chant the band’s name and participate in a Kallang Wave. Even at almost 9 pm, Victorians were still energetic and chanted the group’s name with a houndlike fervour. Our cheers finally bore fruit when the curtains pulled back to reveal the six-member group, Dusty Bops. Ending the night on a jolly note, the group performed IV of Spade’s rousing song ‘Hey Barbara.’ As Victorians yelled and sang with all their heart, the group bowed and wrapped up MusicFest in the best way possible.
Photo by VJCPS
Photo by VJCPS
The final moments of the Fest were almost dreamlike. All the performers returned to the stage and swayed as the MusicFest ad-hoc heads unsuccessfully attempted a professional sign-off. They instead settled for constant grins and enthusiastic tones, thanking the performers and audience for their active participation. As Victorians flitted out the doors under wreaths set up by the Students’ Council, there was a glow in all their eyes that showed they would never forget this night.
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