A Vacant Affair
Encyclopedia
A Vacant Affair is a 5-piece Singaporean Post-hardcore
band that was formed in 2004. The band is one of the first few groups to bring heavier music to the mainstream audience and reach the local charts in Singapore
.
The band consists of Matthew Lim (vocals), Joshua Tan (vocals, guitar), Rudi Osman (guitar), Tan Wei Shen (bass), Hafyz Tajuddin (drums). They have so far released an EP and one full-length album. In December 2008 and February 2009 respectively, it was announced that Shen and Rudi were to pursue their studies overseas. Later at their shows it was announced that they would be replaced temporarily by Joseph Cinco of Marchtwelve and Cedric Chew of death metal band, Meza Virs, with Joseph on bass and Cedric on guitars respectively. Cedric produced their album and both are good friends of the band. Shen has since returned to Singapore.
, Story of The Year
, Funeral For A Friend
, Love Me Butch
and many others.
In November 2008 they were opening bands for the Rockstar Taste of Chaos international Asian stop at DXO, opening for international acts such as Grammy-nominated Metalcore
band As I Lay Dying
and rock group Story of the Year
. They were also the opening band for Sky In Euphoria's album launch and headlined WeekendTRIP alongside Vermillion, Sky In Euphoria and other bands.
"Reasons To Leave" was released on 18 December 2009, with an album launch concert on 26 December 2009 at the Esplanade Recital Studio.
On February 3, 2009, the band was also featured on "Live N Loaded" and performed "Crestfallen" and "We Are Not The Same" live on air. Off air, they performed "Mirrors" and "The Departure". On March 10, 2009, A Vacant Affair was the opening act for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
.
On June 6, 2009, they performed at Rock The Sub at The Substation, and on June 20, 2009 at 987FM's Life's a Beach, at Siloso Beach, Sentosa. On July 4, they were the headlining act for Break The Chains at *scape Labs, which featured other local hardcore acts, such as ikilledkenny!, For Better Endings & Vermillion. They were more notably the headlining act for the first day of Republic Polytechnic's IGNITE! Music Festival, on July 24, 2009.
On July 25 and 26 the band shot the music video for their first single, "We Are Not The Same", featuring their fans and some of their friends. They performed at SONIC BOOM's 3rd Anniversary concert in Manila on 22 August 2009, alongside Urbandub, Nothing to Declare, Typecast and other notable acts. On the August 29th, 2009, Love Me Butch (Malaysia) collaborated with Matthew Lim for their single, 'Reconcile', at the annual Baybeats Music Festival in Singapore.
A Vacant Affair kicked off their 'DOOMSDAY TOUR' in Bacolod City, Philippines, in October 2009, playing alongside notable pinoy bands such as April Morning Skies, IMBUENOKUDOS, COG, Boy Elroy and several others.
, Glassjaw
and Underoath
. A Vacant Affair would incorporate genres like Alternative Rock
and (Indie, Pop
, Metal
and Hardcore
).
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
band that was formed in 2004. The band is one of the first few groups to bring heavier music to the mainstream audience and reach the local charts in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
The band consists of Matthew Lim (vocals), Joshua Tan (vocals, guitar), Rudi Osman (guitar), Tan Wei Shen (bass), Hafyz Tajuddin (drums). They have so far released an EP and one full-length album. In December 2008 and February 2009 respectively, it was announced that Shen and Rudi were to pursue their studies overseas. Later at their shows it was announced that they would be replaced temporarily by Joseph Cinco of Marchtwelve and Cedric Chew of death metal band, Meza Virs, with Joseph on bass and Cedric on guitars respectively. Cedric produced their album and both are good friends of the band. Shen has since returned to Singapore.
History
Formed in 2004, the band first started playing through underground gigs and with much hard work. It wasn't until two years later that they first started gaining mainstream popularity when they performed in Baybeats '06. At the same time, they started selling their first self-titled EP album, which consisted of 5 tracks. They were featured on Mediacorp (2007 New Year's Eve Countdown @ Vivocity), Nokia (Flow! @ Ministry of Sound), The Esplanade (Baybeats 2006, Baybeats 2007, On the Waterfront shows), Midas Promotions (SingFest ‘08), National Library Board’s ‘Speak Good English’ campaign (School Invasion Tour 2007 & Timbre Bar shows), Lime Magazine (Lime Sonic Bang 2007) and National Youth Council's numerous 'Weekend Trip @ Youth Park' gigs & *scape @ The Lab gigs. In early 2009, they also performed in "Live n Loaded" on national TV. The band has so far shared stages with other groups such as As I Lay DyingAs I Lay Dying (band)
As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California. Founded in 2000 by Tim Lambesis and having completed their first Line-up in 2001, the band consists of vocalist Tim Lambesis, drummer Jordan Mancino, lead guitarist Nick Hipa, rhythm guitarist Phil Sgrosso, and bassist Josh...
, Story of The Year
Story of the Year
Story of the Year is an American rock band formed in St. Louis, Missouri in 2000. The band was initially named 67 North but was then changed to Big Blue Monkey...
, Funeral For A Friend
Funeral for a Friend
Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band, from Bridgend. Formed 2001, they have released five studio albums, seven EPs, sixteen singles, one DVD, and one compilation album.-Formation and Early Years:...
, Love Me Butch
Love Me Butch
-History:Love Me Butch was formed in 1997 in Shah Alam, Selangor.In 1998, they started to write original songs and released their first demo EP, Psychedelic Relic and toured the whole of Malaysia, gathering fan base in the underground scene....
and many others.
Debut Album: Reasons to Leave (2007-present)
In early 2007, A Vacant Affair began writing new material for their debut full length, which was recorded producer Cedric Chew (Inversion Productions). It wasn't until late 2008 that the band released their long awaited debut and full length album. The album was titled "Reasons to Leave". To promote the album the band made a trailer for the album and posted it on Youtube. Their trailer can be viewed on their Myspace.In November 2008 they were opening bands for the Rockstar Taste of Chaos international Asian stop at DXO, opening for international acts such as Grammy-nominated Metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
band As I Lay Dying
As I Lay Dying (band)
As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California. Founded in 2000 by Tim Lambesis and having completed their first Line-up in 2001, the band consists of vocalist Tim Lambesis, drummer Jordan Mancino, lead guitarist Nick Hipa, rhythm guitarist Phil Sgrosso, and bassist Josh...
and rock group Story of the Year
Story of the Year
Story of the Year is an American rock band formed in St. Louis, Missouri in 2000. The band was initially named 67 North but was then changed to Big Blue Monkey...
. They were also the opening band for Sky In Euphoria's album launch and headlined WeekendTRIP alongside Vermillion, Sky In Euphoria and other bands.
"Reasons To Leave" was released on 18 December 2009, with an album launch concert on 26 December 2009 at the Esplanade Recital Studio.
On February 3, 2009, the band was also featured on "Live N Loaded" and performed "Crestfallen" and "We Are Not The Same" live on air. Off air, they performed "Mirrors" and "The Departure". On March 10, 2009, A Vacant Affair was the opening act for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is an American rock band that formed in Middleburg, Florida.-Early years :Originating in Florida, childhood friends Ronnie Winter, Thomas Amason, and Duke Kitchens started the band while attending an AP music theory class, in 2003...
.
On June 6, 2009, they performed at Rock The Sub at The Substation, and on June 20, 2009 at 987FM's Life's a Beach, at Siloso Beach, Sentosa. On July 4, they were the headlining act for Break The Chains at *scape Labs, which featured other local hardcore acts, such as ikilledkenny!, For Better Endings & Vermillion. They were more notably the headlining act for the first day of Republic Polytechnic's IGNITE! Music Festival, on July 24, 2009.
On July 25 and 26 the band shot the music video for their first single, "We Are Not The Same", featuring their fans and some of their friends. They performed at SONIC BOOM's 3rd Anniversary concert in Manila on 22 August 2009, alongside Urbandub, Nothing to Declare, Typecast and other notable acts. On the August 29th, 2009, Love Me Butch (Malaysia) collaborated with Matthew Lim for their single, 'Reconcile', at the annual Baybeats Music Festival in Singapore.
A Vacant Affair kicked off their 'DOOMSDAY TOUR' in Bacolod City, Philippines, in October 2009, playing alongside notable pinoy bands such as April Morning Skies, IMBUENOKUDOS, COG, Boy Elroy and several others.
Musical style and Influence
The band is influenced by metalcore/post-hardcore bands such as Funeral For a FriendFuneral for a Friend
Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band, from Bridgend. Formed 2001, they have released five studio albums, seven EPs, sixteen singles, one DVD, and one compilation album.-Formation and Early Years:...
, Glassjaw
Glassjaw
Glassjaw is a four-piece rock band from Long Island, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and have undergone numerous line-up changes since their inception...
and Underoath
Underoath
Underoath is an American Christian metalcore band from Tampa, Florida. Founded by Dallas Taylor and Luke Morton on November 30, 1997 in Ocala, Florida, subsequently its additional members were from Tampa, Florida...
. A Vacant Affair would incorporate genres like Alternative Rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and (Indie, Pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, Metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and Hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
).
Current members
- Matthew Lim: Vocals
- Joshua Tan: GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing Vocals - Rudi Osman: Guitar
- Tan Wei Shen: BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Hafyz Tajuddin: Drums, backing Vocals
Discography
| Release date | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | A Vacant Affair (EP) | Wake Me Up Music |
| 2008 | Reasons to Leave | Wake Me Up Music/Universal Music |