“We want the crowd feel like they are a part of the show – not just watching but we want them to be singing with us. If you feel like you can’t sing, we’ll make a song that you can sing,” exclaimed Kenneth, lead vocalist of local pop punk band ORANGECOVE.
This is why you can’t underestimate the energy that this four-piece dynamite of a band can bring to the stage. ORANGECOVE carries an infectious excitement about their music like a virus strain in its veins, playing just because they love to.
Having performed at numerous music festivals and even opening for We The Kings last June, Kenneth (vocals/guitar), Alvin (lead guitar), Benjamin (bass) and Sean (drums) are no stranger to the local music scene. In collaboration with Converse, we interviewed the boisterous four and dug into their musical background and insights on how the scene can progress.
Kenneth (vocals/guitar)
Alvin (lead guitar)
Benjamin (bass)
Sean (drums)
Nookmag (N): Hey ORANGECOVE! So we know you’re a pop punk band that endeavours to send the crowd crazy dancing at your shows. Tell us the origins of the band.
Alvin (A): Kenneth and Sean are brothers to begin with, so they probably have the chemistry in their blood already. Benjamin is their cousin, so it’s probably the same blood as well (laughs). I’m a friend – it’s pretty amazing that I’m like a brother to them. We’re really close and the chemistry is there when we play. We’ve been playing together for nine years.
Kenneth (K): We can say that no one can really replace this brotherhood or bond that we share. It’s very strange, mystical and meant to be. I wouldn’t say this chemistry is built up, it’s in all of us.
N: What’s your individual musical background?
K: I was a bathroom singer. Alvin is in a family of musicians.
A: Not really. My eldest brother play and I learnt a little from him. Actually my music influences developed when I got to know these guys. We grew up listening to the same songs. That’s why we share the same direction as well.
K: Alvin can play a lot of instruments – piano, drums, guitar… Sean was actually the singer when our band started with seven people.
Sean (S): I’ve always thought that drums are damn nice and I was interested in playing it. When three of our members left, including the drummer, I thought why not Kenneth become the lead singer instead and I started practising drums. I bought my drum set from Alvin. Every day after school, I would go home, listen to music and play some simple beats. Within half a year, I was familiar with the basics of our own songs. As time went by, I listened to more bands such as Paramore and other indie and hardcore music to improve my drumming skills.
K: He would lock himself up in his room for hours and just slam on the drums, in our HDB flat. You can imagine people living downstairs can hear it.
Benjamin (B): I was just across the road from his flat and I could hear him drumming and I knew that was Sean.
S: Yeah he called me and asked if I was playing.
B: I started playing the acoustic and classical guitar when I was fifteen. I joined ORANGECOVE as a guitarist. I thought I was going to be a guitarist for the next four years but our bassist, who was my brother, left the group, which meant that I was the only one with a bass guitar at home. So I started playing the bass. I love it. The general public have a misconception of the bass like it’s an unimportant role in the band but I think the bass creates the foundation for the whole song.
N: Most memorable gig?
K: Opening for We The Kings. Right from the moment we hit the stage, the whole Coliseum went crazy.
A: It’s quite shocking for us because we didn’t know what to expect.
K: We were all damn nervous but we knew we had to put up a good show. That was the moment to let more people who like this kind of music know about us. We were really nervous and at some points of the show, each of screwed up a bit (laughs).
B: We’re more than just work mates. Everyone needs to enjoy playing. If we make mistakes, we’ll just tease each other and laugh about it, move on and improve for the next show.
N: Tell us more about your original tracks.
S: We make things up all the time.
A: I think we take something true and add some flavour to it.
K: It takes something true to make an impact and trigger your feelings. Just look around you, at everybody’s life. We’re not people who ignore the environment. Look around you, at people, at how they react, watch movies and dramas, pick up things here and there and then you feel inspired by all these. The first song we wrote was called Everyday. Each person wrote what each day meant to him. But it could be improved.
We also wrote a song called I Can Dance, You Can Dance. It was the first official song for us. We wrote it for Stardust competition. We actually go to cafés like Starbucks to write songs with an acoustic guitar.
B: We’re individuals with different lifestyles and experiences. But when we’re in the jamming room, somehow all out experiences kinda sums up together. That’s how our songs come about, we feel for each other.
A: We have a song called Here We Go Again, which we hope will relate with people. It’s a song that tells people to stand up for themselves and have a say for yourself. If people were to push you down, you come back up again.
N: Are there any local bands you admire?
A: Quite a lot. We’ve made so many friends. We grew along with some of them, say Aspectrum. They just did their last show, which is a pity as they are still very young and they have so much potential. Each of them is very talented. We’re also good friends with wyd:syd.
S: sub:sherman, ANECHOIS, Amateur Takes Control, Caracal…
N: What do you think of the current music scene. What can be done better?
B: I think each and every band in Singapore should work together and believe that we can create a milestone in the local music scene. That’s the key. What contaminates with dreams is most people don’t believe they can make this happen. They just play for the sake of playing, look cool and stuff. But if we want to be someone that locals can look up to, we should start believing in our own music first and work together. Only then we can create a phenomenon. Like K-pop – a whole bunch of musicians coming together with a common goal.
A: Those who are more well-known should help the newer ones. It’s good to continue striving hard but it’s also good to introduce newer bands along the way and bring everyone along. Everyone should help one another – that’s how it should work.
K: What we believe in is always helping people. Not saying that we’re already up there. If you really want to reach that dream, we should do it together. Bands who are up there, they shouldn’t hang out with those who are already popular, they could introduce their followers to newer bands.
S: What we have experienced before – there was an event last year that involved a lot of local musicians. We were assigned to this bar where a lot of local acts would be present. We thought it would be awesome as they would be there supporting everyone, just like how they mentioned on Instagram prior to the event. After we did our setup, we realised that these local acts had took off. It was quite heart breaking for us as we thought we could show them what we had.
B: People just don’t see the whole idea of working together.
A: The key thing here is let’s help one another. We’ll put our genre differences aside. We grow as one music.
N: Looking good with your new Converse kicks! How does Converse complement your style?
B: Our style is urban/street, which goes with the brand.
K: Converse is something that you can wear and play on stage and not spoil. Many international acts wear Converse. It’s very versatile – fits all kinds of style.
S: Just like Converse, we dare to speak through our music.
N: Are you open to infusing other genres into your music?
A: Yes. For our live show, we did a more dance-y theme. It goes into a hyper rock kind of thing which makes you want to dance. Some of our songs sound quite indie and some are quite hardcore.
S: I was really influenced by ex Paramore drummer, Zac Farro. The way he plays and connects with his band is how I want to be. The way he grooves on stage…
Conversation seeks out inspiring individuals who possess a creative spirit and brim with passion. It offers an insight into the lives of these individuals and the things that drives them. This edition is proudly sponsored by Converse.
Photo Credits to Chee BP
