BAYBEATS kicked off on Friday night, but I missed about half of it because I found myself at the Esplanade’s Recital Studio to watch Divine by Addy Cradle, featuring Addy Rasidi on guitar performing tracks from his debut solo album, also called Divine.
And what a divine performance it was. To say that it was great is an understatement. It was an epiphany, really.
His backing band included three of Singapore’s best rock musicians, a slew traditional percussionists, as well as someone on ud (the predecessor to the lute) and violin.
- Paul Danial and Anis of Ministry of Rock flank Addy.
To complement the show’s East-meets-West theme, his featured guests included a performance by the Tenko Japanese Drum Troupe. And with renowned producer Shah Tahir mixing the sound, you know you’re in for a real treat.
For my money, Addy is one of the best rock guitarists – along with others like Rosli Mansor – of this generation. Those who see him regularly at Pump Room jamming with Jive Talking know what I’m talking about.
He can play. His fingers move so fast if you took a video of them and put it on “pause”, they’d still be too fast. And hey, he didn’t get to be an endorsee for Ibanez guitars by being a slacker, you know what I mean?
But what made the night so special was the vibe of the room. His nervousness not withstanding, there was a certain presence that I hadn’t felt at a concert in a long time. It descended upon us and turned the show into a magical moment.
- The view from Shah Tahir’s mixing desk.
So thanks, Addy. It was night well remembered.
COMMENTS