From Naybeats To Big Duck: How A Group Of Baybeats Rejects Changed The Gig Game

Big Duck’s shows have awakened a youthful fire in the live gig scene (Credit: Muhammad Isyraq Irfan)

It takes guts to be a gig promoter in the local music scene. The financial risks, taking a chance on emerging acts few have heard of, scampering to find the perfect venue – just a few of the multiple concerns that plague the purview of a promoter, one often lacking in profitability.

It takes even more guts, however, to mock one of the industry’s cornerstones while you’re at it. But then again, the actions of Big Duck have never been small.

Prior to adopting their current Big Duck Pte Ltd moniker, these bold promoters – comprising Chester Guang, Jamin Thalaivaa Jamieson, and Isaac Chiew – dubbed their endeavour, Naybeats. No doubt, it was a cheeky stab against renowned local festival, Baybeats, a household name in the region. For years, Baybeats has been revered as a fame catapult for aspiring bands, required to overcome gruelling auditions before earning a coveted slot on The Esplanade stage. Starry-eyed musicians a-many would deem Baybeats the grand dream, and rejection from it a crushing blow for morale and spirits.

The trio’s formulation of Naybeats challenged this notion, that you had to make the Baybeats cut to be somebody. All Baybeats rejects themselves with their past respective projects, they banded together to create a platform for other downtrodden hopefuls, and that was how their first gig came together.

Details of the next Big Duck show featuring Houg and other acts

Through shrewd social media marketing and a penchant for humour, they’ve since organised a string of gigs promoting both budding musicians and established trendsetters across the genre gamut. Along with their own intimate showcases, which range from punk moshes to hip-hop throwdowns, they’ve also put together bigger events like the SHINY Festival. Enlighten and entertain while building a community – that’s precisely what these upstarts are orchestrating, and it works.

I speak to these three scene-stirrers about how they turned rejection into a project that’s won the scene’s approval. And also, what finally convinced them to change their name.

Big Duck is (from left to right) Chester Guang, Isaac Chiew, and Jamin Thalaivaa Jamieson [Credit: Big Duck]

First up, who on earth is Big Duck anyway? How did y’all come together?

Isaac: I met Jamin a few months prior to the Baybeats auditions at a gig where we bonded over Led Zeppelin and quickly became friends. His band and mine auditioned pretty close to each other during the Baybeats tryouts, so we all had lunch together and joked that we could have our own Baybeats-rejects show if we didn’t get through. When both ours bands didn’t, I thought, why not have some fun and make it a reality?

I then reached out to Chester about this idea for this gig because I knew he had experience running shows, and we’ve known each other for quite a few years. We now regularly hang out at Simpang Bedok to plan shows, talk music, and just catch up on life.

Little did we know that Naybeats would pave the way for all the work we’d eventually do with Big Duck! We’ve now done four shows together (five if you count SHINY Day 1 and Day 2 as separate shows) with many more to come, and I’m very proud to call these guys my partners and my friends.

What was your personal experience growing up in the scene?

Chester: I was only 14 when I played my first gig at the old Gashaus in 2005. I attended my first Baybeats in that year too, catching the likes of Electrico, Vertical Rush and Concave Scream. I was so amazed that local musicians could play that standard of music on such a stage.

Unfortunately back then, some gig organisers were quite unscrupulous. Many made us bands sell tickets to our friends; essentially, it was a pay-to-play system. Sometimes, they would bait-and-switch us regarding timeslots or event theme. Many times, they did not promote the event, and we would play for an empty venue.

With Big Duck, we aim to absolve this, and we have been successful thus far with the advent of social media making it easier for us. Also, many younger Singaporeans are willing to go out and enjoy live music or any form of arts these days, which is good for us! Musicians are no longer seen as misfits and hooligans who didn't go to school.

Isaac: I spent my secondary school days in Kuala Lumpur, so I only really got to explore the Singaporean scene from late 2015 onwards when I got back. I caught many great bands pull off absolutely banger sets over my past five years here, but was a little bummed to find the crowds to be very tame in general.

I feel like dancing and moshing are quite quintessential to the gig experience, but sometimes, me being the lone mosher upfront gets a little embarrassing (especially for some of my ex-girlfriends!). That’s why with Big Duck’s shows, I try to encourage that kind of behaviour and make it a safe space for anyone just looking to enjoy live music and express themselves.

Your shows do incite such rowdy, sweaty moshes. Do they ever get out of hand? Will a first-time gig-goer feel safe?

Jamin: It’s no surprise that moshing – the collective collision of bodies in a random manner – can often result in an out-of-hand situation. We run a tricky business trying to encourage crowd participation and create a safe environment.

At the start of every show, we allow the artistes to state our ground rules. Big Duck is about bringing musicians and enthusiasts together, but just because it’s a heavy show doesn’t mean the law gets any lighter. In the future, we’d love to continue promoting education about proper gig etiquette, and partner with organisations that can help us develop protocols and procedures to ensure our safety standards are continually met. If we cultivate a community without principles of safety and inclusion, we have created the wrong kind of following.

Their former alias, Naybeats, was originally a parody of established music festival, Baybeats (Credit: Baybeats Facebook page)

It’s no secret that y’all first emerged as Naybeats. Why the tongue-in-cheek reference to the festival?

Jamin: Baybeats is a prestigious event and a great initiative by public players to bring out the best in the local music scene. For us, we all auditioned for Baybeats (multiple times) but we had to accept that our acts weren’t exactly the calibre or vibe they were looking for. The Baybeats Budding Bands programme is a very competitive process, and throughout the audition stages, we realised that we could assist in bringing local music to the forefront by arranging a complementary show to Baybeats for the acts that didn’t make it.

Did Baybeats ever react to it? Were y’all worried about any repercussions?

Chester: Yes, we heard through the grapevine that some inside people weren't happy about it, in addition to some other people in the music scene. However, they did not confront us in person or on social media. After all, if any of you guys know Isaac and I personally, we're just taking the piss out of the whole situation. So no, I wasn’t worried about any repercussions.

Isaac: I decided to tone down the satire and focus more on the main idea of Naybeats being a celebration of our musical heritage here in Singapore, thus rebranding to Big Duck and distancing ourselves from having parody shows being a main selling point. Naybeats to us was never an Anti-Baybeats, but rather a message to everyone that the quality of one’s music isn’t solely determined by what the various mentorship programmes or competitions – as great as they are – say about it! At the end of the day, we’re just in this to push good music we love and have fun while doing it, not to stir up a hornet’s nest.

Jamin: We are big fans of Baybeats and avid supporters of the effort they put in. We are optimistic that Baybeats, as an institution, is committed to the same goals we are: giving Singaporean music a place in the spotlight. Additionally, we would love to take Baybeats’ lead in the future by inviting international acts to our shows as we become bigger and more inclusive.

So... Big Duck...?

Isaac: I like ducks!

Jamin: Big Duck sounds quaint. It also conjures in the mind an image of an insanely large, imposing duck. We want everyone to feel this ‘larger-than-life’ feeling at some of our gigs, like this absurdly inflated duck.

life-in-arpeggio-big-duck-gigs-live-music-singapore-09.jpg

Ah, I see. Wit and humour seem to be a recurring element in your marketing materials. Why is that?

Isaac: My take is that creating music (or any artform for that matter) is innately very absurd, so why not just have fun with it? The humour is sort of an extension of that idea. As serious and meaningful as music is to all of us, having a little self-awareness goes a long way in making sure there’s no gatekeeping, and we’re just focused on the music and creating safe spaces where everyone feels welcome.

One fascinating thing about Big Duck’s shows is that there is no limitation in genre. How do you select the artistes to perform?

Isaac: We mainly select our artistes based on the cohesiveness of them being put together and the ‘shiok’ factor each of them has. We always try to have at least two or three acts that we feel are under-represented, and it’s important to us not to repeat the lineups of other promoters’ shows too, so there is a space for everyone here in our original live music ecosystem.

What are some bands or artistes that you advocate right now

Isaac: Oddblood is super underrated! I really dig their ’90s alt-inspired sound and wish more people recognised them! Really love the work Marijannah has been putting out; I’m always a sucker for sludgy riff-rock, and that’s something they do perfectly with their massive earthquake-inducing sound. Bands like Urgent Matter, The CB Dogs, and BAD DOD are really keeping the punk spirit alive too with their irreverent garage-rock bangers. I’m personally not a massive math-pop/-rock fan, but I feel like Woes’ stuff, especially live, is particularly captivating.

Fauxe’s work always inspires me; his ability to transcend genres and constantly push musical boundaries with both his masterful sampling work and improv-focused live sets with Altruism. I’m also very excited to hear his work as a producer for Stopgap; they were one of the first few bands I caught live that made me want to get my own band up and running!

And there’s too much good hip-hop coming up locally right now for me to properly go through all of them! Mediocre Haircut Crew, BGourd, ABANGSAPAU, Ae$Op Ca$H, and Unknown Radicals just to name a few. They all have very distinct sounds that bring something new to the table.

Jamin: Everyone doing something new and looking to increase their stage presence. I’m really glad we got to be there for The CB Dogs and Deliciious’ first gigs as they move from amateur artistes to booking out full venues for their unique shows.

It’s great that you folks push up-and-coming acts. Do you feel a responsibility to push the future of the scene?

Chester: We wouldn't necessarily call it pushing the future of the scene as we aren't Singapore's only (underground) gig organisers. Big Duck and the others are all doing our thing for the betterment of local artistes. It's a symbiotic relationship! ÆTHER, Dogswain, Uploading, Radius, and North East Social Club are just a handful amongst the myriad of very competent and passionate promoters that have paved the way for us. I feel that we all now inhabit a different space within the underground gig ecosystem, which keeps it varied and thriving.

Is there anything the local scene lacks now

Isaac: Decent and affordable venues! We have plenty of great smaller acts and DIY promoters to push them, but there are only two or three venues that are feasible for booking gigs without breaking the bank.

And to wrap up, what is the long-term goal for Big Duck?

Jamin: We believe we are part of a greater movement by all our friends in the local music scene to put Singaporean music on the map in Asia. Regional integration should be a key goal of all music enthusiasts in Singapore, so that we grow our community larger together.

Isaac: To continue creating the gigs and platforms I wish existed when I first dove into the scene here, and for it to be sustainable enough for us to keep going forever!

To keep track of Big Duck’s upcoming shows, follow their Instagram page. Their next show is Houg – “Boy” Single Launch, 14 February, 7pm-10.30pm, Tonehouse Studios Singapore, #03-09 Parklane Shopping Mall, 35 Selegie Road, Singapore 188307.