Here’s How 24OWLS Moved On From Laneway To The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions

Slated to perform at The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions are Anna Of The North and Stella Donnelly, amongst many others (Credit: 24OWLS [front], Aloysius Lim [rear])

It takes tenacious gumption and resilience to move on. This don’t-look-back attitude can be applied to the music industry as well, especially when it pertains to one of the most momentous indie festivals to ever grace the live scene.

The memorable Cloud Stage at the Laneway Festival (Credit: Lionel Boon)

To the point where it had become a household name, everyone knew about the St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival. Aside from making history by bringing down oft-buffed lineups of indie icons (think Foals and M83) and emerging acts you'd find hovering on pre-commercial-Pitchfork’s radar, the Singapore edition of this Melbourne-originated festival was its first foray outside the Australian continent. For eight smooth-sailing years, this groundbreaking collaboration was made possible by the steadfast efforts of 19sixtyfive, local creative powerhouses that helmed the preparations and operations of this enormous affair. For eight years, Singapore’s Laneway seemed unstoppable.

The 19sixtyfive team always ensured the production value was top-notch and world-class (Credit: Alvin Ho)

Then came a discordant crash that abruptly shattered expectations in late 2018, when it was reported that there’d be no Laneway Festival in Singapore for 2019. The news spread like wildfire amongst the scene, and many regarded it as a debilitating blow to the hardworking team at 19sixtyfive. As someone who’s had the privilege of travelling with the team to the festival’s Melbourne leg in 2015, I can personally vouch for the amount of dedication they’d put in to ensure the authenticity and success of the festival in Singapore.

Passion as robust as that, fortunately, is not something that can be pinned down. With Laneway’s departure comes an unparalleled arrival spearheaded once more by the 19sixtyfive team; this time, under a sub-brand dubbed 24OWLS. I’m referring to The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions, the inaugural music festival that’s the latest hot topic on everyone’s lips. Taking place at the decommissioned Pasir Panjang Power Station is headline-worthy in itself, but this festival pushes the envelope even further by celebrating women in full force. It boasts a female-fronted lineup that currently features the likes of Cate Le Bon, Anna Of The North, Charly Bliss, Dream Wife, Goat Girl, Kero Kero Bonito, Stella Donnelly, Ladies Of LCD Soundsystem and more.

To top it off, one more compelling quality about this festival is that it’s being organised by pretty much the same team that handled Laneway all these years – an attribute that’s given this event lots of street cred from the get-go. So cue the rising phoenix metaphors, because it sure seems that 24OWLS and The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions mark a rejuvenating new chapter for this team that the scene’s come to respect.

So how did all this come together? How did the team recover from the loss of Laneway? And how did they turn it all around to produce what’s looking to be one of the most memorable festivals in recent years? I chat with chieftain of 19sixtyfive, Marcia Tan, in this exclusive interview.

Hey Marcia! What was the original impetus behind the inception of The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions? Did anyone step into the office one day and go, “Hey, let’s do another festival”?

Something like that. We thought, “Hell, we are good at this. Let’s just independently create one”.

As a festival and new addition to the scene, what statement does The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions wish to convey?

Singapore has more layers than can be fathomed. We have the appetite for a lot more than what it is right now, be it queer, alternative or unknown. Our sophisticated and purpose-built spaces have a role but it is time for a change; let’s get raw and gritty with the unused heritage space – the Pasir Panjang Power Station.

A preview of what you can expect at Pasir Panjang Power Station (Credit: 24OWLS)

Was it always a definite decision to make use of the Pasir Panjang Power Station as a festival venue?

During our first viewing of the space in 2017, our gut was already screaming, “This is it, what a great creative space”. The transformative process began shortly after, and will continue organically with every forthcoming event, each offering a different experience.

Dream Wife is on the female-fronted lineup as well (Credit: 24OWLS)

The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions boasts a dominant, female-fronted lineup. What motivated this programming?

We were doing our research and happened to reminisce about one of our favourite Laneway years. Those playing included St. Vincent, Banks and FKA twigs. We gravitate towards such music and it struck us that all of them were women. Look at what’s happening: Times, they are a-changin’, especially with the increasing global awareness of gender equality and diverse representation. For too long, women have been shoved aside in a largely male-centric festival scene, and it’s high time we acknowledge the amazing musical contribution by women. At the same time, it’s important to focus on less mainstream, but equally stellar artists who deserve to be heard and seen by more people. The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions revels in the process of discovery. We would like each and every audience member to savour the transformative experience of witnessing something new and groundbreaking.

We constantly reminded ourselves that we are going for great bands, great live sets, and artistes with striking stories to tell who have not performed in Singapore. We wanted to avoid the tried-and-tested formula: “This band is extremely popular; we brought it in and attendance was great. So, let’s bring it back again. And again. And again”.

Brace yourself for a groundbreaking venue (Credit: 24OWLS)

Charly Bliss was one of the first announced acts for the festival (Credit: 24OWLS)

Alex, Blake and Charlie are all ambiguous names in the gender department. Is that why it was chosen for the name of the festival?

There really is no particular rationale or marketing strategy behind the use of gender-neutral names. Also, there’s no association with any character or person. We enjoy spontaneity and we simply needed a name. We chose something neutral, so it could be anything or it could be deeply mysterious, depending on your interpretation.

Years later, the memories of Laneway remain fresh in punters’ minds (Credit: Aloysius Lim)

It’s no secret that the team behind The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions is the one behind Laneway Festival Singapore. Is much of the team still intact?

Very much so, from the core team who did the planning and the programming to the artiste team. Our part-timers, too, have jumped onboard with The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions. It is nice to see a returning part-timer with a big smile and filled with enthusiasm. We love a good team that takes pride in the name. Our dynamic synergy has only been strengthened by the figurative (or maybe even literal?) blood, sweat and tears that we have put in over the years to build our reputation. With The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions, we work towards being the hegemon of taste.

Together, y’all re-emerged as 24OWLS. What inspired this identity? And why now?

When preparing for a major event, we feel like we are working 24 hours a day. And since “24 hours” didn’t sound sexy, we decided “24OWLS” it shall be. With so many international companies coming here for a piece of the pie, it’s high time to own our own baby – by Singapore, for Singapore.

Another hot draw are the Ladies of LCD Soundsystem (Credit: 24OWLS)

For 24OWLS, what other sorts of projects does it intend to embark on in the future? Will it stay within the realm of music exclusively?

Fundamentally, music will be what drives all our shows, but we’d like to think of music beyond a conventional music festival setting – it can be writing, an art form or a club night. Follow us, keep an open mind and you’ll be surprised by what we come up with.

Can you describe the sentiments internally when it was revealed there’d be no more Singapore edition of Laneway? For many in the scene, it was regarded as a huge loss.

We made it a music festival staple locally, so it was a heart-wrenching decision, one that was made jointly with Australia. Whether Laneway Festival Singapore returns in its original form or a reset button is hit, the answer is up in the air at this moment.

Over 1,000 staff worked on the Laneway Festival (Credit: Aloysius Lim)

What lessons were learnt from running Laneway Singapore for all those years?

We learnt to bask in a job well done, and pat ourselves on the back and say, “Hell, yeah, that was good”. Implementing and executing Laneway Festival Singapore was a mammoth undertaking, one where the core team had to run the proceedings like clockwork to deliver that one day of great music, great F&B, and an overall great experience.

There were close to 1,000 staff and crew all busting their asses to create this great day for everyone: our sponsors and their staff; our food vendors and their helpers; the bar staff and their cashiers who were on their feet all day; the front-of-house staff who were all smiles even when patrons were abusive and/or unreasonable; the artistes, the back-of-house and the hospitality teams who took care of the artistes, the schedules and the media; the transport troupe that worked round-the-clock ferrying bands, the audio-visual army that built the stages over weeks, bringing our design to glorious life; the site production team from runners to supervisors, always the first to arrive and the last to leave; the traffic marshals who ensured a seamless flow of people and vehicles; security experts who kept everyone safe; first aid staff looking after anyone who might be unwell; the photography and video team who captured every moment for posterity; the cleaners who kept picking up trash all day; and the aunties who made sure all of us were well-fed and hydrated.

Kero Kero Bonito is ready to go (Credit: 24OWLS)

How do y’all find festival culture now in Singapore, and in the region? Is it even harder than before?

Festivals are hard, as it has many moving parts. I wish more festival promoters could create an experience that makes people want to come back, and not just book bands and organise a conveyor belt of acts. Individuality and personality are lacking in the events, and that will eventually show up in programming.

**And finally, is The ABC Sessions going to be a recurring series? Or are y’all adopting a que sera sera attitude?**

We have a name that can be anyone and anything. Feel free to speculate. If you’d like to always be the first to know, just follow 24OWLS on Facebook and Instagram @24owlssg.

The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions, 7 December 2019, 10am, Pasir Panjang Power Station, 27 Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore 117537. For more information on programme and tickets, visit its official website.