A cappella. Singing without instrumental accompaniment. A style that allows the full magic of the human voice to shine through. Popularised by R&B group BoyzllMen as well as talented international a cappella acts like The King’s Singers, the Swingle Singers, the Radcliffe Pitches (Harvard’s oldest all-female a cappella group) and the Song Company. who performed in KL last September.
This sublime singing was the focus of the recent concert, aptly called Thank You For The Music, held at the Actor’s Studio Bangsar on March 9 as a part of The Choristers’ Saturday Afternoon Series. Featuring three talented groups of crooners, namely SIX2EIGHT, Wicked Pitches and Wishful Thinking, performing a repertoire that encompassed golden oldies, rock and roll numbers as well as a few non-English songs. With their colour coordinated outfits and interesting choreography courtesy of Edna Tan and Shirena Hamzah, the singers kept the appreciative audience well entertained throughout the 90-minute concert.
Billed as “KL’s first a cappella fiesta”, the concert was the brainchild of SIX2EIGHT member Brian McIntyre who says he decided to organise the concert because, “There’s not much of this kind of music that makes the public stage, so we thought it was about time. Hopefully, it will also draw out fledgling groups from the city to come forward and show what they’ve got.”
Such performances are a rarity here, but Yap Cheng May of The Choristers, who helped provide an avenue for these budding singers to showcase their talents, says, “The bigger picture says that there is a large following for choral/vocal music in the Klang Valley. Whether the method of performance is a cappella or with instruments. Small vocal ensembles or larger choirs.”
When asked how he came by the three groups, Brian replies, “[They’re] essentially from the Selangor Philharmonic Society. We’ve all been members and friends there for years. SIX2EIGHT was formed to provide a vehicle to sing pop/rock songs in 1994 and subsequently found a market in corporate functions for the rockappella style. I heard that Serena [Djatnika] had formed the Wicked Pitches and invited them to join the fun. Wishful Thinking came about as a result of Edna Tan wanting to get an all ladies barbershop group off the ground.”
According to Serena, the Pitches were formed when, “Someone wanted a small group of Christmas carol singers last December. Most of us have been a cappella/barbershop freaks since college/uni. Some of the members sang a cappella with The [Selangor] Philharmonic Chamber Choir a few years ago. [We’ve] stayed together since.”
SIX2EIGHT kicked off the show with five songs and returned after the intermission with nine more. Their brand of singing, which according to Brian is called rockapella – “taking a song off the radio and transforming it into something entertaining using voices alone and also giving it a twist’ – featured three ABBA songs along with several oldies including Your Cheating Heart (done in various styles from rock & roll to reggae), Quizas Quizas Botak (a parody of Quizas Quizas Quizas) and Siong Hoi Tan (Shanghai Bumi).
They seemed to be concentrating so hard on their simple dance steps that they looked a bit strained during the performance. While the bass line provided a good anchor for their chosen repertoire, the harmonies were weak and could hardly be heard as one particular melody singer was constantly drowning them out. A tendency to swallow their words also made it hard to understand what was being sung (even from a front row seat!). The only redeeming moments were during their rendition of the hilarious Quizas Quizas Botak – an ode to bald people – and Brian’s comical phonetic Cantonese in Siong Hoi Tan.
Things started looking up when the Wicked Pitches took to the stage. From the very first strains of Dahil Sa Iyo, a Filipino ballad, it was clear that this group knew where their strengths lay and chose their songs accordingly. In perfect harmony, they sung their way to rapturous applause with the rib-tickling Short People, the dreamy Embraceable You, the late P. Ramlee’s Getaran Jiwa and ended with a catchy ode to coffee called Java Jive.
Serena remarked that the hardest part about singing a cappella was, “To stay on pitch. To depend solely on each other’s voices for timing, rhythm and pitch. The camaraderie has to be excellent.” And it was indeed so. With smiles all around, the Pitches looked like they were genuinely enjoying themselves, even taking the time to introduce themselves and the songs they were going to sing.
The afternoon’s largest group was a bevy of belles known as Wishful Thinking. Aiming to be a little bit different, this all-female group wove a story around the songs on their list. From falling in love with the waltzy Love Makes The World Go Round to breaking up with A Good Man Is Hard To Find and everything in between.
Again here, one particular melody singer was louder than the rest, but thankfully, the melody was stronger and managed to keep up with her over-enthusiasm for most part of their performance. The pretty ballet sequence and vigorous tap dance routine made up for the stiff acting during the skits in between songs.
The men from SIX2EIGHT were not to be left out, showcasing their vocals in a one-song slot under the moniker of The Haircuts. Singing So Much In Love ala BoyzllMen, they tried very hard to sound like the famous quartet, managing a passable performance. Perhaps they would have fared better if they had gone with their own style instead.
Hiccups aside, the fiesta provided an afternoon of infectious foot tapping, finger snapping entertainment that left the audience humming happy tunes all the way home, the way only a cappella singing can.
For another taste of a cappella in the city, make a date with the A Cappella Music Carnival on August 17, 2002 at The Actor’s Studio Bangsar.
First Published: 26.03.2002 on Kakiseni