Bumping Heads

Can you introduce yourself?
I’m Arthur. Normally you can find me at local shows like Baybeats. Besides that, I play a few instruments like the guitar and a bit of drums. Other than that, I’m watching a lot of sports right now, especially baseball during the World Series and hockey during the relevant seasons. My favourite team right now—The Toronto Maple Leafs—didn’t do very well in the past season, but that’s okay (laughs).

Cool! When did you start learning to play the guitar and drums?
I started learning the guitar three years ago. I started with an acoustic, and then I got an electric, which I’ve just been using ever since. As for drums, I picked it up not too long after the guitar, maybe a year later. The thing is I’m not good at drums, I just know how to hold a beat. Since I don’t have a drum set at home, I can barely practice, but I do practice with air drums. Besides that, I jam with a group of people but only as their drummer, because I’m the only one that they could find (laughs).

Would you say you guys are a band?
Yeah, I mean, they’ve written songs already, so I think that’s good enough to classify ourselves as a band.

That’s cool! What genre of music do you guys play?
We play more traditional heavy metal—think Judas Priest, Omen. More of the British heavy metal stuff. Sometimes we play thrash, but not all the time.

Do you guys play gigs as well?
No, right now we’re just jamming.

You mentioned you’re always around at local gigs and concerts—do you have a favourite local band?
If I had to point out what I think is the pinnacle of the scene, it would be Destiny, a local hardcore band. They’ve toured everywhere—they’ve been to Japan, a lot Southeast Asian countries, and even Scotland. I think they’re a good band to get into, especially if you’re looking to get into hardcore. Another great hardcore band is Mystique. If you like the 90s New York hardcore style, this is the band for you.

When did you start getting into hardcore music?
A couple of years back. I was a metal-head starting out, and I think that it’s a natural progression since that’s the kind of music that I was already into. At my first hardcore show, I got smacked hard in the head and I think that was the immediate moment where I was like, “Oh yeah, this is crazy and I love it!”

What’s the best show that you’ve been to?
I want to say this just because it’s nostalgic—it was when this band called Magnitude along with Envision came to Singapore, because that was technically my first hardcore show. It was just a lot of fun. One memory that I can remember from that was that during one of Magnitude’s songs, I managed to get ahold of the mic and sang along with the rest of the people there. It was fun!

We can imagine! Let’s talk a bit about your interest in sports. Hockey isn’t a sport that’s particularly popular in Singapore, so why do you enjoy watching it?
Honestly, it’s kind of a strange story. I was watching a video that wasn’t even really about hockey—it was a gaming video—and it opened with someone mentioning Canadian hockey player Derek Boogaard, “the Boogeyman”. I looked him up, and the first image that came up was him with his hands raised in a fighting stance. Something about that really stuck with me.

That sent me down a rabbit hole. I started watching clips, then more clips, and eventually I found myself actually following the sport. I somehow landed on the Leafs as my team, for no real reason. In hindsight, I think it was partly subconscious—I knew someone from Toronto, and I have a friend who’s already connected to the city. But now that I think about it, it might have been a slightly unfortunate choice (laughs).

Interesting! So have you ever watched a live hockey game?
No, I’m in Singapore all the time, and the games are in North America, but it’s definitely on my bucket list for sure.

Well we hope you get to watch one soon! What do you enjoy most about keeping up with the sport?
Obviously the game itself, but also everything around it. The storylines really draw me in: whether it’s someone on a potential final run at a championship, or a rookie lighting it up and shaping the future of the team. It’s the way the season unfolds and, eventually, how it all ends that keeps me engrossed. Back then, I’d usually just watch my own team and that was it. Now, I follow the broader picture. It’s genuinely fun.