A ticket to Bergen, please Kings of Convenience in Singapore Review by Jack Hoi It was like all things Singaporean: very proper and orderly. The audience, consisting mostly of indie kids and young working adults still clad in their office attires, were politely ushered to the plush cushioned seats. This was the Esplanade, after all—a concert venue of renowned distinction whose walls have reverberated to the strings of some of the world’s most acclaimed symphony orchestras. And now, as part of the Mosaic Music Festival, the Esplanade was playing host to Norway’s finest musical export, Kings of Convenience (KoC). Made up of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe, KoC have garnered quite a following even in this part of the world, thanks to the successes of Riot on an Empty Street and Quiet is the New Loud, and Erlend’s moonlighting adventures as a DJ in between. Fusing tender, winsome acoustic folk reminiscent of Nick Drake with the upbeat, breezy bossanova of João Gilberto, KoC is nothing but easy listening. A fury of applause welcomed KoC on stage. Visibly surprised by the reception, they thanked the audience for showing up. Soon, the tingling sounds of delicately fingerpicked acoustic guitars, coupled with wistful, whispery vocals in ‘Until You Understand’ filled the concert hall, which fell to a hush. It was as though everyone was magically relieved of all worries and transported to a place of eternal serenity. Between songs, Erlend quickly warmed up to the idea of being an indie heartthrob. He made observations on the empty seats meant for sponsors, provided a master class lesson on how to tune a guitar and other silly banter which got the crowd in stitches. Eirik, on the other hand, looked like he was just glad to be there. It wasn’t until someone shouted “Eirik, you’re the best!” that a healthy back and forth emerged between the two, to everyone’s amusement. Going through almost their entire song repertoire, KoC had the crowd responding positively to ‘Love is No Big Truth’, ‘Cayman Islands’, ‘Toxic Girl’ and ‘Misread’. Whistling, humming, finger-snapping and singing along were the norm of the night; sometimes after much coaxing from Erlend. At one point, the duo played ‘Homesick’ in total darkness, somehow still managing to flawlessly fingerpick their way up and down the guitar. Later on, a rendition of the Norwegian birthday song was sent out to anyone celebrating their birthday that evening. Not surprisingly, ‘I’d Rather Dance with You’ sparked a frenzy of chaotic commotion. “Aren’t you tired of sitting?” shouted Erlend, prompting a large section of the crowd to leave their comfy seats for the makeshift dance floor. Erlend showed off his quirky but endearing dance moves which got some of the girls shrieking as though he were the indie equivalent of Justin Timberlake. By then, all order and decorum instilled by the organisers had been abandoned. Some concertgoers tried forcing their way up onto the stage at Erlend’s invitation, much to the utter dismay of the lone security guard trying his best to prevent them from doing so. The handful who made it past the absurdity of the situation had the opportunity to see more than just Erlend’s trademark geeky glasses up-close. Eirik had earlier shared, “If the two of us with our guitars had told the people of Bergen, Norway—that is where we are from—that we were going to start a band and that within a few years, we would be playing to a crowd of 1,600 people in Singapore, a country across the globe, only some very optimistic people would have believed us.” Well, dear Eirik, we are an optimistic lot, and thank you for playing in this part of the world. A law graduate, Jack Hoi doesn't really like referring to himself in the third person. E-mail the author.