The Obs :: Vibrational

Happy to hear The Observatory in concert at the NUS Arts Festival. Haven't seen them for a while. The second half of the performance also featured the NUS Guitar Ensemble (GENUS). Themed 'Vibrational', The Obs have done this similar collaboration in 2015 with Guitarkestra in Toulouse, France.

The second hour saw 30 electric guitars on stage. Read an interview that mentioned that majority of the NUS guitarists only picked up an electric guitar for the first time for the purpose of this show. Oh! That explains the almost cute awkward stance some adopted whilst holding their guitars, whereas the others took to it with ease.

I didn't think having 35 guitars on stage would work with a metal, rock or pop band. It works best with bands whose sounds are what The Obs are. Perhaps one could call it discordant chords strung together by the lead and rhythm guitars. Luckily, the sound producers balanced all the amps required. Fun to see this done in this style. It would have been great if it was a little more experimental, but I guess this was good exposure for the students too. The band invited everyone to stand, and our friends went up to the front. We were stuck in the middle and didn't bother to get up. Jived in our seats. It was a lovely show.