We get a sense that the Alex Blake Charlie Sessions is something even more personal to you compared to the other events you’ve put together.  

Marcia Tan (MT): “The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions (ABC) started as an idea to present gender-neutral acts and it leaned towards female-led programming. In terms of programming, it is not entirely personal though it is quite eccentric in some ways. We often have to grapple with whether we need to go mainstream or just put up what we think might be interesting by experimenting with acts that we think seem quite intriguing but may not necessarily sell tickets. It is all a risk but it is also a discovery journey. But most of all, we started this as we wanted to create more homegrown IPs.

Festivals are very special to me, while some see it as a day of watching many bands but it is a community gathering to me where people are socialising, discovering new things and simply getting out to have a good time. It matters a lot that we deliver a show we are proud of and watch people having some of the best times of their lives. They may attend ours because they get it or they love it, or because they don’t know what to expect and embrace the fact that they don’t.”

How were the various acts and programming curated for the ABC Sessions? Why is it personally important to you to focus on female-fronted musicians?

MT: This year, we programmed quite differently from the first one and if you wonder if we had some algorithm or methodology, honestly we don’t. I had a list of some 30 bands that we approached and sometimes through the search, we would find something or someone else and it led up to us booking a different act. I think it is important to stay open-minded and always be game to take on new challenges and try new things.

We get asked all the time why we choose such acts, how do we sell lesser-known names or focus on female acts. The more I hear this, the more I feel the need to push for such presentations. I try my best to find the right balance when we are creating an artistic piece of work.

Fundamentally I would like this to be a gender-neutral festival (among the names performing are queer icons Deb Never, pictured and Soccer Mommy) and whenever we can, to showcase female creatives and talents. When we last staged ABC, we noticed bands we invited were fans of each other, they hung out together, they partied and supported each other. The camaraderie and spirit we saw was an affirmation to us – this just feels right.”

Is there a gap that you feel needs to be filled, particularly in the indie music scene?

MT: “There is a gap in the scene, not just indie music but arts in general. It is stuck in a bubble, it doesn’t break out, it is almost insular to me. I’m not sure if we really do have an indie scene… do we? We need more professionals to run the scene, we need to deliver international standard shows and be proud of it. We also need artistes who dare to dream and know they can try.”

How do the screenings at The Projector, the art exhibition by Kelley Cheng and a bookstore complement the live music acts?

MT: “We share a lot of similar challenges as The Projector – they have no home and we are constantly at the edge so whenever there is a chance to partner up with the film folks, I will.

Interestingly two of the films we are showing came from a chance meeting with Ambassador Sarah McGarth, Embassy of Ireland at the Singapore Grand Prix. She commented about my glasses, we chatted and I talked about ABC and she shared about St Brigid’s Day. After that, we met at her office and she and her team pulled the two very special film premieres for us – Joyride and Nothing Compares. I love such collaborations, spontaneous and sincere.

Kelley is a friend and I attended her exhibition and thought we should have a different audience for her so why not ask her to exhibit at the festival?

Why books? I like books, they’re tactile. We did a small literary arts event Convey (part of a series we call Thread) during the pandemic and the audience was appreciative so I thought why not have this at ABC? Anthony of Chio Books (pictured) made an effort to curate some very interesting titles and I hope we do find him a new audience, and his supporters may discover music.”

How does a multifaceted festival like this complement the current lineup of concerts and music acts in Singapore?

MT: “I have not been compelled to watch concerts of late, the sheer news of one show after another tire me. I looked around the festival scene in the Asia region and I saw three to four festivals with similar lineups but different festival names (and owners). I asked myself do we join this circuit or do we just do our own thing? The latter is harder as Singapore ain’t a place that a band will come especially for. A festival like ours is easily drowned out by the conveyor belt of shows coming around, we just have to keep pushing and hope someday people get it.”

DIY musicians like Luna Li and Lyn Lapid are a big highlight of the festival. This reminds me of how you brought the then up-and-comer Billie Eilish to Laneway. How do you know who’s going to be big?

MT: “Laneway’s programming was the collective effort between seven cities in three countries. We don’t claim we are accurate to predict who is going to be big and I think when we did overthink and over analyse, it just got really stressful as every act had to be (over)thought.

Funny you mentioned Luna Li (pictured) and Lyn Lapid, they are coincidentally classically trained and I have great admiration for musicians who are. I hope the curiosity and discovery of artists like such will drive people to come to watch them.”

There is a strong lineup of DJs and electronic musicians for Feb 25. Is this your way of filling the party void we’ve felt for the few years in the pandemic?

MT: “Our colleague Kelvin used to run Home Club and Desmond plays bass for Electrico. They each ‘own’ the two stages we have planned for the festival and since they are the experts, I just roll with it.”

How does it feel to bring ABC Sessions back after the pandemic? What was the most challenging thing about organising this event?

MT: “I wish we don’t have to hit a restart button and start all over. Running the sophomore version almost feels like when I first worked on Laneway, from ground zero. Also, inflation is pretty real, the manpower crunch is an issue and the overall sluggish and burnt-out workforce is a challenge. But with much grit and perseverance, I am confident we will once again deliver something extraordinary that we proudly own.”