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S'pore bands mark milestones with gigs: Silver Strings at 60, Mel & Joe at 55 and Lovehunters at 40
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(Clockwise from left) Brothers Mel and Joe, members of Silver Strings and members of Lovehunters.
SINGAPORE – For Singapore music acts Silver Strings, Mel & Joe and Lovehunters, age is nothing but a number.
Veterans and trailblazers in the home-grown music scene, all three are staging concerts to mark milestones in their music careers.
Silver Strings will stage a 60th anniversary concert – likely to be their last gig – Mel & Joe will celebrate their 55th year with a show, while Lovehunters' upcoming concert marks their 40th year anniversary.
The Straits Times catches up with the three local music stalwarts to find out more about their plans for their landmark shows.
Silver Strings at 60: Saying goodbye with one last show
Silver Strings played their first public show opening for British icons The Rolling Stones in 1965.
PHOTO: SUPREME MUSICAL CONNECTION
Six decades after they made their debut, Singapore band Silver Strings are calling it a day.
The rock band , which played their first public performance in 1965 – the same year Singapore gained independence – will stage their final concert at RELC Hotel International on Sept 6.
Band leader and bassist Audie Ng, the only member from the group's founding line-up who is still performing, tells the Straits Times: 'I'm already 83 years old and I don't foresee being able to perform another five years from now. Silver Strings typically do concerts every five years, so at my age, I feel this will likely be my last major performance with the band.'
Besides Ng, the current line-up of Silver Strings comprises singer Percival De Silva, 80; lead guitarist Johnny Yeow, 76; keyboardist and vocalist Nicholas Stravens, 70; drummer Michael Cheng, 68; and rhythm guitarist and vocalist Andrew Fleury, 62.
The multi-act concert, featuring opening sets by fellow seasoned acts such as Jerry Fernandez and Neu Faces, will last 3½ hours.
The Silver Strings' headline set will be two hours long and will feature covers of pop and rock hits from the 1970s to the 1980s, including evergreen songs by acts such as British bands Queen and The Kinks.
They will also perform two originals released in the 1960s – You're The Boy (1965) and I'll Remember Today (1967). Both were sang by their former lead singer Shirley Nair, who moved to the United States and died in the 1980s.
The four original band members – Ng, lead guitarist David Chan, rhythm guitarist Merlin Lim and drummer Danny Boy – had the same music teacher, the late Harry Martinez, and first played music together in 1963 as teenagers.
They made their debut public performance at a major show – an opening set for English rock icons The Rolling Stones at the Singapore Badminton Hall in 1965. In the same year, they also performed in front of their largest audience – 20,000 people at the 1965 Miss Universe Malaysia pageant.
They would go on to secure regular gigs at local venues such as the now-defunct National Theatre as well as in Hong Kong and Malaysia.
'I remember we were treated like superstars by the local audiences wherever we played,' Ng says.
Silver Strings also wrote the theme song for 1964 Malay comedy Mat Tiga Suku, produced by film company Cathay-Keris Studio and starring veteran comedian Mat Sentol. The band members had cameos in the film.
The band's fluid line-up through the years included many singers, including entertainment icon Anita Sarawak, who first sang with the group when she was 16.
Ng says one thing that made Silver Strings stand out from their peers is their versatility. 'We were not the No. 1 band, but we can play all kinds of music. We can play songs by The Shadows, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks.'
The band split up in 1971 after Ng decided to focus on the business side of music, such as organising shows, managing bands and running an instrument rental company.
Over the years, Silver Strings have reunited several times for standalone shows, including gigs, also at RELC International Hotel, in 2014 and 2019.
Ng takes pride in maintaining connections with the band's fans throughout the years. For example, instead of using a ticketing agency, those who want to buy tickets to their upcoming show have to message him on his personal number and meet him to collect their tickets.
He says: 'We've become friends. Even those from 50 years ago, I'm still in touch with them.'
Book it/Silver Strings 60th Anniversary Final Concert
Where: Auditorium, RELC Hotel International, 30 Orange Grove Road
When: Sept 6, 7pm
Admission: $60. To buy tickets, send a WhatsApp message to Audie Ng on 9818-4198
Mel & Joe at 55: Nostalgic trip to decades past
The Ferdinands brothers Joe (left) and Mel published a self-penned coffee-table book about their life in music, I Play & Sing, in 2011. The photo was taken the same year.
ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
When Mel & Joe first made their public debut on television in the 1971 Talentime singing competition, older sibling Mel Ferdinands was 12 while younger brother Joe was only nine.
More than half a century later, their musical bond is stronger than ever, the duo known for English cover versions tell ST in a Zoom interview.
Mel, 66, says: 'What makes it interesting about Mel & Joe is this understanding we have when we're on stage. W e don't even have to say anything . I give Joe one look and he knows what we're doing for the next line or who's doing the harmony, stuff like that.'
On Aug 23, the brothers will celebrate Mel & Joe's 55th anniversary with a show at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
It will be a nostalgic trip for their audience, with covers of popular hits from past decades, from country and Western tunes to songs by classic pop and rock acts such as Bee Gees, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Chicago.
'The idea is for the people who lived through that era with us to rewind those years. And for the younger audience, it's also an introduction to some of the great stuff we used to have,' says Mel.
Even though they are cover songs, the duo will put their own distinctive spin to their versions. Joe, 63, says: 'You do a little bit of different things here and there, you don't lose sight of who you are. That's the most important thing.'
The 90-minute show will focus on different periods in their career, including the 1980s and 1990s when they were part of popular rock/pop/country band Gypsy, whose line-up included older brothers Dixie and Don.
The gig will be a family affair.
Don, who now lives in Perth, Australia, will fly in for a tribute performance for their brother Dennis, who died of cancer at the age of 69 in 2024. Mel's daughter Gabby, who is in her mid-30s, will sing at the show.
Mel, who teaches guitar, keyboards and other instruments at a local music school, is grateful to have spent much of his life making music and entertaining audiences all over Singapore.
'We've performed to crowds of up to 50,000 at the Padang and the old Police Academy. We had our own television specials. It's been a great 55 years and I'm looking forward to another 55,' says Mel.
One thing that has not changed in the last five decades, Joe adds, is their dedication to their stage craft. 'I think Mel would agree with me on this, that when we perform, even if it's just to one person in the audience or a 50,000 crowd, everyone matters. They all deserve to be entertained and that's what we've always believed in.'
Their concert is part of A Date With Friends 2025, an annual series by the Esplanade that highlights artistes and music from the past. It includes performances by Rock Rosettes at Esplanade Annexe Studio on Aug 22, Hanafie Warren at Esplanade Recital Studio on Aug 24 and a tribute concert to Hong Kong music and film icons Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui at Esplanade Concert Hall on Aug 24.
Book it/Mel & Joe Ferdinands' 55th Anniversary Party
Where: Esplanade Concert Hall, 1 Esplanade Drive
When: Aug 23, 7.30pm
Admission: From $28 via Sistic (go to
or call 6348-5555)
Lovehunters at 40: Back with a bigger sound
Singaporean band Lovehunters' (from left) Yazid Abu Bakar, Salahuddin Mohamad and Saharudin Jalil will perform with an extended line-up that includes classical and traditional musicians.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
To mark their 40th anniversary, Singaporean rock stalwarts Lovehunters are attempting something they have never done in a live show before.
Their concert at The Theatre at Mediacorp on Sept 13 will see the band – best known for their Malay songs – boost their usual three-piece line-up with classical and traditional musicians.
These include gamelan players from arts group Telung Turonggo, an eight-piece string section and a percussion ensemble led by percussionist and National Arts Council's Young Artist Award recipient Riduan Zalani.
Lovehunters might have made their name through their hard-hitting live repertoire, as well as rock ballads that have become Malay radio staples, but the band have always had a bigger musical vision, they tell ST in a sit-down interview.
Says singer and bassist Yazid Abu Bakar, 62: 'Lovehunters aren't just a rock or metal band. We've always considered ourselves in the 'world music' category because we play a lot of different kinds of music – we have funk, a bit of jazz and reggae. There's rap too.'
Adds drummer Saharudin Jalil, 62: 'We've added elements like orchestral music in our recorded songs, but we've never had the chance to replicate them live. The fans will finally get to hear the songs the way we recorded them in the studio.'
Set to run for more than two hours, the set list will comprise at least 20 songs. The concert shares the same name as their 2005 album, Renaissance: 1987 Till …, which mostly comprises re-recorded versions of their hit songs.
Some arrangements in the show differ significantly from the original studio versions that fans are familiar with. For example, Demam (Fever), a reggae song from 1993 album Terima Kasih (Terima Kasih), will be fused with gamelan music, just like it was in the re-recorded version found in Renaissance.
The concert will also feature the return of Salahuddin Mohamad, 51, in place of founding guitarist and long-time member Moliano Rasmadi, who will not be playing at the concert due to personal commitments. Salahuddin played guitar on the Renaissance album.
And while the members have been gigging individually, the upcoming concert will be the first full concert by Lovehunters since 2011, when they played a sold-out show at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
The band also performed at The Ground Theatre @ *Scape in 2014, but that show mostly comprised covers of classic rock songs.
Lovehunters first came into prominence in the mainstream Malay music scene here and in Malaysia with the release of their 1987 debut album, Sehari Dalam Hidup (A Day In The Life), which included radio hit Ku Ukir Nama Mu (I Carve Your Name).
Prior to releasing the album, the band were active in the local club scene. While all three members have been playing in different rock, blues and funk outfits in the nightclub scene since the 1970s, they started playing together with two others as a quintet, which went by various names such as Jukebox and Mirror Mirror, only in the early 1980s.
In 1985, two of their members left and they carried on as a trio under the name Lovehunters, inspired by a 1979 album and song by English rock band Whitesnake.
Over the years, they racked up more hits such as Berpindah Minda (Moving Minds) from 1991 album Blues Untuk Rakyat (Blues For The People) and Sambutlah Kasihku (Receive My Love) from their 1999 album Kembali (Return). They released one English album in 1995, which produced Angel In The Night. The song won the Favourite Local Song award on Mediacorp radio station Perfect 10, now known as 987FM.
Saharudin recalls that in their early days, rock music was often portrayed in a bad light and associated with vice activities such as drug abuse. But the members of Lovehunters have always avoided perpetuating typical rock stereotypes, and include socially conscious and anti-drug abuse messages in their songs.
He says: 'In all our albums, there isn't a single song that glorifies negative values. With every lyric that we write, we try to promote a positive message.'
The band are eager to reconnect with their fan base. Yazid says: 'It won't be just our fans from Singapore at the show. Our fans from Malaysia and Brunei have also told us that they will be there for the concert as they have not seen us perform live in a long time.'
And while he acknowledges the band's longevity and ability to outlast their peers from the 1980s, the frontman is not comfortable when he hears fans describe them as icons or legends in the local rock scene.
'For me, music is about expression and honesty, not titles.'
Book It/Concert Lovehunters Renaissance
