Cigarettes After Sex is the kind of band that makes music so intimate it makes you want to selfishly tuck it away in the quietest corner of your heart. It’s something you wouldn’t lend out carelessly—not to friends, not to your cousin, not even to your sister. At least, that’s how it felt when I first stumbled upon Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby back when I was an overly serious teenager who thought listening to a band called “Cigarettes After Sex” made me seem more interesting; compensating for the fact that I had never so much as held a girl’s hand.
X's album art (CIGARETTES AFTER SEX)
Years have passed since, and the band has become something of a phenomenon—amassing billions of streams and selling out shows worldwide across various continents. They belong to the world now. So, when the opportunity to watch them perform live at the Singapore Indoor Stadium presented itself, I jumped at it. Mainly involving a series of anxious texts to my editor-in-chief to secure the tickets (thanks for letting me have this one, big dawg).
Cigarettes After Sex is a band drenched in black—from their wardrobe to their album art, and even the mood of their music. It felt natural, then, to attend the concert clad in black and grey, as if merging with the aesthetic would somehow enhance the experience. I had known this “unspoken” dress code to be a TikTok trend beforehand, but actually seeing it in person and witnessing the sea of black fabric before my eyes felt oddly unifying. Dare I say, almost cult-like…? But more on that later.
The lights dimmed, leaving the stadium illuminated only by the constellated glow of mobile phones and the spotlights on stage, which beckoned the band to appear. Radio silence. The moment was as quiet as the stadium would be all evening. A slow inhale before the first note. Then, the soft hum of an electric guitar, provoking the crowd to exhale in a rapturous cry. That was, until, the coaxing voice of Greg Gonzalez took over.
“Do it with the lips that you kept when I finally kissed you.”
Greg Gonzalez (SECRET SIGNALS)
The stadium was pacified, and it fell back into silence. The band opened with X’s. which started a little shaky. Gonzalez spent the first half of the song finding his footing with the tempo of the instruments and the echo of the microphone. But when everything smoothed out, and the music finally settled, the sounds that invaded my ears swirled like velvet satin. Those smoky, ambient sounds of melancholia, intensified by Gonzalez’s androgynous voice, put me right in a daze.
Randall Miller (SECRET SIGNALS)
Jacob Tomsky (SECRET SIGNALS)
It’s difficult to recall specific moments, the way you sometimes struggle to separate one dream from another. The songs blurred together, not in a way that diminished them, but in the way time softens the edges of a memory. The stage production only sank me deeper into this state. Shifting greyscale visuals of majestic clouds and heavy thunderstorms decorated the main screen. A grainy shot of Jacob Tomsky banging on the drums. A sublime angle of Randall Miller’s silhouette playing the bass, captured in a shot you’d expect to see in an Ingmar Bergman film. You pair all that with the shadowy reverb of an electric guitar filling the space, and for a while, it felt like we were all floating in some kind of collective dream.
Yet, as I drifted through the haze of smoke and mist, there were moments when the air cleared, and specific scenes stood out. A flash from the pit below revealed a couple taking a picture of themselves as Sweet played in the background. The palpable excitement of friends contrasted with the pensive presence of those who attended the show alone. A couple holding back on physical shows of affection until the very end, as the show began slipping away.
(SECRET SIGNALS)
Gonzalez once described his music as “erotic lullabies”, which gives the optics of his soothing voice pacifying the crowd a whole new perspective. Just as I used to roll around in my room as an adolescent, playing their music to feel my emotions on a deeper level—it struck me how (almost) everyone in attendance probably did the same at some point, using their music as a form of reassurance and anxiety relief.
Every person—thousands of us, strangers, at various stages of life, were in that stadium. And we were all, in some capacity, thinking about love. The heated throes of budding love exemplified by the words, “I always will make it feel like you were the last one.” The ache of unrequited love in “He’s got so much in his heart / But he doesn’t know what to do.” The soft, guttural memory of a lost love reflected in “And when you go away, I still see you / With sunlight on your face in my rearview.” Cigarettes After Sex’s ability to distil the multitudes of love, longing, and lust into contemplative lyrics, smouldering guitar strums, and light snares is widely known. But to experience it in such a tangible manner was something special.
The band performed many favourites, including Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby, Apocalypse, and Cry. All of it felt even better live, as the simmering ambience of the lighting and smoke made it feel as though we were inside Gonzalez’s head, just as he envisioned these songs. By the time Dreaming of You rolled around, I was entranced. Falling in Love pulled me under.
(SECRET SIGNALS)
Then came the moment when the spotlights descended upon the crowd. I don’t recall which song was playing, but I remember the light—blinding and all-consuming. For a brief moment, everything disappeared, and it was just me and that light. Pure and overwhelming. A kind voice serenading my ears.
The emotional high, the unspoken black dress code upheld by a sea of thousands, a charismatic frontman bathed in a spotlight, the collective chanting of lyrics—it all felt like some kind of cultic ritual in a moment outside of time. Before the concert, I’d joked about being prepared for a transcendental, spiritual experience, and while I didn’t quite get there, those damned spotlights came pretty close.
Kendrick Lamar just played a legendary show at the Caesars Superdome, folks. Following Samuel L Jackson introducing the Super Bowl halftime show as "Uncle Sam," Lamar ran through a medley of his greatest hits, including "Humble," "All the Stars," and "Not Like Us." SZA joined him for a duet, the choreography was brilliant, and Lamar even mentioned Drake's name while smirking for the camera.
Lamar's victory lap of a halftime show also featured his producer, DJ Mustard, as well as tennis superstar Serena Williams. From what I can see on social media, fans loved every minute of the Compton rapper's performance. Even if you don’t have any animosity toward Drake, you can’t deny the spectacle a whole stadium screaming, “A MINOOOOOOR!”
It's been a tough month for Drake following Lamar's five wins at the Grammy Awards last weekend. The Canadian hip-hop titan was photographed wearing one insane outfit choice after another. He even wore a hoodie with bullet holes at his most recent concert in Australia—presumably, just to prove that he was “still alive” throughout it all.
Meanwhile, Lamar swept the rap category at the Grammys. He also won both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The whole Grammy Awards audience in Los Angeles—a room full of Drake’s peers, mind you—sang and danced along to Lamar’s hit diss track. After this? Someone, please check on Drake and make sure he’s okay.
(Editor's note: we wanted to embed the performance but the NFL is being a real dick stickler about IP. Feel free to check it out on YouTube via here.)
Below, check out the best reactions to Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show.
This halftime is the best thing to happen to Kendrick Lamar and the worst thing to happen to anyone who has to explain what’s going on right now to their parents. #SuperBowl
OMG…..OMG……@kendricklamar did it. Not only did he rock the beat of “Not Like Is”……he sang the lyrics. He did it. Mentioned “Drake” by name too. Awwwww Damn! Helluva halftime show. The brother showed out.#Salute!
"Hello, I'm interested in pursuing civil litigation against the National Football League, the Fox Broadcasting network, Buick, Travis Kelce, and the entire Williams family.
If there's any lingering memory of living in the UK, it'll have to be the dutty nights out at clubs where Craig David was basically a permanent resident on the playlist. When I asked my uni friends about him, the unanimous response was obviously about his iconic track: "Insomnia". It's the kind of song everyone magically knows all the lyrics to, especially when it's blasting at your local pub or club (IYKYK).
For anyone feeling nostalgic bout "Insomnia"or his critically acclaimed debut album, Born to Do It, you're in luck—Craig David will hit the road in February. He'll be performing his signature R&B soul hits and fan-favourite tracks alongside special guest Lemar—the voice behind the iconic 2000s R&B hit, "If There's Any Justice" during his 11-date Commitment UK arena tour. To top it off, his stop in London will be held at the O2 Arena, where legends like Beyoncé, Tyler The Creator, and Charli XCX have graced the stage. Honestly, even the dreary British weather might feel bearable with Craig on tour.
Craig David
Fresh out of the studio, Craig has just dropped his latest track, "SOS", and it hits deep. "There’s a time in life when you come to a point of realisation that all of the playing it safe, being cautious & guarded around opening our hearts up to love, doesn’t work," said Craig. "Even if we have been hurt before. 'SOS' is all about that moment of feeling vulnerable, yet ready and open to taking a risk, a leap of faith to let someone know you are finally ready to let love in, however scary it may feel." Romantic and relatable? It's enough to tempt one to catch a flight to the UK to watch him live.
This year's been anything but quiet for Craig. Between teaming up with Wes Nelson for a London gig, performing at the Paralympic Homecoming Ceremony, BBC's Radio 2 in The Park and even making a surprise appearance at King's Cross Station... this might be the year of Craig David.
As Angela Davis aptly puts it, “Palestine is a moral litmus test for the world”. The ongoing suffering of the Palestinians has become a dark stain on the global conscience. As Singaporeans, it's all too easy to feel disconnected and powerless regarding global conflicts, especially those unfolding thousands of kilometres away. Our country is small, and we may feel even smaller as a result. But true power lies in the masses, it always has, and we cannot turn a blind eye to the plight of the oppressed.
Spearheading humanitarian efforts for Singaporeans is Gilbert Goh, the founder of Love Aid SG. Goh has helped raise over a million dollars for various Gaza-related projects. His initiatives include building a Gazan kitchen, which an Israeli airstrike later destroyed and killed nine people he worked closely with. He then constructed solar panels to generate electricity for Kamal Adwan Hospital, but another airstrike decimated that as well. While these setbacks are terrible, they have only strengthened Goh’s resolve to assist Palestinians. He currently remains in Cairo to continue the facilitation of aid into Gaza.
To rally solidarity, Collective Minds is partnering with Mandala Club to organise a music event called Dance for Life. It aims to raise SGD10,000 to support Love Aid SG’s humanitarian efforts in Gaza. With the entire population of Gaza projected to face famine by July, we have an opportunity and moral obligation as citizens of a privileged nation to help prevent that.
The deets
Dance for Life will feature an electrifying lineup of local artists and DJs, including Aurora, Bongomann, and Chris. Other artists include Dean Chew, Toppings, James Selva, Jenn Chunes, Kylie Nicole, and Leland. Also performing are Miss Lil, MZA, Puddle, Sivanesh, and RAAJ.
Tickets are priced at SGD40 and is inclusive of a complimentary drink. For those unable to attend in person, a SGD30 donation option is available. All proceeds from ticket sales, donations, and a percentage of the bar sales will be channelled straight to Love Aid SG.
Dance for Life will take place on 15 June 2024 at the Mandala Club from 12 pm to 11 pm. Buy your tickets or donate here.
