British Invasion

So this year I am fortunate enough to see two of Britain's talent perform live in KL: Joe Brooks and Spector! If you don't already know, I'm a sucker for many things British, including British music. The Joe Brooks Trio made their way to KL earlier this year in March, and they were somehow in Segi College Subang Jaya for the meet and greet event few days before their showcase at KL Live on March 3rd. My sister who's a student at Segi, was involved as a volunteer for the event at Segi and managed to score some passes for their show on Saturday, so the lucky me got to go see them perform live! Can I just stress that Joe Brooks is so handsome, and that his outfits are simply stylish and awesome? Joe Brooks (main vocalist and guitarist) together with Matthew de la Garza (drummer) and Clinton Barbers (keyboard) make up the Joe Brooks Trio. 

The Joe Brooks Trio - Clinton, Joe and Matt

Then I saw Spector just three weeks back on October 6th, when they performed at The Stage at Avenue K. Spector is composed of Frederick Macpherson (main vocalist), Jed Cullen (synths and guitarist),  Christopher Burman (guitarist) Thomas Shickle (bassist), and Danny Blandy (drummer). Their KL showcase was specially presented by Topman and Universal Music Malaysia. I have been listening to Spector a few months back and never in my mind would I ever thought I'd see an indie band from Britain perform live! So when Topman announced that they're bringing Spector down to KL, I was mad excited! However, to redeem their showcase tickets, I needed to spend above RM 200 in a single receipt at Topman KLCC or Mid Valley. I thought my hopes of seeing them were gone because I didn't have anything in mind to buy at that time. But I was in luck once again, when my sister told me that her friend had scored multiple tickets from Capital FM for their showcase. So I got to see them for free! Their performance was brilliant of course! And they looked dashing in Topman, especially Thomas and his light blue blazer coupled with his awesome pair of leather pants!  

My Spector ticket

Spector

Thomas Shickle

Jed Cullen

Frederick Macpherson

Christopher Burman

Danny Blandy

I'm quite glad that both Joe Brooks and Spector aren't mainstream. So naturally, the crowd at their showcase wasn't as crazy as those of mainstream artists, such as the k-pop concerts I attended last year. I know I'm selfish to say this, but I enjoy and prefer them to be out of mainstream music. That way they can write and compose music to their own personalities without the pressure to hit the mainstream billboard. I mean, let's face it: mainstream music these days are more to being addictive than meaningful. Look at Psy's Gangnam Style and its worldwide success, even though the lyrics are simplistic and doesn't make much sense to its non-Korean audience. 

Meeting these guys in person are definitely two of my highlights of this year! I am so blessed and grateful and thankful to have had the opportunities! What more, I managed to get their autographs, so I am very very satisfied indeed!

Photos of Spector taken from Yin