OTHER BANDS WORTH CHECKING OUT

FLYBAR
Made up of vocalist Ian Toh, guitarists Jon Ong and Benjamin Tay, bassist Andrew Chia and drummer Deon Toh, Flybar has a catchy pop rock sound and plays groovy songs like “Beautiful Killer” and “She’s So Lazy.”
For more details about the band, log on to www.flybartheband.com or www.myspace.com/flybartheband.

PROJECT ULTRASOUND
Beware of potent rock infused with lots of rapping from this band. Project Ultrasound comprises vocalist Razali b. Abdullah, guitarist Asni b. Abdullah, bassist Ridzaidean b. Abu Bakar and drummer Rafizal b. Abd Razak, and has recently played at Ministry of Sound, Club Momo and Home. Fans of Rage Against the Machine will dig their sound.
Email [email protected] for a free copy of their demo.

WITHERED TREE
Withered Tree is for rockers who like their music hard and heavy. Consisting of vocalist Shyam Raj, bassist Darren Toh, guitarist Roman Tarasov and drummer Jason Cruze, this band’s “Play on Flames” will set your night on fire.
Hit www.myspace.com/witheredtree to sample their songs.

MY WRITES
Vocalist Dhaniah Suhana, guitarists Shaun Lin and Muhammad Hanifi, bassist Muhammad Zul-Azri and drummer Muhammad Lukman make up this goofy act. Look out for them if you like an elevating indie pop sound that’ll bring a big silly smile to your face.
Log onto www.myspace.com/mywrites for more info.

BANDS WE WANT TO HEAR LESS OF THIS YEAR

ELECTRICO
The lead singer’s cute, the keyboardist’s cuter, but are they really that good?

THE GREAT SPY EXPERIMENT
In the span of less than a year the group, which sounds just like The Killers, has managed to snag numerous gigs and even a Motorola Street Style Award. Over-hyped? We think so.

FIREBRANDS
Firebrands’ straightforward rock music, quite frankly, doesn’t rock our world. Lackluster vocals and production values make the act less fiery than most out there.

ASTREAL
After the fallout with guitarist-producer Nick Chan, who produced its great last album Fragments of the Same Dead Star, we’re not sure if the band is capable of making good music anymore.

The local music scene is hot. Here are six alternative music acts to watch out for this year.