The monotony of studying is setting in. Every day this week has begun with the reluctancy to get out of bed, followed by a really short gym session. After lunch, I hit the books and leave the library when it’s dark and about to rain.
But yesterday, as I was crossing the road to the tram station, I heard some gentle electric guitar riffs and loud beats syncopated in a way that simply drew me in. It came from the Lion Arts Factory – a speakeasy/club vibe of a place. My tram was just arriving, and just in time as well, seeing as it was about 7°C and I was not padded as well as I should have been. But I decided to go ahead and check that place out.
Losing themselves on stage were none other than Boo Seeka, the Australian electronic/Hip Hop duo. I shuffled to the back of the room and just took in the atmosphere. For those who don’t know, I am a huge sucker for live music. Still, I just wanted to just pop in and out before going home to rest. But they seemed to be ending soon, so I thought I would stay on.
The way the lead singer performed was incredible. He was so comfortable on stage and I could just tell that he was in his element, enjoying every second of it. I couldn’t make out all the words that he sang, but I completely understood the music and what they were trying to say through it. So there I was, at the corner of the room with my hands in the pockets of my Uniqlo sweater while carrying a grey backpack that says ‘BACKPACK’ on it, bobbing to musicians that were baring their souls on stage and giving something to the audience that would never be replicated.
Such is the ephemeral nature of performing live, and that’s why I love it so much.
After they ended, I picked up my bag, all ready to leave. As I was Googling more about the band with my 2% battery, the crowd began to chant, “WE WANT MORE!” which led to the duo returning on stage and closing with their song ‘Deception Bay‘.
I walked out of Lion Arts Factory, ears slightly deafened but heart smiling from choosing the spontaneous route for once. If I were still in Singapore, I don’t think this would have ever happened, because the live music is kind of isolated to the downtown area – buskers on Orchard or bars like Timbre. So unless I was studying in SMU which is a CBD campus, I would probably never have such a casual encounter with a band shredding it on stage.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Studying and living in Adelaide city is pretty exciting sometimes. I know people say that there really isn’t much to do here, but perhaps we just need to look in the right places. Even if there was really nothing to do, I’d just make a Kahoot about how boring it is and squeeze some fun out of there 😀
Also, yesterday can also be called ‘The first day in Adelaide that I did not set foot on Rundle Mall.’
Also, that woman in front of me was really tall.
Do you even dentist? 