Remember Nizam: A Celebration in Music

Design: fFurious

A musical celebration of the life and art of the late Abdul Nizam, award-winning filmmaker and singer-songwriter/drummer of pioneering Singapore Indie band, The NoNames. Join us, his friends and colleagues, as we put on a tribute show to honour one of the most lovable and inspiring persons ever to emerge in the local music and film scenes.

Programme on Sunday, 31 July 2016

Doors open at 6.00pm

- Twang Bar Kings (Don Bosco & Leslie Low)
After going their separate ways about 20 years ago, this will be a reunion of sorts for Twang Bar Kings' Don and Leslie (of The Observatory and formerly of Humpback Oak). The acoustic duo will be playing some classic rock songs that Nizam and the NoNames used to cover.

- Endless (Feat. Nigel Hogan & Friends)
Nigel Hogan used to play guitar for The Padres, and some of his mates in Endless were football "kakis" with the late Nizam. Endless aims to entertain with an electric set comprising their own original songs and covers of songs by the likes of David Bowie and The Velvet Underground once favoured by Nizam.

- Gary Chand (of IGTA) & Friends
Vocalist/guitarist Gary Chand's erstwhile band, IGTA, was the first Singapore band to play a repertoire consisting entirely of reggae songs. In the course of playing the local lounge circuit in the late 1980's and early 90's, Gary struck up a firm and everlasting friendship with Nizam and his mates in the NoNames. To honour the man, Gary and his bandmates, who used to jam with Nizam, will be playing a wild and eclectic set of tunes from the likes of David Lindley, Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Prine to Neil Young.

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Admission at the door: $15

Profits will be channeled to the Estate of Abdul Nizam bin Abdul Hamid.

For more information, please email luxuria68 (at) yahoo (dot) com (dot) sg


Design: fFurious

Pioneering musician. Award-winning filmmaker. All-round loveable guy. The local music, movie and creative scenes were devastated when, on 14 June, influential DIY figure, Abdul Nizam Hamid, unexpectedly passed away from liver, lung and pancreatic cancer. Nizam, as his friends called him, was only 50.

Bonded in grief, his friends have come together to organise a special tribute concert and fund-raising commemoration to this singular, inspiring and dearly missed man. With venue sponsorship by The Substation, Remember Nizam: A Celebration in Music features rare performances by indie acts from the late '80s and early '90s, when Nizam's band, The NoNames, and The Oddfellows (whom he was a guest drummer for) were founded, playing heartfelt original and rocking cover songs that were some of Nizam's favourites.

Remember Nizam features the long-overdue reunion of Twang Bar Kings, an acoustic duo of Leslie Low (The Observatory, Humpback Oak) and Don Bosco (Daze), who looked up to The NoNames and were inspired by them to form a band in 1989. A brother of a very early The NoNames guitarist even helped produce the first Twang Bar Kings cassette [Witchdoctor (1991)] and also played bass with the duo for a while. Finally coming back together after two decades, Twang Bar Kings will be performing classic rock songs that Nizam and The NoNames covered.

Performing original compositions alongside covers is The Endless, featuring The Padres' veteran Nigel Hogan & Friends. The band, some of whose members used to play football with Nizam, will be playing three of their own songs dedicated to Nizam: “That's Why I'm A Fool”, “Stargazing” and “You Soothe Me, Man”, followed by covers of The NoNames staples, David Bowie and Fiction Factory.

The night will culminate with the legendary Gary Chand & Friends. Founding member, lead guitarist and vocalist of IGTA, Singapore's first reggae band, Chand formed a “firm and everlasting friendship” with Nizam in the course of playing the local lounge circuit in the late '80s and early '90s. In memory of Nizam, he will be playing an eclectic covers set of songs by the eternal Bob Marley & The Wailers and The NoNames favourites like Neil Young and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Co-organised by Ivan Thomasz, the administrator of The NoNames’ Facebook page, with the generous support of Snakeweed Studios, BCUBE Live Sound and Production, and fFurious, proceeds from Remember Nizam will be channelled to Nizam's estate. Tickets at S$15 in cash only will be available at the door on 31 July, Sunday, from 6pm.




Photos: BigO

About Abdul Nizam & The NoNames
Abdul Nizam Hamid (1966–2016) was a pioneering, award-winning and influential Singapore indie musician and filmmaker. In 1986, Nizam formed The NoNames with his schoolmates from Anglo-Chinese School: Vincent Lee (bass), Choo Jong Aik (guitar) and Dennis Lim (guitar). As a drummer and singer, Nizam and his bandmates performed memorable original songs like the funky “My Mama” and raucous “Evil” that were included on BigO magazine's classic New School Rock II compilation (1992). The NoNames were also renowned for their energetic covers of numbers by The Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Lynyrd Skynyrd and more. Nizam also played drums on The Oddfellows' acclaimed debut album, Teenage Head (1991), their sophomore Carnival (1992) and on their Malaysia tour in 1992.

Graduating from Ngee Ann Polytechnic's Film, Sound and Video Department in 1999, Nizam directed the short film “Datura” (1999), which won the Singapore International Film Festival's (SGIFF) Best Short Film prize. Nizam went on to direct acclaimed and experimental films like the SGIFF-premiering Keronchong for Pak Bakar (2008), Breaking the Ice (2014) and the music documentary (re)surfacing: 50 Years of Alternative Music in Singapore (2015). He also directed three episodes of the TV adaptation, Koridor (2002), made other short films like “To, Paisan” and “Ajna” and contributed the segment “Haura” to the omnibus film Stories About Love (2000), which travelled to the Busan International Film Festival.

Nizam passed away from liver, lung and pancreatic cancer on 14 June 2016. He was 50 and is survived by his mother and wife.


Photo: Courtesy of Twang Bar Kings

About Twang Bar Kings
Local band Twang Bar Kings was started in 1989 by Leslie Low (The Observatory, Humpback Oak) and Don Bosco (Daze). They played mostly folk-rock and were very much influenced by The NoNames, especially Nizam's drumming. In the old days they played gigs at The Substation, Pacific Plaza, the old Marina Village and more, and released their first cassette, Witchdoctor, in 1991. This was followed with Black Twang in 2006, a collection of recovered demo recordings from the early '90s. Their appearance at Remember Nizam is their first after 20 years.


Photos: Courtesy of The Endless; Design: fFurious

About The Endless (feat. Nigel Hogan & Friends)
The Endless was birthed in the twilight of a warm July night in 2015 during a smoke break by friends brought together by work in the same building and bonded by football. The band comprises Mervyn Asher (drums), Mark Baptist (guitar / vocals), Khai (bass), Nigel Hogan (guitar), Natalie Soh (violin) and Freddie Yeo (vocals). Because work is endless, The Endless ended their nights with music and song as a way to escape and get along. What began as glorified karaoke sessions became a full-fledged band that wrote their own songs, in their own way, and in that way, as they say. So the story goes…in endless echoes.


Photo: Courtesy of Gary Chand / IGTA

About Gary Chand & Friends
Vocalist/guitarist Gary Chand formed IGTA, Singapore's first band to play an all-reggae repertoire, in 1985 with Tom Sluggo (lead vocals; Dread Affair, Talking Book, The Message), Reggie Holmberg (keyboards), Jeff Chand and Mohd Karim (drummer). IGTA, an acronym for It's Goofing Time Again, won the very first Battle Of The Bands competition at Ming Arcade's now-defunct Rainbow Lounge. They went on to tour the local lounge circuit at venues like Time Tunnel in Changi Meridien, Bier Keller in Centrepoint, Saxophone in Cuppage Terrace, Woodstock in Far East Plaza and Happy Days in Orchard Theatre. IGTA broke up in 1987, but reunited in 1990 with a line-up that included Gary Chand and Tom. Gary will be playing with his friends Mohamed Fuad and Randy Lim at Remember Nizam.

A fitting tribute to a truly local hero.