Described as nomadic folk rock, Melbourne based Charles J Tan’s soulful baritone voice has been compared to the likes of John Mayer and Jack Johnson. A proven performer, Charles won the top spot in 2009’s The Storytellers, a local singer/songwriter competition, beating 25 other contestants. Shortly after in 2010, he was nominated among the Top 50 in the Australia-wide MusicOz Awards for his single “Almost Sunday”. 2011 saw the debut release of his self produced album, The Pelham Sessions, a collection of 8 original songs written, recorded and bespoken in his warehouse apartment.Since the release, Charles has spent the first half of the year taking the independent route to launch the album in an unconventional tour of over 50 shows over 5 cities, performing at small intimate venues to major music festivals most notably at Music Matters and Bay Beats Music Festival in Singapore this year. Charles take the inspiration in his songwriting from his diaspora background as a nomad moving from his birthplace, Singapore, to seek out new opportunities in a new land. His songs deal with the journey of human kind in our search for meaning, connection, community, love and belonging.

Tenderfist is a modern day dream pop band. They write and perform intimate songs of living, heartbreaks, dancing and things in between. Their music can be described as a joyous collision of pop and electronics. The combination of dreamy synth pop and strings swirl around hushed vocals that smiles at your teenage years. It’s like looking at pop music using the wrong end of your binoculars but still finding it beautiful and unusual sceneries.

Formed as a band in 2008 in Kuala Lumpur and have performed in and around KL from selected independent gigs, clubs to international festivals such as Bay Beats 2011 and UpToTheSky Festival 2011 in Singapore.

Drawing inspiration from musicians such as Interpol, Ash, Mansun, Sigur Ros and Radiohead, The Great Spy Experiment are a 5-piece Singaporean band who create heartfelt, melodic indie-rock that will move you and get you moving. As much guitar-led as it is beat-driven, with indie riffs juxtaposing irresistible pop hooks and dance textures overlaying dance-able rock-grooves, the music is created with the dancefloor in mind and the bedroom at heart. From very humble beginnings, The Great Spy Experiment have grown to become Singapore’s indie darlings on the back of incessant gigging and electrifying live performances, featuring in internationally renowned events such as the Baybeats, Singfest, Mosaic and ZoukOut festivals in Singapore, and bringing their music to audiences as far and wide as New York, Texas, Taipei and Perth. Their debut full-length album ‘Flower Show Riots’, released in September 2007, garnered rave reviews from both the local and international media, with one reviewer touting it as a minor tour-de-force that stands up easily to any modern-rock LP on the Billboard charts. The band’s second album “Litmus” is out soon.

Formed in 2002 in Jakarta, White Shoes & The Couples Company blend 1960’s Burt Bacharach-inspired melodies with winsome indie pop to create a truly unique sound that bring us back to the 1970’s or even to the 1930’s, with charming, distinct melodies and orchestration. While their muses come from blasts from the pasts, their sound is original, fresh and fun. Their story and whole aesthetic is so endearing that it shines through in their music.

Singing in both English and Indonesian, this sextet makes pop songs that you’d be excused for thinking had come straight off the soundtrack of Katamari Damacy, or a tender Sonny Chiba movie. But while the Indonesian lyrics of most White Shoes songs may limit comprehension, the band’s effervescent music is crafty in its simplicity and has universal appeal. Hooky, catchy pop on the surface, White Shoes songs also incorporate tricky time signatures, swinging solo breaks, lush orchestrations, vintage keyboard tones, for a breathtaking live performance.

The Young Liars (ID)

Just when you thought the line-up couldn’t get much better, have a look at these guys.
Inspired by the likes of the Arctic Monkeys and The Subways, the sound produced by The Young Liars is a definitive departure from the pop-driven, lighthearted sounds associated with many Indonesian artists to date. Fastpaced and supercharged, the nosebleed rock produced by Rizki Aryo (Guitar & Lead Vocals), Arya Kluvino (Guitar), Hardiantra (Bass) and Uton Nawawi (Drums), are a last minute addition to the MIDEM 2012 lineup, and producing work reminiscent of the three S’s of definitive 20th Century punk: The Stooges, The Sex Pistols and The Strokes. Still unsigned, The Young Liars hope to gain further support and recognition among the global musical elite at MIDEM 2012.