I have a Class ‘A’ Love Affair with local band The Great Spy Experiment. I’ve been in love with them ever since I was 21, and now, over a dozen years, countless triumphs and failures, many kilograms, an unprecedented pandemic and a BTO flat later, I find myself revisiting those years through the lens of a man in his thirties. It’s a special feeling when you revisit music you used to love, and their meaning and significance to you has changed and evolved along with you. What used to be a moshpit headbanger is now a battle cry against the ennui of modern corporate life. What used to be a rhythmic lament-ballad of lost love is now a smile-inducing reminder of how far I’ve come in my relationships. What used to be a chest-beating stadium anthem is now a philosophical study in ideas of identity and belonging. Songs I used to dance or rock out to at clubs and arenas now blare through my headphones while I shop for groceries at NTUC.
It’s a phenomena that transcends notions of nostalgia or ‘the good old days’. Our favourite music grows and evolve with us – just as our favourite musicians grow and evolve.
It’s been 8 years since The Great Spy Experiment disbanded, citing the fact they were creatively stuck, and also so they could focus on their families and day jobs. So much has changed since they’ve been gone. Singapore has changed. Listening habits has changed. The manner in which we discover music has changed. Our local music industry itself has changed. But some things don’t.
The Great Spy Experiment formed in 2004. For context, that was two years before Spotify was conceived. They comprise of frontman and guitarist Saiful Idris, guitarist Tan Shung Sin ‘Song’, keyboardist Magdelene Han, her husband and the band’s bassist Khairyl Hashim, and drummer Fandy Razak.
Their sound is a mix of indie, rock and dance; some of their songs, driven by the pop hooks flourishing from Magdalene’s keyboards and Khairyl’s bass, is reminiscent of music by The Killers, while others are Oasis-esque rock anthems defined by Fandy’s thumping percussions and Song’s intricate guitar work. Then you have Saiful’s soulful vocals bringing it all together.
Their debut album Flower Show Riots, released in 2007, put them immediately on the map. Flower Show Riots was an indie rock and indie dance force of nature, an album filled with hits, such as the infectious Dance With Me, the melodious indie rock classic The Great Decay, the beatific, soaring, yet deliciously complex Flow, and the fan favourite Class ‘A’ Love Affair, their ‘Wonderwall‘, if I may. Their second album Litmus was a mellower, more introspective venture, but Saiful’s songwriting had the same quality and finesse as in Flower Show Riots. Litmus was just as full of hits such as In The Sun, Tonight, Tonight and the raucous The Lights.
Their musical success is perhaps attributed to the single-minded determination from the start. In an interview with The Straits Times back in 2015, Saiful said, “We wanted to do more than just play music and have fun. We wanted to change the face of Singapore music and that kind of informed everything we did.”
Their popularity was such that they were representing Singaporean music overseas, performing in SXSW (South-by-Southwest in Austin, Texas; they were the first ever Singaporean act to be invited) and the San Antonio Indie Fest in 2007, the One Movement Festival in Perth in 2010 and the MIDEM Festival in Cannes in 2012. This year, they’ll be one of the leading acts at Baybeats. As a culture journalist, I had to speak to them about this reunion (you can read that interview further below in this article). As a fan, I had to hold back tears of joy.
There’s more joyous news. They’ll also be releasing new music to mark the occasion – a two-track single, comprising of Sanctuary, a gorgeous, synth-laden fan-pleaser, and Secrets, a powerful rock track written for big gigs – look out for Song’s brilliant guitar solo at the end.
When they split up in 2015, Saiful was asked by The Straits Times if The Great Spy Experiment would reunite. He said, “Possibility, yes, but likelihood of that happening? I don’t think so.” I’m not raising this quote to question what Saiful said, but more to point out how we change and evolve, and develop new truths about ourselves and the world we live in.
If anything, today, I am so glad for change, because it got my favourite local band back together.
AM: I am so late to this question but: how did the name The Great Spy Experiment come about?
Saiful: Before The Great Spy Experiment (GSE), back when we were in our teens, Fandy and I had a band called Superspy. In 2000, I left to study overseas and by the time I came back four years later, I had written a bunch of songs that were very different from what we used to do with Superspy. So we decided to start over with a new identity and rope in new members. That’s how the name came to be – something that represented change while acknowledging our past.
What have you guys been up to during the hiatus?
Saiful: I’ve just been keeping to myself, trying to stay out of people’s lives as best as I can. Kept my head down, and focused on work and family. After a few years, I decided I needed a creative outlet, something that I could work on on my own and at my own time, while the family was asleep, so I started producing and releasing dance music. But that’s pretty much it really. Just the typical Singaporean adult life?
Fandy : Busy with life as with everyone else. But for me, I kinda never stopped playing music. I jammed with a few people. A few project shows but nothing permanent. Did a thing on YouTube called MONOMONDAY, which was an experience I’ll never forget.
Song: Getting through life as it comes. Although to be honest, it was refreshing and calming for me after we stopped because I was really struggling with what was going on within the band. But I believe that was necessary for every one of us and speaking for myself, I’ve learnt to see things with a different lens and deal with them in a healthier way now. Music-wise, I was fortunate to have played 2 baybeats (with the Es and Sherene’s closet in 2016 and 2018).
Khairyl: Parenthood and work mainly. Music wise, I was also busy creating music with my other band, Riot in Magenta.We played a number of festivals and launched our LP in 2018.
Magdelene: After the hiatus, I went on to do my Masters while raising my 2 children. When we played our last show at The Esplanade in 2015, I was in the midst of my maternity leave and my second born was about 3 months old. My older child has a rare and complex medical condition called Macrocephaly-Capillary Malformation. So it was really about spending most of my time being a mother and working. Unlike my other bandmates, the only thing I did with music is listen.
What was COVID like for you guys? Did you pick up new hobbies (anybody pick up sourdough baking?)? More importantly, what was it like for you as musicians?
Fandy: Career wise COVID was shit. But other than that, it gave me a chance to be with my family a whole lot which I loved. The MONOMONDAY thing I mentioned earlier happened because of Covid. So yeah all in all it was good for me.
Song: Covid was kinda shit for everyone wasn’t it? I guess the silver lining was people started to focus on their health a lot more, and I was no exception. I was never a full-time musician to begin with so Covid didn’t really impact me in that sense, but it was really hard for a lot of musician friends who couldn’t work during that period.
Khairyl: The work from home scenario provided the much needed space to reflect on what’s important in life. A lot of time was spent with the family and being part of Magdelene’s creative passion project on mask making via her brand, Hearts & Kraft.
Magdelene: COVID came and hit us unexpectedly, didn’t it? Not being able to travel and explore was tough in those COVID years but then, I started to look inwards. The much needed reflection and realisation of what is important. With all the time spent at home, I started learning to make reusable masks and that took up quite a bit of my time. Pre-COVID, I started my brand, KBibs. I was making reusable bibs for babies and children with special needs. I had most of the materials needed to switch to creating reusable masks and so I did during COVID times. It was then that I rebranded as ‘Hearts & Kraft’.
Did you guys keep in touch? What’s The Great Spy Experiment like IRL? Are you guys good friends offstage/outside the studio? Or is there Liam-Noel levels of animosity between you guys?
Saiful: Up until the end of 2021, I hadn’t been in touch with them but I think the others did continue to stay close. Our relationship is complicated. There’s just too much history and baggage there for it to be just “a group of friends doing something they love together.” Personally, I’m not great at defining relationships. Never quite understood what it means to be a friend.
Fandy: Saiful’s the only complicated one. We have nothing against that though. It’s just who he is. The rest of us are pretty easy and kept in contact during the hiatus and remained good friends.
Magdelene: I continued to see Khai everyday. (laughs) The other guys in the band are probably the only exes I keep a space in my heart still.
Sanctuary/Secrets sounds gorgeous, based on the teaser you dropped on social media. Can you tell us more about the track, and the single?
Saiful: “Sanctuary / Secrets” is a two-track single. We had been writing new music, and when we found out we were playing Baybeats, figured it would be a good way to commemorate our return to the stage. The two tracks are quite different – “Sanctuary” represents the more rocking, anthemic side of our repertoire, while “Secrets” is a lot darker and mellow. As with most of the songs I’ve written in the past, the music came first, and the lyrics much later. And the latter was a real struggle. It’s hard to find inspiration living the adult life.
Song: Even though we had a really tight schedule to lay down these tracks, I somehow had more clarity in what I wanted to achieve with my parts as compared to the past albums. And I’m pretty chuffed with how it turned out. Well, probably coz I had more time to think and create out of the studio since I didn’t have any work then.
What happened that kickstarted the conversation around a reunion? Was it difficult getting everyone back together?
Saiful: Sometime in November 2021, I got a message that the guys wanted to meet and catch up, though I can’t recall now who it was that got that going. It was awkward for sure – I hadn’t really been in touch with them up till then, aside from a few messages here and there. But yeah, we talked about the past and playing again. If I’m being honest, I had major reservations for sure, about being in their and other people’s lives again. But at the same time, I didn’t want to be the guy who held everyone else back. So here we are.
Fandy: We’ve tried to make a comeback before, many times, but we always got a no from Saiful. I don’t know what made him say yes this time but I’m glad he did.
Song: I think it started with Fandy texting me saying ‘Song, you call Saiful leh’. I guess I was the only one who had any kind of contact with Saiful all this while coz we were staying in the same hood and I would see him at the coffeeshop or supermarket now and then. I had my reservations as well but yeah, here we are now and I’m quite excited to be on stage with the band once again.
How are you guys feeling ahead of Baybeats?
Fandy: OK ah. (laughs) I’m glad just we’re back la and look forward to playing. Baybeats or not, we’ll give it our all. But I think Khai is nervous AF.
Song: I’m feeling good. And yeah, Khai is trembling. (laughs)
Khairyl: Stage rust is a real thing. But the main concern for me has always been to put on an awesome show for the audience and to do justice to the songs that Saiful has written.
Is this just a one-off thing? Will you guys continue working as a band, a new album perhaps?
Saiful: We haven’t discussed any grand plans for the future. But there’s no definite end either. We’ve just been taking it one day at a time. That being said, we were genuinely very surprised by the response to our Baybeats appearance, with the registration slots fully booked so quickly. We’ve heard from many fans who would not be able to make the show because they missed the registration, and we’re pretty bummed about that. So we’re definitely exploring doing another proper show in the not-too-distant future. The way we’re going, it’s quite likely too that there will be new music to come. But again, nothing concrete at this point.
Fandy: Not gonna commit to anything and will take it one show at a time (assuming people call us to play).
Song: Yeah let’s take this one dance at a time.
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