GET INTIMATE WITH FS
Local music duo FS had the crowd eating out of their hands during a recent showcase,
THE small back room in No Black Tie came to life recently when local singing duo Fuying And Sam, otherwise known as FS, gave a rare and intimate show.
The venue, tucked between a row of refurbished pre-war houses in Jalan Mesui, Kuala Lumpur, is where people who seek to unwind after a long day at work, come.
The room somehow felt warmer as the crowd slowly filtered in. The rows of chairs in the front were quickly filled by the fans. The balcony above seemed to reach towards the stage but the packed venue boasted an equally grand sound.
You could feel the connection between the performers and the audience as soon as they took to the stage during the twohour show.
FS, backed by the string quartet, A9 Strings, opened with Breeze. The intimate show quickly picked up steam, with Fuying and Sam poking fun at each other, joking with good-natured humour. As fans showered them with gifts, bouquets of flowers and soft toys, the boys looked shy from the sudden attention.
The mood changed when they performed a cover version of Na Ying’s Silence, much to the crowd’s delight. The high-keyed notes weren’t a problem, especially for Fuying, who breezed right through. Squeezed into suits (a rare
sighting of the otherwise often casually-dressed singers), FS was a sight to behold. With their hair slicked back, appearing suave and handsome, they even sweet-talked their fans into letting them dance on stage.
The FS Great To
Have You Music Live
2016 shows how incredibly talented the boys are, especially in recreating some of their hits such as Sit Back And Relax, Detachment and Everyone Think We Are Together.
It was exactly four years ago when the duo came together. Their approach to music has not changed much over the years and their well-meaning tunes serve as a reminder to younger fans that life is about meeting challenges head-on and being proud of who we are.
Watching their performance was like watching a couple of old friends having a great time. They were sincere in their craft, theatrical at times and easily admirable. With such an infectious performance, everyone wanted a piece of the night and to sing and dance to their hearts’ content. And those new to FS, would probably go home and learn the lyrics by heart.
The boys kept the night going with their endless flow of energetic performance and charismatic personalities but was caught off-guard when someone in the crowd requested a song that was not in the setlist.
But FS took the challenge, though without any music accompaniment and, by the end of the last line of the chorus, the crowd erupted with a loud cheer. The dynamics between the singers and their backing musicians was very entertaining to watch.
It was so hard to tell who did better during the solo performances (Fuying did a cover of JJ Lin’s Afraid while Sam covered Jam Hsiao’s Jin Chi) and even harder to pinpoint who got the louder cheer by the end of the performance. They mesmerised the audience with their layered vocals, which captured the feelings of the songs.
Another hit song was their new single Great To Have You, which left quite an impression. Written and composed by the duo, the tune was produced by award-winning music producer Keith Tan, who snagged Best Arrangement and Best Production awards at the 2016 AIM Chinese Music Awards. The song, according to FS, was their way to show gratitude to those who had stood by them through thick and thin.
Meanwhile, A9 created a wonderfully spacious soundscape, while exuding a sense of calmness with its distinctive sound. The musicians put in a certain degree of individuality into the performances. The music was extremely enjoyable.
It was in these little moments that the crowd found much joy and you couldn’t help but felt touched by it. The string solos were another moment to savour.
loongwaiting@nst.com.my