Day 2 of LASALLE’s Rock and Indie Festival (RIF) kicked off to a rainy start, which was a nice reprieve from the usual Singapore heat. Stepping into the Campus Green, I immediately observed quiet morning playing to a sizeable crowd despite it being only 3pm – as expected of a Saturday afternoon, and a welcome change from the quiet of the previous day.

As you’ll read later, IAAS caught the last few songs of quiet morning’s set – there were some logistical difficulties in getting there, with the rain causing a slight jam in the city area. Regardless, it felt lively; our arrival on Friday at 2 o’clock was to an organised, yet empty Festival Village. 3 o’clock on Saturday really had that music festival vibe, with a sizeable crowd gathered on the Campus Green and others still weaving in and out of the various booths.

Consequently, the speakers were cranked much louder, particularly in the indoor Flexible Performance Space. It was noticeable, but largely still within tolerable limits especially as I’d worn my concert earplugs. (And this is where I now advocate again to always wear earplugs at festivals – if you’re a musician or music lover, you definitely want your ears protected as far as possible!)

I once again must give my flowers to the RIF team at LASALLE – crowd control was handled smoothly and unobtrusively. I barely noticed it the entire festival, though it was definitely present with the amount of crew hovering and clear flow of movement. Despite the amount of people moving about, especially between sets, I never felt lacking for personal space.

This was most apparent at the ticketed Flexible Performance Space – though we used our media pass to hop in and out to maximise our coverage, we did observe the process and queue. It was very orderly and aboveboard, yet smooth – everyone got into the set on time, and exits and entrances were clearly separated.

quiet morning

Unfortunately, because of the aforementioned traffic, I ended up coming on the last legs of their set. Catching their last two songs made me wish I’d been able to see the entire set.

quiet morning Performing live at LASALLE RIF 2026 - Photo by Ezzo Lee

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quiet morning is a trio comprised of two vocalists, and one songwriter-producer who functioned as their guitarist for this set. They opted to backtrack the remaining instrumentals, though I didn’t find it taking anything away from the live experience.

In my last article covering Day 1, I briefly discussed how I love when artists are really able to capitalise on the live medium of performance and bring people together. quiet morning absolutely delivers, with an unbothered energy onstage even as they requested and hyped the crowd to stand for their last song, which I believe was curbside.

I find their music to be a cross between bedroom pop, indie pop, and R&B. With this sound, they’re in great company with other renowned Asian artists and perfect for a rainy – or should I say, quiet? – morning in. Fans of keshi, wave to earth. and fellow indie Singaporean artist hongjoin will love quiet morning.

You can find quiet morning here on Spotify, or on Instagram @quietmng.

Justice for the Bass Clef

I was very taken with this band name, as someone who – despite being left-handed – hated reading or playing the bass clef on the piano in my childhood.

Justice for the Bass Clef is a relatively new band, comprised of students from LASALLE. The first thing I noticed was how they were all styled in black as a band – very cohesive, and I could definitely appreciate the commitment to appearing as a unit!

Justice for the Bass Clef performing at LASALLE RIF 2026 - Photo by Ezzo Lee

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Their synth lines were compelling, and their arrangements were tight and let everyone shine. I could tell they were a little nervous, but I must commend how they didn’t let it affect the performance. Instead, they kept on with the music and audience banter.

This was another set we unfortunately had to duck out early from – but in the time we were there, they moved through punk, a ballad that sounds like it came straight out of the 90s, and rock. The diversity in genre kept me on my toes, and in audience interactions the band would name each songwriter and arranger. There were a good mix of tracks with only one writer (the guitarist and bassist, respectively) and songs everyone collaborated on.

I find that they shone best in the rock song – everyone was very much in the moment. As one of the opening songs, that energy was contagious to the audience and kept the hype going after their potent opening.

Another ancillary note I made about this performance was the amazing lighting. It matched the music beat-for-beat, especially the reds and oranges during the aptly-titled ballad Paint Me Red. I did get slightly blinded, being in the front row to accurately observe the performance and grab a picture or two, but it was worth it.

roof.

roof. is a new band created just to audition for this festival. Their music is very shoegaze-influenced, featuring heavy and atmospheric walls of sound. I’d compare it to Pink House by sundream, which I reviewed on IAAS last month.

roof. Performing at LASALLE RIF 2026 - Photo by Ezzo Lee

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It felt very much like a catharsis of emotions. There were lots of yelling vocals; I personally picked up anger and hurt. Either way, everyone was definitely feeling themselves – while there were some first-day jitters while addressing the audience, there was absolutely no hesitation with the music. They were moving, the lead vocalist was doing her thing, and it was a great show of experimental music.

I did get a little too excited when the vocalist produced a talkbox for one track – I made full use of the media pass to sneak around to the back and get a better angle of the talkbox.

Side note: We’re posting all these clips on our Instagram page @iaas_music gradually – follow if you’d like to see more festival footage! (Please do, my camera roll is full of good music that should really be shared.)

Their arrangements were intriguing – the lead and rhythm guitars switched around during one of the more upbeat indie rock songs. Initially, one guitarist took the lead for the intro; then halfway through the song, for the main countermelody riff, the rhythm guitarist took over. I unfortunately did not catch the title of this – and it’s unreleased, since roof. is a new band.

roof. didn’t share any concrete plans, but it is my hope that they’ll record a debut single or two! Or at least release a live/rehearsal version somewhere online.

I’ll be keeping an eye out for it, and you can too on their Instagram @mscbyroof.

IMAN

IMAN was a set we refused to miss – not just because we were interviewing him, though you can keep an eye out in coming weeks!

My photographer and I were actually still waiting for food, since his set was around dinner, when we realized his set was beginning. Naturally, we frantically asked the Korean restaurant to take away my food and power-walked back to campus to make it back in time. (As I write this, that samgyetang (Korean ginseng chicken soup) is calling my name… I may have to make a repeat visit the next time I’m in the area.)

IMAN Performing at RIF 2026 - Photo by Leonny Ong

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IMAN is best known as the frontman of the long-running Singaporean punk rock band Iman’s League. His solo work is a far cry from that, though definitely not unwelcome – he presents a folk-country crossover and a cheery disposition.

Right from the first song, about the plight of Singaporean artists and how all he can do is keep playing this guitar, a crew member nearby was openly sobbing because it was so sad. His music is clearly the epitome of singer-songwriter vulnerability – he had no backtrack and no other accompanying musicians. His entire set was one guy and his guitar – plus a harmonica and kazoo.

There’s a certain confidence in how he moves about onstage, as a veteran who clearly knows how to work the stage and crowd. He chats casually with us as he changes instruments or sets up his capo for the next song – there was never any silence or boredom in his entire set.

The crowd was admittedly not extremely responsive in the beginning. IMAN turned that around quickly, getting people to clap along and shout. He’s not shy about it, either, openly requesting “festival vibes” from the crowd. Anyone who grew up in the 2000s would be familiar with the comparison I’m about to make – that this felt very much like a Hannah Montana stomp-and-clap moment, though we were all seated on the Campus Green.

He shrugs off mishaps so easily they feel like a part of the show – like when he played the wrong song, or put the capo in the wrong key. It’s to be expected as he solo-carries the entire 30-to-40-minute set – and

IMAN also presented a bilingual song in Malay, to the cheering of his family seated behind the audience. I’m honestly loving the trend of bilingual music or sets I’ve observed at RIF, including from Marian Carmel in Day 1’s article – music is its own language. I was pleasantly surprised to understand enough of the Malay, given the crossover with Bahasa. (The English equivalent of this relationship would probably be British, Australian and American English – Malaysians and Indonesians can communicate, but we’ll definitely be able to tell where the other is from.)

The setlist itself was tightly arranged, with a diverse range of emotions that never overwhelmed. I found it balanced nicely to land somewhere around bittersweet; fitting, as he addresses what it means to be a middle-aged musician in Singapore in his latest album Midlife Tunes. It’s simple, but no less emotive and impactful.

You can find IMAN on Spotify here and on Instagram @iman_solo_acoustic. And if there’s ever an Instagram username that perfectly describes the user, IMAN’s must be it.

Rangga Jones

Rangga Jones, as the Night 2 Campus Green headliner, gave us a treat with a fully acoustic set. He opted for monitors over IEMs, and to play the entire set seated on a tall stool with just his acoustic guitar. By his own admission, he hadn’t done this type of set in a while.

The entire vibe of his set is very cozy and intimate. Even his styling is simple yet curated – dress shoes against straight-leg washed jeans, a blue Panthers tee, and minimal jewellery. Against the setting sun, gentler stage lights, and increased speaker volumes, he created a magical atmosphere that had the audience taken in.

Still, there’s very little ado; Rangga Jones presented a quick self-intro, and got right into it. He played songs largely from his latest album, Everything I’ve Wanted To Say (And More) – the deluxe edition of which just dropped last month in time for RIF.

Every time Rangga Jones begins a song, he shuts his eyes and seems to lose himself in the music while playing. But that doesn’t mean he’s unaware of the audience – the furthest thing from it, as he guides us from song-to-song with quick context, repeated introductions for the stragglers coming in, and quick lore drops about the next or preceding track.

Rangga Jones headlining Night 2 Campus Green acoustic LASALLE RIF 2026 - Photo by Ezzo Lee

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One of my favourite moments from this show, if we exclude the music itself, was his introduction of one of his older tracks. As he’s adjusting his guitar, Jones says, “I’m going to throw it back.” And then he’s walking that statement back quickly, to light laughter from the audience he chuckles along to, and continues, “I’m not throwing it back, I mean let’s throw back to– Anyway, this is a really old song I released.”

The Indonesian-Singaporean artist’s primary genre is R&B, but he played some bossa nova and indie pop for us. Specifically, he cited Lauv as an influence for Love Again, and I definitely heard it right from the opening. And, of course, he played perhaps his best-known song and my personal favourite Infatuated.

He takes us from love songs to heartbreak, which certainly broke the audience’s hearts in the best way.

Towards the end, One and Only from the aforementioned album’s deluxe version made its live debut. Truly a special moment that I’m very happy I was there for, and able to report on for readers at IAAS. We had the pleasure of interviewing him on-site right after his set – that interview will also come out in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for a great conversation!

Rangga Jones can be found on Spotify here, and on Instagram @ranggajones. He didn’t quite share this with us, but there are definitely exciting things happening judging from his updated bio of “loading…”.

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Conclusion…?

Not really! Although our flagship festival coverage has wrapped for both days, IAAS still has more video content and a photodump dropping on our Instagram @iaas_music soon. You can also look forward to an interview with Festival Head Stella Ong next week on what it takes to throw an event of this scale, which should prove insightful for both indie artists and festival-goers alike. And last but not least, our 3 exclusive artist interviews with Marian Carmel, IMAN, and Rangga Jones will trickle out over the next few weeks.

RIF was a great event, and I’ll definitely be returning in 2027 even as a guest. Making it free to attend is yet another thing to give LASALLE credit for – in an ideal world, music would be accessible to everyone. And while we aren’t quite in that world, we can never really have enough grassroots events spotlighting local indie artists.

Once again, thank you to the RIF team – Stella and Clement from LASALLE, and Hakim and Theodore from Pinpoint PR – for creating a safe and fun atmosphere, and graciously hosting IAAS Music this festival season!

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