It's hard to imagine a world without Youtube now, but it was only a decade ago when there was no way to watch music outside MTV, and the only funny cat videos you saw were introduced by Bob Saget. Awesome when you think about it (until you realize that you're getting old).

Youtube is moving towards disrupting the TV industry these days, and between my subscriptions and automated TV torrents, I never miss not having ASTRO and don't bother with Hypp TV even.

Clara Chung in Malaysia!

I subscribe to Kurt Schneider, Gerald Ko, Nick Pitera, and many others. But one of my favourites is Clara Chung. Her signature song is her original Offbeat, but she's also known for her covers, my favourites being Fireflies, Rhythm of Love, and Rocketeer.

I was very surprised (and pleased!) that she would actually be touring SEA. I'll say it again - It's just amazing how much Youtube has empowered the arts. And it's just great to know there are so many Malaysian who like her music too!

Her concert was held in Bentley Auditorium. I managed to drag Yuen, Pinky and Linda along (love you guys!!). I can't remember ever being as excited for a show - I guess there may be better artists out there, but I think there is just something about seeing someone you thought you'd only ever see on Youtube up close.

I'd seen her other live shows on Youtube so I pretty much knew what to expect. Clara really knew how to make her audience at ease and get everyone into the groove. And there was of course her trademark magic with the loop pedal and melodica. Her handlers were the only low point of the show: really pushy and didn't allow any videos or pictures to be taken (!) But her routine was much like this (Stole this off Youtube, FF to 2:30 for her loop pedal routine):

Thanks to Yuen for sneaking in this shot after the show!

 

Wong Fu For Life

Wong Fu Productions is a video productions team that has gained a lot of popularity recently. You've probably seen Strangers Again, their seminal work which perfectly captured how relationships break down. Their work ranges from the comical to the artistic to the dramatic. To be honest I've pretty new to Wong Fu but Elaine was a big fan and we got a slight discount on the VIP tickets so I thought hey why not.

The atmostphere was very different from Clara's concert. They were treated like rock stars! There were girls we talked to who said they queued up from 7am for the meet-and-greet which started at 4pm. Some broke down in tears after not winning the lucky draw for brunch with Wong Fu the day after.

Wes and Phil were really down-to-earth though. I think they were genuinely appreciative of all the attention. I heard they stayed up very late the night before to personally autograph posters of themselves in advance so the meet-and-greet would go smoother.

The actual session itself started late, but we were at least treated to great opening acts. I feel guilty for not remembering the names but there was an awesome beatboxer and two awesome dance groups.

It was nice meeting Howard and Dizzy as well. Howard was so chivalrous he gave up his winning lucky draw entry so a crying girl could meet her idols. We scolded him because it sets a bad precedent!

Ted was conspicuously missing from the Wong Fu crew, but he was nice enough to give us the next best thing:

 

Wes and Phil showcased some of their videos and fielded questions about their work. They also gave a sneak preview of the latest episodes of their hilarious new series "Home is Where the Hans are".

There is just that level of connection for Youtube artists that you don't see in conventional concerts and meetups. I wonder when the next Youtube sensations will come to Malaysia! The International Secret Agents hopefully?