Singapore's Independent Bands Earn Their Stripes at Phil Studio—But Who the Hell Is Phil?

Singapore's Independent Bands Earn Their Stripes at Phil Studio—But Who the Hell Is Phil?

All images by Isaiah Chua for RICE Media unless stated otherwise. An hour before their show, my friends from Thambi K Seaow—a satirical rock band with a cult following a decade deep—asked me to warm up the crowd before their set. I was honoured, especially since I’d be introducing them at a venue that, in just a handful of years, had gained its own cult status: Phil Studio. As I tested the mic on stage, my “ok, can?” was met with a thumbs up by …