A so-called Hipster Festival is happening in 2017. This confuses me
For years, hipsters of all ages have lived by one unspoken rule that they’d swear by their fave Joy Division record – never admit you are one. As a bloke who grew up during the Brit-pop wars of the ’90s (Blur > Oasis), I admit, I can sort of understand the sentiment. So sue me.
With that said, it has been years since the whole ‘hipster’ renaissance blew up; we now live in a transparent day and age where skinny jeans are the norm, everyone’s a vegan, and the Laneway Festival is now as popular as ZoukOut. Whether you acknowledge it or not, to some degree, there’s probably a lil’ baby hipster doing a Charleston inside of you.
So why, in 2017 when the word ‘hipster’ has essentially become a household name, am I witnessing an event unapologetically called the Hipster Festival? Is it being ironic? Is it trying to make the term relevant again? Or did its promoters, like your not-so-cool uncle who just discovered Tumblr, only just get the memo and are trying to capitalise on a trend that they’re unaware has bitten the dust?
It calls itself “Singapore’s first trend-setting festival”. I guess Laneway and Neon Lights weren’t cool enough.
If there’s one thing that the two-day festival does right, however, is its music lineup that sees some of the trendiest (not being sarcastic, I swear) in the local indie scene. I, for one, personally advocate dream-poppers, Cosmic Child; Singapore’s version of the Fab Four, The Pinholes; alongside Bakers in Space and Campfire, two acts who I’ve previously declared to watch out for. This, at least, gets my approval, and it is reason enough for you to check out this festival.
And while its vendor list is still being firmed up – according to its Facebook page – it promises activities like outdoor screenings, food trucks, and booths providing hand-made leather goods and bespoke barber services. Again, nothing shabby about this at all! Entertainment-wise, it’s certainly on the right track.
Just don’t hop on a bandwagon that’s stopped rolling years ago; it just makes you look less cool – and that betrays the subtle intentions of any hipster, doesn’t it?
Hipster Festival 2017, 11-12 March, The Foothills, Fort Canning Park. Free entry.