Pinoy band The Ransom Collective will play Singapore’s Laneway Festival

Manila’s very own The Ransom Collective will represent the Philippines at the 2018 Laneway Music Festival in Singapore. The announcement was made by organizers of Southeast Asia’s largest indie music festival Thursday afternoon.

This is only the second time a Filipino band will perform at Laneway, after compatriots Cheats back in 2016.

Formed in 2013, The Ransom Collective play a heady, soul-stirring mix of indie and folk-pop music reminiscent of bands like Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers. Lead vocalist Kian Ransom even sounds like a younger, livelier Marcus Mumford.

The band first gained widespread notices after winning the Wanderband competition in 2014. At that year’s Wanderland music festival, they were in the same lineup as The Drums, The Paper Kites, The Royal Concept, Architecture in Helsinki and many others.

Besides Ransom, the band is composed of Jermaine Choa-Peck, sisters Lily and Muriel Gonzales, Leah Halili and Redd Claudio.

The Ransom Collective is among the second wave of artists, which includes ALEXTBH from Malaysia, Heals from Indonesia, and Amateur Takes Control, MAS1A, Obedient Wives Club, TheLionCityBoy and Tim De Cotta all from Singapore.

Playing the eighth edition of Laneway Singapore are Aldous Harding, Amy Shark, Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals, Billie Eilish, Bonobo, Father John Misty, Loyle Carner, Mac De Marco, Moses Sumney, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Slowdive, Sylvan Esso, The Internet, The War on Drugs and Wolf Alice.

The Singapore edition of Australia’s St. Jerome's Laneway Music Festival has become the essential music festival for lovers of indie music across Southeast Asia for close to a decade now.

Since 2011, the biggest names in indie rock, pop, dance and rap/hip hop have graced the Laneway stage and performed for thousands of music fans across the region.

Laneway Singapore happens on Satrday, January 27, 2018 at the Meadow at Gardens By the Bay. Tickets are still available at APACTix.com — LA, GMA News

Paul John Caña is a writer and live music geek. Check out his blog manontheotherside.blogspot.com. Email him at pjcana@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @pauljohncana