Zircon Lounge
| Zircon Lounge | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Singapore |
| Genres | new wave, punk rock, art rock |
| Years active | 1980–1988 |
| Associated acts | Transformer, Tokyo Square, Zircon Gov. Pawn Starz, X' Ho, Yeow, Dick Lee, Anita Sarawak, Jacintha Abisheganaden, Heritage |
| Members | Chris Ho Tan Tiang Yeow Ronnie Chung Shih Loong Ernie Woo Huay Pin |
| Past members | Farihin Fattah Song Kee Hiang Chee Kee Chien Abdul Razak bin Mamat Nasir bin Abdul Rashid |
| Notable instruments | |
| Vocals Guitars Bass Drums Saxophone Synth Keyboards |
|
Zircon Lounge was a Singaporean band formed in the early 1980s that achieved popularity with the release of their influential debut album, Regal Vigor (1983). The pioneering new wave band broke up in 1988.
Despite their short lifespan, Zircon Lounge is credited with sparking off the Singapore alternative music scene.
Zircon Lounge formed from the ashes of Damien Sin's Transformer, a garage rock band that disc jockey and music critic Chris Ho was a part of from 1979. Transformer disbanded in 1982 and Zircon Lounge was formed shortly after with Ho on lead vocals, Tan Tiang Yeow on lead guitars, Ernie Woo Huay Pin on bass, and Ronnie Chung Shih Loong on drums. The band was named after a lyric in the song "The Have-Nots" by American band X.
Initially, the band performed covers of Patti Smith and Lou Reed songs, before progressing to original songs. Influenced by American new wave music, Iggy Pop, Jean Genet and Alan Vega, Zircon Lounge was inspired to shake up the Singaporean music scene, which in the 1980s mostly consisted of cover bands. As Ho told Philip Cheah of the Singapore Monitor in 1983: "[W]e are a band which believes in principles, and rock 'n' roll has got to do with what's new. It's got to do with change. So we've got to move and chart new directions. Everyone wants to play safe. No one wants to do anything about music because the feeling is – 'Ah, it's too difficult'. That's what making Regal Vigour means to us – not playing safe."
Regal Vigor, the band's debut album, was released by Warner Music Singapore (WEA) in late 1983. Consisting of three covers—Romeo Void's "Myself to Myself" and two of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane"—and seven original songs, Regal Vigor was co-produced by Dick Lee, and featured guest spots from Anita Sarawak, Jacintha Abisheganaden and Broery Marantika. Two songs, "Savior" and the Thai-influenced "Chanachai", were released as singles.
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