I

t's not every weekend that you get to see a hip, Pitchfork-approved, all-female band performing on stage, in Singapore no less. Last weekend, the New York-based Au Revoir Simone rounded off fans' weekend at the Mosaic Music Festival 2010.

On March 14, heavy downpours fell on the part of Singapore where the Mosaic Music Festival was held, and the best way to spend the night was probably just to hang out with friends and sip light beer.

But, Au Revoir Simone was the headliner for the festival's third day, and this was more than enough reason to go out.

So who is Au Revoir Simone? Why do they have to say goodbye? What's with the French in their name? Do they have anything to do with French feminist Simone de Beauvoir?

Au Revoir Simone hails from the hip neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York City. With three albums under their belts, this band is surely the one to watch. They released their debut album, Verses of Comfort, Assurance & Salvation, in 2005. Their sophomore effort, The Bird of Music, was released in 2007, and their latest, Still Night, Still Light, was released last year in North America through Our Secret Record Company label.

The hard-to-please critics of indie-leaning online magazine Pitchfork gave Still Night, Still Light 7.8 out of 10, describing it as "feather-light electro-pop that's not to be taken lightly".

Fans in Singapore did not take this band lightly. In fact, they made a petition for them to do an additional show on top of the one already scheduled - and the festival promoter bowed to it.

On March 14, festival organizers gave Au Revoir Simone two slots at the Esplanade Theatre Studio, the first at 7 p.m. and second at 10 p.m.

For Au Revoir Simone's show, the organizers also redesigned the venue to make it more suited to the laid-back atmosphere the band hoped to achieve. The Esplanade Theatre Studio was transformed into a club, where no perimeter existed between the stage and the audience.

A bar was set up on the right side of the stage serving wine, beer and an assortment of spirits to heat up the night.

At 7 p.m., this being in Singapore, band members Erika Forster, Annie Hart, and Heather D'Angelo entered the stage. Their bright outfits did little to conceal their nervousness. And with no words of introduction, Au Revoir Simone kicked off their show for the night.

The band opened with Another Likely Story from their album Still Night, Still Light. This was great for both concertgoers and band members.

But, the euphoric mood soon gave way to technical glitches. No one complained though. In fact, smiles were seen on the faces of all three members of the band, showing off the chemistry between them. After all, they have been on the road touring for months now.

Being on the road for so long also did a lot to forge the band members' showmanship (or perhaps I should say "showwomanship"). In between songs, the three switched keyboards, the only instruments they had on stage, without the help of any roadies.

And it was during this instrument change that they finally broke their silence.

"If we're in New York, we have five Casios. So you don't have to see things like this," said Annie while moving her keyboard to Heather's stool.

Witnessing this, everyone surely gets the impression that regardless of the instrument or how it is played, what matters is how much a musician is immersed in his or her craft. We think members of Au Revoir Simone have every right in the world to play music their own way.

"My mom back home must be proud," said Annie, the most talkative member of the band, during a break between All or Nothing and Anywhere You Looked.

The other two members were a bit quiet and kept busy with their instruments. All seemed to stick to a rigid division of labor. Heather, the soprano of the band, took control of drum machine while Erika - with the most impressive hairdo of the three - sung lead and got the task of putting up her Colgate smile all the time.

But to the chagrin of adoring fans, the band didn't play that many songs from their first two albums. A significant number of songs in that night's playlist were from Still Night, Still Light, including The Last One, Knight of Wands, Only You Can Make Me Happy and, of course, the lead single Shadows.

Their second show that night was even better. The band had released the tension. Some people in the audience had returned for the second show, but most of them were there for the first time.

For this second show, the tunes were more danceable.

They became three women from The Virgin Suicides, mesmerizing the crowd with their gorgeous voices and top-notch performance.

For the second show, the three members also loosened up a lot, and the crowd approved of this as indicated by loud applauses and shouts after every song.

The second show wrapped up after 45 minutes, after which the crowd screamed for an obligatory encore.

"Thanks for having us," said Erika, applying the usual trick. Before long the band reappeared on stage, performing a rendition of Through the Backyard, off the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack. A massive singalong ensued.

"We promise we will come back someday," said Heather (the silent one) finally speaking.

And after the Esplanade show, everyone is waiting for them to come back.