Death Cab for Cutie wins Singapore over again
By Clara Lock, photos by Aloysius Lim / LAMC Productions
Performing near the end of their Spring 2012 tour last night, indie rockers Death Cab for Cutie may have found their instruments petering out on them.
But the quartet had no shortage of energy, blazing their way through a comprehensive 24-song set list of well-loved tracks and newer numbers.
Their selections from 2011 release Codes and Keys like You Are A Tourist and Doors Unlocked and Open were well received, but it was classic tracks like opening number A Lack of Colour, Soul Meets Body and the I Will Possess Your Heart, complete with its 8-minute long jam intro. 
This was their sophomore gig in Singapore, following their 2008 show where the band played to a sold-out crowd at the Esplanade. And up-tempo numbers like The New Year and You Are A Tourist, which had the audience dancing and swaying along, showed that the band is just as comfortable commanding a sweaty outdoor crowd.
And sweaty they were – lead singer Ben Gibbard made reference to Singapore’s humidity as he segued into Grapevine Fires, dedicating that track to the ‘sticky heat’ that hung in the air.
Sticky heat or not, the crowd loved every second, especially Gibbard’s acoustic solo of I Will Follow You into the Dark that reduced 5,500 screaming fans into a contemplative murmur.
And as the band wound down with a five-track encore culminating in staple track Transatlanticism, fans throwing up their hands in rapture will already be counting down till the band makes their third visit.
