RECAP: SMGxDEVILOCK PARTY

The SMGxDevilock party was held on the 16th of October and here’s what went down. RCGNTN heard that the brand’s leading man and Singapore favourite, JJ Lin, was going to be present so we prepared ourselves for a big crowd.

We were told that the store front was very nondescript and were initially worried that we would not be able to find it (yes, we are Singaporeans), however on the day were two big banners by the door which was hard to miss. SMG store is located on the 2nd floor of 8A Ann Siang Hill, and going up the dark oak steps and past the walls suffocated with SMGxDevilock posters was quite a contrast from the sun outside.

It turns out that we were attending a press conference instead of a launch that was open to public. RCGNTN did manage to spot a few starstruck tweens but they were hardly what I would call a mob.

I found the interior of SMG store very masculine with its black walls and clean cut lines on its displays. Keeping with the minimalistic theme of most concept stores, walking through the store felt like walking through a very organised walk-in wardrobe.

After JJ Lin gave a brief walk through of the store, we were all led to the office which was a small adjoining space past the counter. Although it was occupied with cameras and lights, the office looked more like a lounge with a flat screen television and Xbox console.

Hosted by Nick from SMG, JJ  and Endo (of Devilock) took turns answering questions and explaining the reason for their collaboration. I briefly felt as if I was back in school when Nick opened the Q&A to us and all that responded was a stifled, uncomfortable silence. RCGNTN was granted a one-on-one interview with JJ Lin, given that we had to wait for our turn.

We spent the time looking through the store and maneuvering through the small crowds of tweens and trying not to interrupt RazorTV’s interview with JJ Lin. Amidst consuming refreshments that SMG so thoughfully provided, I was observing the teenagers sitting patiently at a corner, contented with just watching their idol go about his job.

It is amusingly endearing, but unfortunately that feeling is far beyond me. RCGNTN also managed to catch up with the boys from Plussixfive who were as enthusiastic about the refreshment snacks as I was.

When it finally came to our turn for our interview, we had the customary hand shake and introduction of names. Admittedly, I felt slightly uncomfortable not because of who he is but the way his eyes seemed to look straight at me. I don’t want to sound like a whimpy fan (and I assure you I am not), I guess I was not used to such sincerity.

The interview was smooth, and JJ Lin was completely obliging and polite. He was also extremely diplomatic, despite our attempts to fish out opinionated replies from him (we need to learn more from E Entertainment) but he most probably is this popular in the music scene by avoiding stepping on anyone’s toes.

There was not much anticipation in the air for the SMGxDevilock party at Rebel later on, most probably because everyone was busy trying to make sure everything runs perfectly.

Finally when the sun had set, RCGNTN headed to Rebel after being amazed by the ingenious way the party’s invitations were made; they were dog tags! One-third of RCGNTN was so impressed she threatened to wear it all the time.

RCGNTN had been told that there was going to be a performance of some sort to start the night but we had no clue as to what it was. We went in, mingled and burst the camera flash in friends’ faces for 30 minutes and it was time for the mystery performance. We got our cameras ready and took our positions on the dancefloor, in front of the raised platform.

What happened next made me laugh outloud for a few minutes, with no pauses at all. Five girls stripped down to mini black dresses and black fishnet stockings, complete with bunny ears. I immediately felt as if I was at a bachelor party and chuckled to myself as the boys inched nearer to the girls who were attempting to dance.

As the girls danced on, the crowd started getting closer and filling up the dance floor. Some people even went up to take a picture with them. The melee soon died down and the girls disappeared into the crowd, who wanted more pictures.

The night seemed to move slowly, probably due to the bad mix of hip-hop and r’n’b so we decided to head home early. However, the Order and Chaos party had been an eye-opening experience even if everything seemed to lack a lady’s touch.

You can visit SMUDGE store at 8A Ann Siang Hill.