Day 5

Home-grown band The Great Spy Experiment - (clockwise from top left of Photo 5) Tan Shung Sin, 33, Khairyl Hashim, 31, Magdalene Han, 31, Saiful Idris, 29, and Fandy Razak, 29

They have played at music festivals in New York and Texas, but some of the proudest moments for this quintet this year took place at home.

In April, the indie band played their first ticketed gig here at the Esplanade. Then in September, they were picked to represent Singapore in the inaugural Asia-wide Sutasi music talent quest, to be held in Los Angeles in February.

Their fashion cred has also led to a gig at the launch of French label Agnes b's music festival DVD at the Red Dot Design Museum here in May.

What's your ideal present for Christmas?

Sharp designer suits, preferably from Hugo Boss, simply because we seldom get to wear them. We are usually in casual shirt and jeans and it's nice to dress up sometimes.

What was the best thing that happened to you this year?

Playing at the Esplanade's recital studio as part of the venue's Late Night series on April 25. It was our first ticketed event in Singapore and we sold out completely. People were trying to get in even during the show.

What was the worst?

There haven't exactly been any low moments save for wiping out all the money we raised last year on our first music video Class A Love Affair but, hey, at least we'll be on MTV.

What's your wish for 2009?

To play more overseas gigs and take Singapore music overseas. People always talk about Western bands but there is actually a lot of good stuff coming out of Asia. Some of our favourite Asian bands include Bittersweet from Malaysia, Nenem from Japan and Singapore's Amateur Takes Control.

Wish list (clockwise from top left in Photo 5)

1. Tan wears a satin collared suit and pinstripe shirt, price unavailable, from DKNY, 01-03 Palais Renaissance

2. Khairyl wears a suit, $4,199, and slim-fit white shirt with rivets, $899, from Versace, 01-04 Paragon; bowtie, stylist's

3. Han wears a satin collared blazer, cotton shirt, ribbon skirt and bowtie, all prices unavailable, from Agnes b, 01-26 Raffles City; hat, stylist's

4. Saiful wears a suit and cotton shirt, all prices unavailable, from cK Calvin Klein, 02-33 Paragon; fedora, stylist's

5. Fandy wears a pinstripe suit, $1,469, and striped Otello shirt, $319, from Hugo Boss, 01-13 Takashimaya Shopping Centre; skinny tie, stylist's

Photographer: ALAN LIM; Creative director: JEROME AWASTHI; Stylist: JUMIUS WONG; Make-up: HUI MEI for M.A.C; Hair: ASH LOI (9365-5404) for Estique Studio using Schwarzkopf; Location: Level 5, Robinsons The Centrepoint.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Dec 19, 2008.