history
it started in 1998, when raymond, esmond, joe and gabriel came together to play for their school concert. joining them were jack(bass) and daren(drums). after what they thought was a one-off gig, they were asked to play in Melaka with local band Myst. this gave them a chance to meet glenn, who now heads awakening productions. apart from that, they found someone else who sparked off a dream in them, their mentor and friend, navin, who was the lead singer of legendary local band, Myst
after Melaka, vertical rush went through a line up change due to musical directions and what resulted was a four piece band consisting of esmond(vox), jack(bass), raymond(guits) and daren(drums). they continued to gain composure, and played some gigs around Singapore. little did they know that soon, they would find themselves in need of new members.
as time progressed, raymond and jack both left the band as a result of a change of priorities in their lives. just before jack left the band, esmond had arranged for sound engineer, producer and friend, steven cheong, to help record a quick demo for the band as keepsake. at this time, nicky filled raymond's shoes as guitarist. after the news of jack's departure, shaun(bass) and ian(guit) were invited to play for the recording as well. another close friend, djulian, was also asked to help with the recording.
after everything was said and done, what was to be the end of the band, became the birth of the new vertical rush. producer steven cheong offered to help vertical rush engineer a full-length album.
shaun, ian and nicky were convinced to join vertical rush permanently and also to complete the album. djulian on the other hand, was asked to manage the band. once again as a band, their focus wasn't really the music or the band, it was because they were good friends more than anything else. going on to play gigs locally, all that was left, were times of laughter and joy.
till today, vertical rush exists as esmond(vox), Ian(lead guit), nicky(rhythm guit, bgv), shaun(bass), daren(drums) and of course djulian, the manager. that is the story as it is.
they have been playing locally for about 3-4 years now, and have done gigs at many places such as the esplanade, youth park, YMCA(orchard) and boat quay. people have described their sound as emo sounding music topped with a taste of jimmy eat world and sum41.
in truth, the members of vertical rush wouldn't dare call themselves an emo band, but would rather just label themselves a certain brand of indie pop. the band believes in sharing their lives with those around them, be it through songs, or relationships, and strive to somehow make a small difference in the already chaotic world around them.
because eventually, everything is emo.
