For many reasons, Baybeats is not your run-of-the-mill music festival. Happening from from 3-6 September at Esplanade, this year’s iteration sees the local festival celebrate its 25th anniversary.
It’s no secret that the music scene in Singapore is a relatively fledgling one, especially when compared to our older regional cousins, like Bangkok, Tokyo and Jakarta. So when there’s an occasion to celebrate—to truly champion—local talent, especially the uncut gems on the rise, you better believe the community comes together to put its best foot forward. And there’s no better place to host Singapore’s preeminent alternative music festival than at the very epicentre of performing arts: the incomparable Esplanade.
The ‘Theatres on the Bay’ performing arts centre, located conveniently at the mouth of the Singapore River by the titular Marina Bay, is one of the country’s most striking cultural and creative icons, famed around the world for its innovative design and eye-catching interiors. An expansive one-stop shop for concert lovers, the venue goes all out for Baybeats, featuring five stages for the whopping 48 artists set to perform during the festival. Speaking of the artists: this is where the magic really happens.
If you thought you knew what the power of independent music looked like, think again. Baybeats is all about discovery, showcasing homegrown underground talent and overseas cult favourites alike, all performing music from every genre under the sun. Post-hardcore and pop-punk; shoegaze and dreampop; hip-hop and electronic. In truth, ‘alternative’ doesn’t even begin to describe the breadth of Baybeats’s offerings.
On this front, local mainstays include the three-piece, genre-defying The Observatory, dreampop wunderkinds Subsonic Eye and eclectic producer T.hirst. Representation from younger up-and-comers shines through acts like emo rockers Soggy Jeans, noise rockers Spider and alt-rockers Muff. The buck doesn’t stop there, though.
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Regional representation is top notch, too. The festival’s overseas artists hail from every corner of Asia. It’s more than enough to satisfy anyone remotely interested in exploring the rich fabric of Asia’s music scene. We’ve got plenty of love from the West as well—bands from France, Austria and the Netherlands are seeing the vision, flying thousands of kilometres to dazzle Baybeats’s audience.
It goes without saying: every one of these artists deserve your attention. If you have the time and the energy, there’s nothing stopping you from showing up to each day of the festival. But to make things easier, we’ve compiled a quick and easy shortlist below of 15 acts you should catch at Baybeats 2026. So dive in, have a listen—and when you rock up to Esplanade, bring your earplugs.
1 / 15
Dabda
Dabda is starry-eyed, nostalgic math-rock from Seoul, South Korea. Check out their song ‘Jungle Gym‘: drummer Takashi Kashikura of Toe fame features and helps build the rhythmic cornerstone for the track, but it’s the dancing guitars and singer Kim Jiae’s ethereal voice that cinch the band’s magnetic sound.
2 / 15
Soggy Jeans
Soggy Jeans is melancholic indie emo from Singapore. Check out their song ‘Goodbye Carolyn‘: released earlier this year, it starts out as a soft rock arrangement, setting the mood for sad yearning. However, the song quickly swells into anthemic choruses, gang vocals and titanic chords, finishing on a compelling high note.
3 / 15
Coaltar of the Deepers
Coaltar of the Deepers is unconventional, boundary-breaking shoegaze from Tokyo, Japan. Check out their song ‘Star Love‘: the first notes blast the senses with screeching guitar work, then the track suddenly switches to fizzy Japanese alt-rock, all before frontman Narasaki takes the bridge for a spin with guttural screams—a fascinating exercise in contrast, executed with clear-eyed intention.
4 / 15
Treaks
Treaks is unfiltered, hard-hitting noise punk from Nantes, France. Check out their song ‘Against The Wall‘: the astoundingly low-slung bass tone meanders alongside a classic four-on-the-floor drum beat, both offering an impeccable complement to singer Clothilde Arthuis’s raw vocals and dry, sardonic lyrics.
5 / 15
Vylt
Vylt is dark, industrial synthwave from Singapore. Check out her song ‘Vybrancy‘: the industrial ambience is set by heavy guitar riffs and soaring synths. The addictive pairing evokes pulsing nightclub vibes, from top to bottom, making for a track that’s basically impossible to resist.
6 / 15
The Cabs
The Cabs is soaring, upbeat post-rock from Saitama, Japan. Check out their song ‘Nigastu no heitai‘: the drums sprint along at a breakneck pace and the guitars noodle with abandon, reminiscent of bands like Toe, but the moment the singing kicks in, it’s all picture-perfect J-rock—just laced with a drop or two of tastefully placed screamed vocals.
7 / 15
Subsonic Eye
Subsonic Eye is jangly, enchanting dreampop from Singapore. Check out their song ‘Cosmic Realignment‘: full of shimmering guitar chords and floaty hooks, the track is packed with immaculately timed band breaks that create emotional tension and serve as a welcome foundation for singer Nur Wahidah’s angelic vocals.
8 / 15
Hyper Slash
Hyper Slash is dancing, headbanging heavy metal from Guangzhou, China. Check out their song ‘Monopoly‘: the best way to describe it would be if a metalcore band—complete with double bass pedals and chugging guitars—was tasked with writing the opening score for a shōnen anime, but used twee, otaku-inspired synths to sell the sound.
9 / 15
Lepyutin
Lepyutin is soulful, psychedelic rock from Bangkok, Thailand. Check out their song ‘Led Zeppelin‘: the twangy guitars and reverberating vocals mean this track could easily find its home in a King Gizzard & Lizard Wizard set—it’s a fun, catchy tune that will make your hips shake as much as your head bobs.
10 / 15
Hidemen
Hidemen is cool-headed, incisive hip-hop from Singapore. Check out their song ‘Spell‘: there’s an undeniable swagger to this track’s production. The beat’s not overly compressed, the synths are mixed just right and the lyrics are braggadocious (and clever) enough to give you that ego boost you needed.
11 / 15
Bugs of Phonon
Bugs of Phonon is brooding, atmospheric post-rock from Taiwan. Check out their song ‘Side Effects‘: eerie, nearly indiscernible spoken word lyrics hover afloat in a haze of piercing guitars, droning bass and relentless drums. When all the elements at play crescendo, the resulting effect is, simply put, epic.
12 / 15
Yangbans
Yangbans is funky, crooning pop from Seoul, South Korea. Check out their song ‘Through the Tunnel‘: with airy production overflowing with smooth rhythm guitar and dry percussion, fronted by gleaming tenor vocals, Yangbans’s sound is a wide-ranging hybrid of jazz, R&B and indie pop.
13 / 15
The Sigit
The Sigit is gritty, groovy rock from Bandung, Indonesia. Check out their song ‘Bread & Circus‘: the opening riff is all the energy of a classic Western movie brought to vivid life, swiftly pivoting into a slinking chorus that oozes charisma, thanks in large part to singer Rektivianto Yoewono, whose voice soars like a hungry vulture over the shifting sands of distorted guitar.
14 / 15
T-rex
T-rex is frenetic instrumental fusion from Singapore. Check out their song ‘Protoplast‘: between the heavily syncopated drums and confidently arpeggiating guitars, it’s almost like the track is begging to be heard live. The energy throughout vibrates with a very nearly manic energy—and is that a saxophone soloing all over the bridge? (Yes, it is, and it is exquisite.)
15 / 15
David Boring
David Boring is visceral, buzzy post-punk from Hong Kong. Check out their song ‘I Can’t‘: the simplest riffs are often the catchiest, especially when the instrumentation is well-orchestrated, and there’s no better argument to be found than in the bones of this track. The pulsating bass and wailing guitar are a match made in heaven for singer Janice Laujan’s fierce delivery.
