Vacations: Holy Grail Tour Singapore

reviewgallery

6 July

There was no doubt that Singapore had missed Vacations.

Returning for the first time in three years, the Australian indie-rock band stepped onto the stage at the Esplanade Annexe Studio to a room full of eager fans.

If you’ve attended a show at the Annexe Studio, you’d know how intimate and cozy the space is. As soon as the doors opened, the crowd made their way to the centre of the hall and filled up the area. Unlike your usual venue, this one had no barricade, so you can imagine how up close and personal the set was going to be. Throughout the evening, there was an unmistakable sense of closeness that lingered. It wasn’t just the setlist that made the evening memorable—it was the atmosphere the band intentionally created. Candle-like lights that framed the stage, bathing the room in a warm amber glow that perfectly complemented Vacations’ dreamy, nostalgic sound.

Singapore marked the beginning of the Asia and Australia leg of the Holy Grail Tour, arriving just months before the release of their album, Pursuit of Anything.

Their entrance was dramatic, to say the least. As the intro of George Michael’s ‘Careless Whisper’ filled the room, the band made their way onto the stage, sending the crowd into a frenzy of cheers. From the moment they opened the set with ‘Over You’, there was barely a second of silence from the crowd. It didn’t seem to matter what song came on next; every chorus was met with a room full of voices as fans sang at the top of their lungs.

There’s something almost magical about smaller venues: the interaction between the fans and artists feels genuine and grounded. From above, it was impossible to miss the excitement rippling through the crowd below. As the lights swept across the room, they caught the faces of fans singing every lyric back with beaming smiles.

If there was one moment that defined the evening, it came during ‘Telephones’. The crowd carried the song from the beginning to end, their voices filling the venue so powerfully that, at times, they drowned out the band themselves.

Setlist for Vacations live at Esplanade @ Annexe Studio, 6 July 2026: