An emotional review of an unplanned journey that you never wanted to end.
Mew Singapore
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 β Esplanade – Theaters on the Bay
by Dita Rachma
Photos by Ann Seojin ( annopano.com )
The Journey to Singapore: Tears, Air Conditioning, and a Reality That Was Starting to Feel Creepy
The trip to Singapore felt strangely heavier than I had expected. The closer I got to my final concert of their farewell tour, the heavier my chest became, like a ZIP file full of emotions that hadn’t been extracted since the previous concert. On the plane, I shed a few tears. Maybe the AC above my head was too cold, or maybe it was because this was truly the end of my tour with Mew in Asia. Letβs just say it was a combination of both (plus the effect of not being ready to face reality).
Before diving into the main story in Singapore, let me rewind a little to Bangkok and Hong Kong. Because honestly, without those two cities, the finale wouldnβt have hit this hard.
Feel free to browse some footage on IG @mewxinfo.
Bangkok: Dark Intimacy, Resonance of Feelings, and Sudden Philosophical Barricades
Bangkok always has its own kind of intimacy, and it’s not the βromanticβ type, but more of a dark, emotional intimacy that suddenly hits you in the chest and whispers, βGood luck dealing with this later.β
For many frengers, the most wholesome highlight was definitely the moment they met Mew after the concert. They walked out of the venue with teary eyes, hugging their vinyl records to be signed, chatting with the band, and absorbing each other’s happiness. Honestly, it was like watching the heartwarming ending of a slice-of-life animation.
But for me, the intimacy happened inside the show. The sound system was unreal. Every frequency vibrated directly into bone and memory, like the music had coordinates specifically calibrated to punch your feelings. When Comforting Sounds started, I completely fell apart. Not a delicate tear. A full βstaring at tiny holes in the barricade because eye contact with the stage might actually kill meβ -breakdown. Those little holes turned grey of sadness in my vision. I was shaking. I was gone.
Feel free to diagnose me later.
Hong Kong: A City with Memories Imprinted in the Air
Then came Hong Kong, a completely different emotional atmosphere. From the moment I arrived, it felt as if this city had a long-standing secret connection with Mew. A quiet and deep bond. You could feel it in the way people talked about them, the atmosphere of the venues, and how the city sky itself seemed to vibrate with memories.
When Tsin-Tsi began, the energy in the room transformed into something powerful. Pride. Memories. Recognition. A special bond of βonly we understand thisβ worn by Hong Kong frengers like a badge. It became one of those shows that felt like a reunion; warm, messy, chaotic in all the right ways.
Singapore: A Slow Start to the Final Stage, Then It Exploded Without Warning
Singapore was the closing stop on the Asia Tour for me. And in keeping with the code of conduct for final concerts, the atmosphere immediately felt… different. The Esplanade Theatre, with its perfect acoustics and neat architecture, made everyone enter calmly (even too calm for frengers). There was an aura of βorder,β as if everyone was quietly trying to hold back their feelings that weren’t ready to spill out.
Act 1: Shy but Sweet
Mew opened the concert with gentle energy. Jonas was a little reserved, Johan and Silas were very focused, and the Singapore audience… was still loading. Everyone seemed to be saying to themselves βOkay, let’s start slowly. Don’t cry yet. Don’t fall apart yet.β
Act 2: Chaotic Transition
Halfway through the concert, everything flipped. Upbeat songs made people stand up, sing along, and even frengers started greeting each other. Jonas and Johan suddenly became more talkative. There were spontaneous smiles, small shouts from frengers, and an atmosphere that suddenly became very warm.
Act 3: Goodbye? No. Celebration.
If it was shy at first, the end of the concert was a complete 180 degrees different. Mew performed passionately, expressively, and playfully. The Singaporean audience, who are usually very calm, changed completely that night. The singing was in unison, hands were linked, and the energy in the room was jumping.
And the most beautiful part? even though this was a farewell tour, the night didn’t feel like a goodbye. It felt like a small celebration that gently closed the journey – not with grief, but with gratitude.
The encore?
Letβs just say: Not a goodbye.
A thank you.
A moment suspended in time.
Closing: Mew and the Art of Letting Go Without Breaking Apart
Seeing Mew across four countries (Malaysia, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore) felt like watching a trilogy plus an epilogue, with each city having its own chapter:
Malaysia β (full review in previous article; consider this the prologue).
Bangkok β poetic sadness.
Hong Kong β memory and attachment.
Singapore β gentle release and warm celebration.
I didnβt go home feeling empty.
I went home feeling⦠full.
Like something had ended, but beautifully.
I carried with me new friendships, sweet exhaustion, unexpected emotional avalanches, and the kind of bright memories that can protect you on darker days.
Thank you Mew, tour manager Rob, crew, promoter and frengers… who somehow always manage to create a safe space every time we gather. You are living proof that music is not just sound, but a place to come home to that can always be found again, even when the tour ends. And if this really is farewell, then thank you for teaching us that even goodbyes can feel like hugs.
Setlist (Singapore):β¨
Reprise / Satellites / Special / The Zookeeper’s Boy / Circuitry of the Wolf / Chinaberry Tree / Then I runβ¨/ Gliding / Ay Ay Ay / Symmetry / 156 / Apocalypso / Saviours of Jazz Ballet / She Spider / Rows —– Introducing Palace Playersβ¨/ I should Have Been a Tsin-Tsi (For You) / Am I Wry? No / Comforting Sounds
