With the annual IGNITE! Music Festival happening in the heart of Republic Polytechnic every year since 2008, they've helped propagate homegrown music while engaging their own students to help mould the school's own integrated music culture. The student-driven festival has encouraged their fellow peers to audition, either for the laid-back Replay IG stage or the electrifying Jammers Arena. They've also began setting up workshops to further hone the craft of young attendees, offering seminars expounding on studio production, band management, gig photography and more.

IGNITE! returns back this year, amidst a growing number of local concerts and album releases that have been consistently admirable, for the most part anyway. The line-up sees the return of many regular favourites along with some newer names that have already impressed us on other occasions. 

While straight-up rock music has always been an IGNITE! staple, this year sees more alternative acts taking up the prime slots: ShiGGa Shay makes a swift return following his set last year while THELIONCITYBOY further beefs up the rap presence this year, along with veteran world fusion band Wicked Aura, electronic music mavericks R!ot in Magenta and renowned pop singer Sezairi. 

There's still a hefty rock presence, bless their souls, with post-metal stylings of In Each Hand a Cutlass and This Is Atlantis, along with some euphoric alt-rock thanks to Cadence and Bandwagon Stage alumni Take Two. Soul and funk are also barely in short supply this year with Dru Chen and The Good Life Project. Yup, it's definitely gonna be a good one.

Check out the full line-up and look out for more IGNITE! features very soon.