UrbanWire

If all Mandopop stars were required to attend a school of social etiquette, Energy would graduate from it with honours.

In town to promote their 4th and latest album, a compilation of the biggest hits from their previous releases with a creatively yet pompously titled Energy 4ever (an obvious reference to ex-band member Toro's departure), the eager-to-please Energy put on their best behaviour at their press conference at K-Box in Orchard Cineleisure on March 4.

The boys were all smiles despite having flown in from Taiwan hours before the press conference. They answered, or at least tried their best to, all the questions posed by the media and obligingly agreed to photo requests. In short, they were the perfect media subjects, so perfect that, for this UrbanWire reporter, it almost seemed… boring.

It didn't help that the questions were mostly mundane, including one where they were asked which part of their body they'd have cosmetic surgery on if given a chance. Energy's replies were equally nondescript, ranging from "doing the 2 front teeth" (Milk), "bulking up the body" (Shu Wei), and the role model-appropriate "asking mum and dad for permission first" (Kun Da) and "a man's beauty is determined by his heart" (Ah Di).

Perhaps the boys' snooze-worthy answers to the questions were due to a lack of attention from the fairer sex. When asked about their relationships, all of them said they were too busy to pursue serious relationships, with Shu Wei even saying not quite facetiously that "sleep is more important".

As is the case with all boybands, Energy's music is the least of the public's focus. So, it was probably to nobody's surprise that the bulk of the questions directed to them were, in one way or another, related to Toro's high-profile and controversial exit from the band last year.

Some journalists applied the best of their subtle interrogation skills, asking seemingly innocuous questions such as: "You've gone through some difficult situations over these past few years, how do you view it all?" to draw some spicy Toro-related anecdotes from Energy.

Regrettably, the boys did not bite the bait, as band leader Milk calmly and ambiguously replied that he was "more cheerful in the past". Band member Shu Wei, who was slightly less restrained than Milk, offered that "what's past is gone" and that "there's no point mentioning it".

Undaunted, one reporter specifically mentioned Toro. And again, the well-schooled Energy came through. Shu Wei said that they "still kept in touch with Toro", while Milk generously stated that "the ties between brothers never change".

Some things never change, and Energy obviously wants its fans to think it will go on "4ever", though that may not be the case. When asked about their future plans, Ah Di said ominously, "I want to move in the direction of producing my own music… and put my compositions and the opinions of the other 3 [members of Energy] into my own album."

One opinion that the boys definitely did not want to share was who they supported in the Taiwanese presidential elections, the last question of the press conference that came out of nowhere. Then it was all over. There was not to be any breaking of Energy's well-honed armour. The school of social etiquette has trained them well.