Senseless

Senseless 組成多年，之後不斷的重組及成員更替，最終於2006年組成最Senseless 的組合直至現在。Senseless 的樂風就是搖滾，搖滾就是用最簡單易明的音樂說一個故事。影響Senseless的音樂單位很多，包括The Killers、東京事變、Beyond、The Cribs、Metallica、Beethoven甚至兒歌民謠。Senseless 的歌曲主要是抒發成員於生活的不滿，以及對社會和世界的看法。歌曲題材由Street Fighter到燒雞翼，對愛情的不滿到分手，功課及父母壓力等等，Senseless 企圖嘻笑怒罵地訴說生活不快事。2010年，Senseless有幸奪得GBOB HK Champion ，代表香港出戰 China Final。生活就是 Senseless。

We are ordinary. We are special.
We are ignorant. We are curious.
We act foolish. We think smart.
We earn less. We gain more.
We are shy. We are brave.
We love. We hate.
We speak weakly. We sound loudly.
We walk alone. We come together.
We are Senseless. We are serious.

Photo by Benz

Qiu Hong 秋紅

香港獨立搖滾樂隊 - 秋紅
音樂風格 - 搖滾/重型
<<秋紅>>於2002年5月成立，樂隊的名字源於近代名著《秋》，「秋」是充滿多愁善感的季節；而「紅」正正代表了樂隊成員內心的一腔熱血，同時亦是火的顏色和力量，溫暖熾熱而明亮，反映了他們對音樂的態度和熱情。

秋紅成員包括:
Vocalist / 主唱 : Jan
Guitarist / 結他手 : Lun (倫）& KC
Bassist / 低音結他手: Hippo（河馬）
Drumer / 鼓手 : Hin（軒）

願與你同在, 直到永遠, 我們, 秋紅!!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Qiu Hong are: Jan (vocals), Lun (guitar), KC (guitar), Hippo (bass), Hin (drums)

We formed in May 2002, fate bring us together, the band name is inspired by a title of a book; “QIU” is “autumn” in Chinese, the season full of emotions and thoughts. “HONG”, “red” in Chinese, represents the hot blood inside us, and also the color of the fire, warm and bright, just like the characters of our music attitude and us.
We hope all of you are ready for the voice from our heart, hope our melodies can touch you. We are shouting to keep our blood flowing, which can keep us alive. Nothing can change our eager devotion to music.

The thing we love most, is MUSIC, the thing that we can’t live without, is MUSIC.
May the music of Qiu Hong be with you, now and forever.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Qiu Hong Links:
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/qiuhong
Facebook Group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=255917187974
Contact E-mail:
Qiuhong5@yahoo.com.hk
Hippo4151@gmail.com

We’re so excited to be part of Social Media Week this year.

Check back for which bands we consider to be more socially connected with their fans.

Shotgun Politics

PARTY-ROCKERS WITH DEVASTATINGLY ENERGETIC SHOWS, COMBINING THE POWER OF POP WITH THE MAYHEM OF METAL

We are Shotgun Politics, a local band featuring Jimmy Gunn, Timmy Gunn, Freddy Gunn and Kid Gunn. Coming from headbanging backgrounds in Hong Kong, Chengdu, Singapore and Sweden, we quickly found ourselves moving towards a happier, life-rejoicing sound and it is in this genre we have continued. We call it “Party Rock”.

Our mission: playing ever single show as if is our last, often resulting in a list of broken strings (and sometimes limbs!). We hope that our gigs will show audiences something unexpected, and hopefully inspiring. So far it seems to have worked!

After two years of performing we are proud to say that we’ve had some amazing gigs. 18.000 people saw us at the Happy Valley Racecourse, we’ve played the annual LKF Beerfest, took part of TVB’s Music Battle and too many other gigs to count. It has been awesome.

Social media is an everyday activity for us, whether connecting to local or global friends. Facebook works great to have a dialogue with partygoers (www.facebook.com/shotgunpolitics), local organizers (Underground, Bauhinian, Bunny Warren are all on FB) and we even use its “secret” groups to stay organized as a band. The rest? YouTube channel, Reverbnation, AliveNotDead, MySpace - you name it, why choose when it is so easy to be present everywhere?

We also feel it is important to have our own virtual venue, and we welcome fans to http://blog.shotgun-politics.com for the latest ramblings and http://concerts.shotgun-politics.com for our live schedule.

We are keen to further understand and grow in the social media realm, and are looking forward to playing at the Social Media Underground. Shotgun!

BRILLIANT  NIGHT!!!   The Damned were EXCELLENT and put on a truly exciting, entertaining performance.  Thanks to The Shadow who flew out from Texas USA and warmed up the audience for a night of moshing, laughing and music.  There was indeed some stripping too!   Thanks so much to everyone who came.  Thanks especially to co-promoter D.Vision International, with whom, we were delighted to make this night happen.

love Chris B xx

The Shadow

1.    Punk Rock Agent

2.    There is No Excuse

3.    Dogville

4.    Mosquitomen

5.    It’s All Gone Wrong

6.    As the Sun Sets in the West

7.    Cure For Culture

8.    Single Line Letter

9.    Give

10. Anna Manni

11. Love Song

12. Nothing Will Last Forever

13. Your Love is Suffocating

It was truly the sort of show that I never imagined I would have the good fortune to be at. A truly sizeable crowd, including an immensely heartening number of locals. Naturally, the opening spot for a band that is not inaccurately described as “legendary” is a patent double-edged sword; a promotional boon, but the possibility of an impatient audience and insuperable expectations is massive. Luckily for everyone involved, it was a genial and quite chipper audience present at Grappa’s. The Shadow’s bassist Kika, unfortunately, couldn’t make it to Hong Kong owing to logistical difficulties – luckily, again, the very able hands and Shin-Chan bass of Yanyan Pang (Logo/Tyger Feb) ably took her place despite just the one day of practice, so no harm done.

The band’s sound is a polished, Noughties’ amalgam of a Bob Mould-ian take on pop-punk (similar buzzsaw guitar tones but played with a slight grungey lag) and heavy-handed, explicit riffage of metal (something like SSD), but without the abrasiveness implicated in either. The drumming too is an amalgam of this sort, but more in the direction of nu-metal’s (and I assume this expression is all but incoherent) more ‘trampoline-y’, bass-drum focussed style. This style is, undeniably, physically demanding, but not one that’s much to my liking (3 decades of aesthetic distance away from most jazz influences is off-putting). But, it’s a style that suits the vocals well, which are in the excellent tradition of women like Ann Wilson, but with a huskier voice, which the suits the songs composed with sustained melodic phrases quite well. Conversely, the guitars don’t always fit within this scheme; but that’s when they work best. They deserve the benefit of doubt because the equipment wasn’t conducive to the sound they like, tailored to contrasting singer Raquel’s range. Still, it was by no means bad; the searing overtone that the guitars had probably made them fit in a bit more with the Damned. When the approach didn’t work it became the kind of catchy but generic pop-rock song that one hears on the radio. When it did work, all of the stuff I mentioned earlier made the guitars sound a bit like Greg Ginn with Greg Hetson (in the Redd Kross days) with all that off-kilter feeling that this combination would imply.

The vocal flourish that opened Punk Rock Agent made the show hit the ground running; while the chorus’ lyrics are somewhat trivial, it’s bloody catchy. Dogville (Alexis de Tocqueville?) had many trappings (or the lack thereof) of a Minor Threat song, as did Mosquitomen (though the one false start made it clear just how dangerously they were teetering towards sounding like nu-metal). Quite a few of the songs were made interesting by slightly changing time signatures (quite strongly correlated with when the guitars became more metal), of which As the Sun… was a particular standout (also, it sounded like a dissonant and extended take on the riff from the New York Dolls’ song Jet Boy (like the Captain’s/Damned’s Jet Boy Jet Girl, hey!), so well done there). The songs I had problems with were mostly the ones in which the vocals had a disproportionate role, like Give and Cure For Culture (and Punk Rock Agent to an extent). Nothing Will… sounded a bit lost between its urges to be pop or semi-lo-fi punk. But, they made the wise decision of ending with their most obviously punk and fast-paced song, with a whiplash-like riff; a great note to leave everyone on in anticipation of The Damned…

– Shashwati Kala

Our Awesome Audience…

 The Damned

Review:

1.    Wait For the Blackout

2.    Lively Arts

3.    Silly Kids Games

4.    New Rose

5.    I Just Can’t Be Happy Today

6.    Feel the Pain

7.    I Fall

8.    Shadow of Love

9.    Love Song

10.  Thrill Kill

11.  13^th Floor Vendetta

12.  Neat, Neat, Neat

13.  History of the World (Part 1)

14.  Plan 9 Channel 7

15.  Fan Club

16.  Ignite

17.  Anti-Pope [Encore]

18.  Disco Man [Encore]

19.  Eloise [Encore]

20.  Smash it Up [Encore]

In all the time that I’ve been writing these (what I’m pleased to call) reviews, I’ve never had to write one like this. For starters, The Damned are heroes to generations of people, including me, so it’s very hard to avoid hagiography, or nerdily comparing whether two notes in the solo were different from some outtake version or not (okay, maybe that’s just my problem). Even more crucially, They are my standard of reference for style and quality of bands…whom can I compare them to? It’s basically just hard to say something about their music that hasn’t already been made trite (by people who’re much better writers than I, at that).

I know that there are more than a few people who didn’t come to the show on account of fear of disappointment (and after the bland Sex Pistols reunions shows and stuff, they seem to have a point). Well, first off there’s a HUGE difference; The Damned have been actively recording and touring for years now, so there’s really no question of them being rusty. Second: a little bit of research into their more recent shows would’ve dispelled any such unfounded fears. The videos from their 35^th anniversary tour last year, in which they performed two full albums (“Damned Damned Damned” and “The Black Album”) in their entirety on stage, give unequivocal testament that they’re not a diminished force. Third: their lyrics haven’t dated, at all, mostly because they never chose to preen or whine in them, and neither have the aggressive-yet-fully-realised eclectic musical motifs. Combine this with their decades of being in the business and perfecting their (anti-)art, and you have to be a sucker of the fairly massive variety to have deliberately missed this show. (*Nelson Muntz laugh* Ha HA!)

The “new” people in the band are absolutely solid, especially the rhythm section of bassist Stu West and drummer Pinch (whom I’d first heard of a few years ago after I discovered his old band English Dogs, contemporaries of Charged GBH). The keyboards of Monty Oxymoron added a layer of dimension and richness to the Captain’s lone guitar; the arrangements had the admirably judicious use of keyboards that tailors songs for a live setting (in my opinion; mainly because ‘keyboards’ and ‘rock’ always make me think of Emerson, Lake and Palmer….the horror.). [Plus, he looks like Rob Tyner, and is quite the jovial spirit on stage!!] Captain Sensible was awesome as always, even though there was no breaking of guitar-necks or anything. His soaring, sinister, melodic, cheeky and all those other dichotomies that his guitar style encompasses are strong as ever, and he still looks like he’s having the time of his life on stage. Dave Vanian’s voice is startlingly well-preserved; he still sings with that paradox of sounding totally agitated yet wholly indifferent, but now with a somewhat richer voice, while prowling around the stage. The pace of the performance may be marginally slower, but the music is played at benzedrined speeds; you know how the second a truck starts whirring, you feel exactly the same way you did the last time you heard it? From start to finish, their set was like that, but in terms of impact and awesomeness (and not in my usually trivial sense of that word either).

They plunged us all headlong into the wonderful morass of sound right away with the very epic-sounding Wait For the Blackout, and continued unabated (except for the undercurrents of mocking melancholy on songs like I Just Can’t Be Happy Today or Lively Arts, for instance) for a while, with the Captain and Dave Vanian climbing on to speakers, jumping about, and generally making friends with the crowd. The whole mood on stage was one of revelling, and even more so in the crowd (if you can get a crowd here to indulge in superfluous nudity, you’ve done your job…a little Q.U.E.R.-Queer, as Billy Connolly put it.). To say it was fun to watch would be to insult the atmosphere, such was its surging joy. Before 13th Floor Vendetta, there was praise of the great Lemmy, and a request for a Jimmy Savile-style yodel (I wonder who in the crowd got that), and got things in gear again with a somewhat oriental-sounding version of their own song. A nice dose of contrast was added by the levity and sweetness of History of the World. Their first encore, Anti-Pope, was closer to the “Fiddling About Version” of it, as far as I could make out. Smash it Up was given a Bill Bailey-style faux-diddly jazz treatment, instead of the very atmospheric opening it normally has, before it, characteristically, got the crowd going with its refrain one last time (and how).

In the end, I could barely discern that it was over, such was the unflagging tempo of the show. I was completely floored, and as far as I could tell, so was everyone else there too. In the interest of ‘fairness’, I will present my litany of what niggled: they didn’t play Lovely Money, I Think I’m Wonderful or Stab Your Back. That’s it. The show left nothing wanting, and was tremendous fun. I’m glad they’re still touring and making music, ‘cause it seems that’s what they were destined to do. Thank you, come again.

– Shashwati Kala

 photos © Copyright 2011 by ANGUS LEUNG

Poster by MANDRILL

NEU

Setlist:

1.    [Untitled Instrumental]

2.    Special Thanks

3.    Gas and Drugs

4.    Here

U99 was given a grand opening thanks to NEU – and good thing too, for only the sort of rousing, anthemic opening that distracts the mind from troubling facts would do. Certainly one band out of four (and perhaps the biggest draw) withdrawing before they could be replaced is quite a setback; but, I think it gave the bands remaining on the bill extra impetus to perform well. A unique opportunity that NEU did not let go to waste.

They, like many metal-esque bands, tend to go for a sound that’s 90s or before. What these guys have done wisely is to play a particularly fertile style of metal that’s not been done to death (or not consistently within the past 20 years, anyway). They play a crunchy, melodic metal which combines shiny glam-rock notes played in a stretched out, compressed prog-rock form with the terse and punchy expression of metal/hard rock. This approach means that they’re low on the breakdowns, but still retain some of the raunch that early 70s (post-Zeppelin, basically) guitars had. And most of this was guitarist Wai – his chosen combination of the above-mentioned sounds is reminiscent of Jerry Cantrell (a comparison I never, ever make lightly); both manage to combine multiple forms of rock in a manner that sounds organic and without any fluff. They also used acoustic guitar on some songs – or, more accurately, tried to, since it was totally drowned out during the show proper. But, from what I heard during soundcheck, the intention is to provide some weird-out, staccato counterpoints which show a more post-punk side of them.

Drummer Winston is one with a shockingly good kick-drum technique – he could play for a bloody grindcore band if he so pleased. What wasn’t cool was that his forays into jazz were well below-par of what should be expected of a versatile drummer, and that when called upon to change the beat things tended to lag for a bar or two. Both of which impinged on my enjoyment… Singer Olivia’s voice is one I’m not sure about; I have always despised the momentary lapse into high-pitched near-yodels that many singers do (it’s a CRUTCH!), and her technique is no exception. Plus her voice is at a sort of halfway point between being a typical thick metal voice, and an ironically thin one. It’s rather like Alanis Morrissette, which is the best way I can sum it up. But like Alanis, she executes the singing confidently and consistently, and at junctures when the singing is mid- to low-range and the tune is more Procol Harum-ish, her voice actually sounds rich and substantial – so this complaint may just be me (other people testified to liking her voice quite a lot).

The poky moments of unsolicited jazz drums came during their opening instrumental, although it was made up for by the rock drumming in it. Special Thanks had a terrific sludgy riff a little like Blue Öyster Cult mixed with Queensrÿche (and someone in the crowd mentioned Candlemass, which is kinda appropriate too). The ominous notes continued into the more Sabbath-ish Gas and Drugs which slowly but nicely morphed into a Dream Theatre-like epic. Here, dedicated to their loved ones, was unflaggingly soppy to me, but a lot of the crowd seemed to like it. It also sounded quite a bit like Alanis’ Everything; and, typically, a band can do little because this is a singer’s song, and to her credit Olivia really took hold of the song. The Bryan Adams/Chris Daughtry territory of pop-rock is is NOT my thing, but I can see why someone with a more open mind than mine would like it. Still, many promising signs, perhaps the best of which is that they seem to have an instinct for not making their clearly long-form songs overlong – a rare thing.

(On a tangential note – the floor tom was outside the realm of the drumkit throughout – did the drummer seriously not miss it at all?!)

– Shashwati Kala

NEU是underground 99第一隊演出的progressive rock的樂隊，樂隊成員有結他手Wai、鼓手Winston、主音Olivia及低音結他手Peter O’Kelly。他們音樂的結構很豐富，富有強烈的節奏感，其中令人印象尤深的是結他與鼓的演出，有一種能夠震撼人心的感染力。他們演出多首節奏明快的歌曲，但並沒有帶給人歡愉的感覺，而是在豐富的節奏中有一種淡淡的憂鬱，彷彿有一種爭脫不出、緊張不安的張力，像飛車般的風馳電掣，帶給人們一種危險的快感。

NEU主音的歌聲也是樂隊的一個亮點，她的聲音很有性格，在演唱最後一曲較為抒情、節奏也較緩慢的作品，更見其功力，她以雄厚的聲音唱出很妍溫婉的風格，聲音的控制及技巧均十分出色。此曲談的是對家人、愛人的感情，而以progressive rock演奏，結構也較之前演出的作品較為簡單，令人不禁想起Beyond的《真的愛你》，表現出那種細膩的情懷。而NEU出色之處更在於他們音樂的多元及多樣性，演出多首progressive rock不同風格的作品，為觀眾帶來精彩的演出。

 – Eva Leung

operator

Setlist:

1.    Hurricane

2.    Fire in a Sweet Shop

3.    The Miracle

4.    Sandfly

5.    She’s the Devil

6.    Red Light

7.    Ear Poison

operator is a band I’ve had a chance to observe for nearly a year, and they’ve shown tremendous growth within that time – be it the songwriting itself, or the ability to find appropriate instrumental space within those songs, they’ve managed to raise the bar for themselves. They’ve got one of the swingin’-est, kickin’-est drummers I’ve heard, a bassist who could pass for musical bedrock, and two guitarists who exchange leads without missing a beat. All this supplements a voice, which although thin and at times uncomfortably nasal, has genuine range and a slight ironic edge (something like Billie Joe Armstrong’s, but better). It all combines to sound like a solid, well-frankensteined Bush+Small Faces+Foo Fighters, with some King Crimson overtones to boot. This particular night, given the combination of space and the feeling of occasion (they’ve been due to play the Underground for a long time), their performances seemed extra-charged and they were fun to watch too. Adding to the mix was their more recent decision to have bassist Marc occasionally take to a strategically placed floor tom to add to the spectacle and sound (which irresistibly pushed my mind in the direction of that Pete Quaife quote about most bassists being frustrated drummers).

I apologise at this point for taking this review in an utterly subjective direction, but I have to confess that despite their significant merits, their music has somehow always left me somewhat cold. The individual elements are empirically good and, on paper, I should like them combined too. Perhaps the root of my issues is that, like the Foo Fighters in the early Noughties, the particular way in which they chose to combine Bush with Small Faces serves to neuter the ironic-feeling edgy propulsion and the driving R&B feel of one or the other respectively. Or perhaps because they let their melodies occasionally stagnate to Bon Jovi levels of overblown-ness, like towards the end of Sandfly (admittedly, it may just be that the chorus reminds me of a Kylie Minogue song, from which I cannot recover). It’s all pleasing to the ear, but rather empty. Or even that they always sound on verge of beginning a Butthole Surfers kinda song but never do… One non-subjective issue I have is that they’re not always composing songs meant for a voice that’s strongest on higher notes like singer Ben’s is – when they do (like with Red Light and Ear Poison) his voice flourishes and slots very well, but sometimes it can sound like a square-peg-round-hole situation.

But these are issues for nitpickers like me – if you’re not one, their songs are thoroughly enjoyable, which no less than 5 people actually ordered me to write in my notes (happy?). And it’s true that in their best songs they have a certain free-rockin’ flow that reminds one of Pearl Jam since Matt Cameron. Fire In a Sweet Shop was bounded by a deep, swirling current of a riff which particularly underscored the bass’ vital role in their sound. She’s the Devil had a very Strokes-y lopsided riff to start and sustained that zippy feel right through. Hurricane‘s combination of vocals and guitar tones was haunting, as was that on Red Light; the harmonies added a lot here, and the song had plenty of contrast and tension that bubbled over in the ears. Ear Poison was a great closer, with perhaps their strongest hook, wonderfully understated lead guitars that reminded me of early 70s rock, and an excellent vocal performance; and the Shakespeare reference doesn’t hurt either. If you’re reading this review, don’t let my personal niggles throw you; this is a band that should definitely be checked out live.

– Shashwati Kala

Operator是一隊演出British Alternative Rock的樂隊，成員有Jonathan Lee、Ben Robinson、Vix Peña及Marc Greiner，樂隊是全男子的組合，充滿了陽剛的味道。Operator無論在樂隊的風格或是在組織上都是很typical的搖滾樂隊，他們在台上散發的力量，都令人想起那屬於搖滾樂的原始精神–那種永遠年輕不老、充滿幹勁及熱情的精神。

主音是整隊樂隊的靈魂人物，他的歌聲時而狂野，時而抒情，時而跳躍，甚有台型，令觀眾聽得如癡如醉。樂曲的舖排見其心思，演出以由節奏強勁的歌曲開始，帶動起聽眾的熱烈情緒，中間為一首較為抒情的歌曲，緩和一下氣氛，而此曲的鼓及電子結他的配合精彩，帶有一點迷幻般的感覺，再以一首狂野音樂作結，讓人不禁隨歌起舞。

 – Eva Leung

Apache

Setlist: (Titles translated into English)

1.    World

2.    Liar

3.    Missing

4.    Greedy

5.    Tear

6.    Unreal

Despite these guys’ description of their own music being a phrase sometimes used as a pejorative (by other people, of course), this is a pretty cool band. Now, I’m not saying that it isn’t fairly generic, subgenre-spanning light metal that they play; but they play it with some more alt. rock touches which makes their sound fresh and more rubber-band-ey and bass-driven, rather than over-distortedly choppy (which is an unfortunately common choice). Not surprising, given the beautifully smooth sounds that a Rickenbacker bass (4003?) will give you. The guitars sound like MCR’s Ray Toro being doubled up – a wonderful, soaring and filling sound, that oscillates from pure 80s Eddie Van Halen type stuff to 90s nu-metal (but without the stupidity of either), with occasional hints at funk. Combine that with a VERY competent singer, who can sing full-throated and operatic without being lame, and a drummer (apparently new) who’s got a lot of groove for this style, and you have a band that’s fun to listen to. World and Liar started off more centred on a chugging 90s rock feel, while Missing had touches of math rock which salvaged it from sounding like cheese metal. Unreal had a bit of the early-Lostprophets feel (think Shinobi) and the band seemed to really have fun with it, adding anthemic guitars and swinging drums. Overall, a strong set to close out a strong show which, to everyone’s delight, was a great one to be at.

– Shashwati Kala

 Apache是一隊Canton Rock的樂隊，成員包括主音逸、結他手Kelvin及花、低音結他手Mann及鼓手科。Apache的音樂很有力量，旋律性很強，以電子結他奏出的旋律更有一種跳脫的感覺。主音在演唱不同的作品時都有不同的演繹方式，對聲音的控制很好。Apache的歌詞及音樂內容均圍繞著自身的所思所感，樂隊的整體演出更充滿熱情。以廣東話作為創作的樂隊在The Underground的音樂會中可能是屬於小數，但語言絲毫不阻隔音樂的交流及溝通，很多擁有外國人面孔的觀眾(雖然也可能是擁有外國人面孔的香港人)，聽得比誰都投入。Apache的演出為The Underground這年度最後一場音樂會Underground 99帶來了精彩的結束。

– Eva Leung

 photos © Copyright 2011 by ANGUS LEUNG & ManHo

poster by ANGUS LEUNG

WOoooooooohoooooo *mosh mosh* *pogo pogo* What a great night Heavy 7 was!   Thank you to all the great bands, the great audience and of course to Backstage for hosting this event.  This night was teeming with excitement, energy and occasionally tunings and laughs. The whole team at The Underground is looking forward to Heavy 8 in 2012.   See you then. love Chris B xx

Unto the Dawn

Setlist:

1.    Refuse to Surrender

2.    Virtual Reality

3.    Suicide

4.    Hands of Clock

  Another Heavy night began, again (and perhaps fittingly), with a band that has a typical metal line-up and a typical post-80s metal name. Unto the Dawn do fit quite well within that category (if you would be willing to call it that), because their sound seems to be one of general 90s-onwards metal – in particular, the lead guitars tend to lean towards a style fitting of Mark Tremonti (who was a good guitarist with a distinct style, despite the hideous abortion that was Creed), combined with a general mid-tempo tendency which makes them sound almost like slacker metal (!! –an oxymoron?) despite the busy guitar-work. This deceptively lazy feel was helped by the drummer who, although had a routine style in terms of metal drumming, used volume modulation to his advantage – not a common tendency among metal drummers here in HK - which bears noting. Their hyperkinetic singer is not only interesting to watch, but has a relatively high-pitched screaming voice which puts him into the enviable category of singers who can scream like Matt Heafy. Which is not surprising, considering that the band does generally seem to take many cues from the sounds of Trivium – UtD’s particular conglomerate of thrash, metalcore and hard rock sounds much like 2004-7 Trivium. A very good thing, since this means that the combination of metal subgenres gels well and sounds unified, rather than like they’re just touching bases (a constant issue I take with contemporary metal bands, including those in HK). The singer’s stage persona, though, is more punk than metal – mock-strangling oneself with the mic cord is a classic Stiv Bators/GG Allin move. Furthermore, their songs tend to be short, and avoid the classic metal pitfall of transitioning from cool to wanky because of the length.

Refuse to Surrender featured a bit of Primus-like whimsical riffing, which was carried on through the set, though in much more diluted form. Virtual Reality was more  of a chord-based moody song, much like those on MCR’s second album – the angst of the singer and the stormy guitars combined particularly well here. Suicide is their best-structured song, because even though UtD’s songs tend to be better connected than many local metal bands I’ve seen, this one was a particularly good example of non-repetitive continuity. It moved subtly between rhythms, and the breakdown was near-perfect on this one; plus there was a solo that’s Buckethead-worthy. Lyrically, though, the ideas are by and large hackneyed and very adolescent, and the instrumentation tends to lean uncomfortably close to that too. This tarnishes the experience (or it did mine, anyway) and gives the definite impression of “good, not great”. But, they’re only slightly more than a year old, so there are no verdicts yet; just an observation that these guys are impressive, and could be even better, if they work at their lyrics and style.

– Shashwati Kala

Heta Uma

Setlist:

1.    Unknown

2.    Mongolian Rockets

3.    Devil Style

4.    The Man With No Name

5.    My Bitchy Girlfriend

6.    School of Hope

This is a band truly worthy of the epithet “heavy” because sonically, visually and tactilely, they are fucking heavy. Furthermore, they’re not a metal band, which puts them in a fairly emaciated and underexplored musical area among local bands. I’d like to address their description of themselves for a second, and say that this would’ve been clever 20 years ago. In a post-grunge world, “Anti-Macho, anti-Stadium, outcast, loners’ rock” seems somewhat overcooked and contrived, while the simpler “anti-mainstream rock” (which they also use) is pitched just right. Just sayin’.

But – that’s got nothing to do with the music – which is audaciously dissonant, deceptively unstructured, and has that wonderful quality of being right on the verge of chaos and implosion. They seem to have a tactic, if you will, of lulling you in with genuine riffs, and suddenly abandoning the riff itself while still stretching out the idea of the riff in weird and cool ways that would remind you of the word avant-garde. But, possibly my favourite thing about them is that they don’t succumb to the typical temptations and go into long extended jams filled with pretentious minimalism (or wanky solos). I subscribe to the line of thought that when a song is restricted to 3-5 minutes, the idea behind it crystallises in a way that hits you harder than the long-form version ever could. Plus, the fact that it’s a VEEEERY small percentage of musicians who actually have something to say and can express it in a long-ass song while keeping it interesting. It’s actually harder to express complex musical ideas in a short period of time, but this also serves to make them harder-hitting - one of the main reasons, as I see it, for the evolution of rock. I’ll (nearly) always value rock-based expression over the diluted, 20-minute ELP (prog-rock) epics (ugh). I’m one of those that think if Sister Ray were divided into 4 different songs, they would’ve been unimpeachable, rather than the sinusoidal trajectory its 24 minutes have in terms of effectiveness of feel (sorry Bob Quine). Heta Uma’s music, by contrast, is concise, abrasive, and powerful precisely because they have that hit-and-run quality – now that’s rock ‘n’ roll.

          They’re somewhere between post-punk (No Wave specifically) and early-hardcore in their sound, and are exactly are the kind of band I imagine followed Friction, or Teenage Jesus and the Jerks to close out the night at CBGB’s (the former didn’t happen, I know, but a girl can dream…). Lots of weird-sounding chords and dissonant single-string guitar rants (‘cause they’re not really solos, are they?) that threaten to jump into orbit, but are bounded by the ocean-floor pressurised bass, and are then castigated for that attempt by the severe, rollicking and very Thomas Pridgen-like drums. There’s a constant near-violent tension that they create between the instruments, often added to by the vocals. Singer Kevin’s vocals sound like a Joplined-out version of Wendy O’Williams, and are nicely contrasted by bassist Sieon’s remarkably convincing screams (of pain?). The performances are full of falling about, lying on the floor, faux-amphetamined, GG Allin/James Chance-esque, knees-bent, running around advancing behaviour – oddly infectious, to watch.

They had the best start of the night – apparently, the temperature in the storeroom was several degrees lower than out in the stage area, and while trying to play the opening song, they had to keep tuning and retuning before aborting the song entirely. Frustrating for them, obviously, but it really worked as a show ‘cause it was mighty funny to watch. There seems to be a central idea to all their riffs, and Mongolian Rockets has one very similar to The Man… – this one is a sort of self-flagellating flailing riff, followed by long periods of conveniently indescribable instrumental awesomeness. Devil Style was played with a real slide, for a change (they’re usually improvised with things like beer bottles). There was a pogo-vs-tango discussion before My Bitchy Girlfriend followed by the very Teenage Jesus-like fake-out-punky song. School of Hope was still fast, but had a tune reminiscent of old blues (like Big Bill Broonzy played by The Mars Volta). They finished off with an unfortunately sappy vocal bit to finish, but that can be excused (and I wouldn’t put it past them to have intended it so). Overall, they sound much like the Minutemen during the Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat phase – and I don’t get to make this comparison often, so that makes me very happy. An awesome set, made awesomer when you realise that they were basically battling their guitars for a lot of it.

— Shashwati Kala

Shepherds the Weak

Setlist:

1.    Gin & Tonic

2.    Done and Dealt For

3.    I Am I

4.    Last Fight

5.    Stand As One

6.    Unbeaten

Basking in the afterglow of their performance at Underground Heavy #7, there seems to be little that can sum up their performance better than ‘fucking awesome’, from start to finish. A brilliant performance; the kind that reminds you why live music is always better. Especially when you have a band that gets down and moshes with the crowd. Even getting the audience to mosh can be quite a challenge in Hong Kong, not that you’d know it watching STW. Throwing in a bit of Sweet Child Of Mine between songs was a surprising but welcome way to get the crowd up before the last song. And the little bit of body-slamming towards the end would have given some in the audience a few things to remember the show by.

            I imagine there would be few among the metal crowd who could ask for anything more than what Shepherds the Weak delivered. Loud, screamy head-bangy goodness. If metal is your thing, I would strongly recommend that you find out where these guys are playing next and be there!

– Keenan Manning

RED

Setlist:

1.    Welcome to the Empire

2.    I Don’t Care

3.    World Wide Will

4.    About Tomorrow

5.    Crossroad

6.    Eternity

I imagine if someone told you that RED was a metal band, on sight, you would have no trouble believing them – one guitarist with teased-out hair, the other with partially-sequined pants and the long-haired bass player. Once you heard them play you would probably be convinced that they are a good metal band too. The organisation (“there’s no such thing as an unkempt heavy metal record–technocratic assurance is the soul of such music” – Robert Christgau), the exchange of leads, the strong vocals. The trouble is, competent as they are, and much as I may like their style (which I do – loads), they’re still skating the margin of sounding like a former Iron Maiden cover band by the skin of their teeth. The lead riffs, specifically, nearly all sound like some Maiden song that one has heard but can’t place (an observation made by a few people). (Which, for the record, I am fine with – it’s their prerogative what to sound like. Just that, this is supposed to be a review (la-da-fuckin’-da) so tough facts must be faced.)

The few points that do make them sound slightly different from Maiden’s numerous seventh-sons, are their tendency for the twin-guitar solos that sound more like Downing-Tipton, rather than Smith-Murray; since they don’t have styles contrasting enough. The things they actually play in solos, however, walk the line between heavy metal and hard rock (appropriate, considering how closely these two styles are related) – the content of the solos mixes the Frehley-Stanley “big-guitar theory” style with the metal already there (which is probably what Maiden would sound like if Murray were the only guitarist, no?). This slight difference gives them a different texture when combined with the operatic vocals, and is what allows them to play more 90s-Noughties stuff as well (which they have been known to cover). Overall, though, for those not positively inclined towards metal/hard rock this style will almost certainly seem myopic (and to be fair, some songs are too indistinct to remember); for those who are, it’s fun to pick apart the approach.

Welcome to the Empire made even me cringe with its pandering cheese-metalness but they made up for this quickly, with the more thrashy I Don’t Care. World Wide Will is a heavy metal headbanger’s treasure, with judiciously restricted solos and a real rhythm-based riff to hold it together. By Crossroad the songs seemed to grow out of the abovementioned tendency a little, and the rhythm section played with real groove and the solo was punchy – reminded me of Humble Pie. Overall, again, good but their margin for failure is really tiny because of the narrow niche they play within. The band’s collective attitude is great, and I would love to hear them branch out and stretch their abilities in less safe territory in the future.

– Shashwati Kala

Puzzle Experiment

Setlist:

1.    Intro: Empty Kiosk

2.    You Know Nothing About My Life

3.    Look Who’s In the Bottle Now

4.    Make Your Choice

5.    Dear Jessica

Puzzle Experiment seem to be another one of those bands that is too young to have discernibly pulled away from their influences which are, as is usual, pretty cool but that fact stops the band from having a distinct sound. The band’s performance was really high-energy and fun to watch, and their sound was fun enough to get nearly any crowd going. But, musically, they’re kinda in a tough spot. They don’t seem to have figured out which metal direction they want to go in, in the feel sense. There’s hints at death metal, thrash and pop-metal all tied together loosely in a Noughties alt-metal bundle. The resulting sound is, I’m afraid, quite generic because they seem to want to play all these styles at once! On the plus side, though, they have the ability to put down some quite solid rhythms, and the tunes are ever so slightly off-centre (one of the better things about alt-metal). Plus their singer’s screaming voice sounds a lot like Mouse from Eve of Sin and has moves worthy of them too, so they have good stuff to work with; though, he might want to consider training the slightly whiney nasality out of his voice. You Know Nothing… is a perfect example of their strengths – the guitars were dissonant and yet had a lot of 70s metal feel in the solos; a nice touch. Make Your Choice was dangerously shredded through to near-perfection and was, further, from the Eve of Sin school of metal. Dear Jessica was a weird place to end on, for it’s a much slower song and in the unfortunately-Noughties metal category – too cheesy for my blood. Still, there’s promise here and I think it’s early days for these guys yet (I think they’ve just been around since the year’s second quarter)– I wish them luck in finding their sound.

– Shashwati Kala

photos © Copyright 2011 by ANGUS LEUNG

poster by ANGUS LEUNG

OH YEAH!  We pulled off another electronica event!  Thanks to the creative musicians for their original music.  Thanks to Ableton for the prize.  Thanks to Asahi and Edifier for their great support.  BIG thank you to Dharma Den, Pawan & all its lovely staff.  Great location to host our second electronica event - we look forward to the next one.
love Chris B xx

TADJGRUV

(Continuous Set)

          Once again began a night that featured a kind of music about which I am part of the patent un-cognoscenti. Still, I have ears and can type, so let me begin with my disclaimer – I don’t really know much about electronic music, and a huge part of that is because I just don’t “get” it (if you know what I mean). Plus most of these artistes play continuous sets, so there’s almost no way for me to place a musical event within it adequately using text. So, these reviews will flow as an amassment of the most insightful comments I can muster at any point. (On the other hand, you won’t have to deal with my constant references to relatively unknown bands, so that’s positive )

          TADJGRUV introduced himself as being influenced by funk, and trance and ‘everything’ among others. And indeed, his set was of a quite urban cosmopolitan mindset – an amalgamation of multiple different, but related, styles. At its best the music was intriguing, even compelling, as he deftly moved between from funky to pop-funky to breakbeat-esque to hip-hop– an interesting, historically accurate and musically astute, progression. The beginning of the set was one to remember: the beat, a very simple melody and the bass slowly melded together, the contrast between the chromatic, twangy notes and the resistant bass rising with the volume. The bass was almost wrong at points, because it wasn’t really playing the root note, but in a really cool, non-aggravating way (this approach usually grates on my ears). The styles then progressed into what sounded like my idea of the Beastie Boys, then into more Euro synthpop territory, and then much more industrial and sparse. Whatever particular style his music channelled, TADJGRUV does seem to have the ability to effectively blend sounds that would, initially, seem antagonistic, and make them sound interesting. He ended with an almost cyberpunk Devo-like piece, which was a great way to end on an energetic notes (if undesirably abrupt). As I understand it, people who’re better informed also thought that his variety and the quality of the music was good, so I guess his talent is undeniable. A very enjoyable set indeed.

– Shashwati Kala

看到Underground Electronica #2第一位演出者TADJGRUV的介紹是“Rhythms found in all things music”時也不太了解，但欣賞過他的演出後便明白多一點。TADJGRUV的電子音樂以很多豐有強烈節奏的電子樂器聲所組成，一開始時以鼓聲襯托，再逐步加入不同樂器的音樂，如以電子琴奏出旋律，再加有富有宗教意味的鐘聲，令音樂更富層次感。在不斷重複的音樂節奏中加入不同的元素，亦有一種簡約主義的味道。最精彩的部分是TADJGRUV演奏像以前看錄影帶時那fast forward的聲音，營造出一種不由自主的感覺，彷彿是說著時光的飛逝及生活的無奈。

– Eva Leung

Beatnick

(Continuous Set)

In contrast to the previous set, which had many styles in it, Beatnick’s was more consistent in its progression. It seemed to me to have the same concept behind it as doing variations on a theme – to explore the possibilities and nuances of a musical thought in detail. An idea which, to me, has great artistic merit. The downside of this is that, at points, it does become a little repetitive (which, by its very nature, it has to). But, if you can get past that, it’s a very interesting exercise – which Beatnick’s set certainly was. He started off with an almost jazzy sound, featuring lots of variations of beat combos, and moved on to adding voice samples with increasingly heavy bass. The voices were interesting in that they seemed like they were from R&B songs at points, but escalated into an almost choral arrangement, before the breaks suddenly entered. He then proceeded to take the music into electropop, industrial and nearly Latin soundscapes, and a little bit of what sounded like reggeaton to me. At one point there was something that sounded like the pan-flute in Shakira’s Whenever Wherever to me, which was quite funny. He finally, moved into a more grinding sound that he contrasted with lots of high accents, and gave the set a well-defined ending. At all points, to me, the set was interesting and made me wonder where it’d go next. I liked the continuity, because that’s hard to do, and Beatnick did a commendable job.

– Shashwati Kala

Beatnick是一位來自新西蘭的音樂製作人，這次他在Underground Electronica #2讓觀眾體驗他那富有神秘感的靈魂音樂。他的音樂以較為幽靜開始，再以扎實的鼓聲穩定著音樂的節奏，再奏出一種柔和的音樂，使人彷彿進入一處神秘之境，是仙境，是樂土，但又像令人迷惑的迷宮。

他的音樂的結構很豐富，最令人印象深刻的是那種像玩電玩的聲音，像食鬼在複雜的迷宮內又要逃避著鬼怪的追擊，但獲得力量後又要把握時機進行反擊，有點玩樂的意味及幽默感。

Beatnick的音樂亦很有音樂感，他演出時身體隨著音樂的搖擺，彷彿是以身體把音樂形象化。而他更像一個魔術師，以音樂變出一個個難以用筆墨所形容的景致，那種迷幻的境況要觀眾親身體驗才能感受。

– Eva Leung

TKO

1.    The Manaed

2.    Falling

3.    Almost Finished Now

4.    Moving In

5.    Underlund

6.    Rising

7.    Moving Out

Another HK group, but with a difference – one of them (wait for it)….DOES NOT USE A MAC!!! OH MY GOD!!!! *(&($%*#($%*#)$%)(@#!

They had a huge variety of drum sounds which, during soundcheck, gave me the feeling that they were much more percussion- (rather than simply beat-) oriented than the others. The huge quantity of sounds they had at their disposal helped them to keep the variety alive while playing the same beat – a clever strategy. The Manaed, despite its Dionysian reference, was quite reserved in its nature, with that winking-at-you mischievousness that jazzy keyboards bring (it kinda reminded me of Prince’s When Doves Cry). It seemed to be an attempt to play jazz with electronic equipment, which I think is a great idea, and a novel way of interpreting the style. Falling was much more eerie, with swirling bass and ethereal vocal samples. Underlund was sort of Kraftwerk’s style reinterpreted in a more contemporary manner, and Rising was like R&B if the drums were done by a drum machine. It also rose at points to where the drums sounded almost like grindcore, along with the melody. They ended on a song that wasn’t quite as satisfying to me, as it seemed they had overused the rich ethereal voice thing by then, and they had fake-out melodies (I’ve always hated when people do that). It didn’t develop the ideas like the other songs did so when they did end, it felt unresolved to me. But, the rest of their set had plenty of character, and was very useful in helping overcome my own stereotype of electronic music, so I’d say it was musically successful.

– Shashwati Kala

TKO是一隊本地的三人電子爵士樂隊組合，這次Underground Electronica #2是他們的第一次演出，而他們第一次演出便有這麼出色的演出，實在令人驚喜。TKO的電子爵士給人一種不覊的感覺，而且音樂很有dynamic，音樂由柔至強的轉變控制得宜，中段有電子琴的深沉，又有不斷地朗誦的人聲，在快要讓人迷失時又出現清翠的音樂，彷彿在黑暗中出現的光明般，形成很大的張力。而且TKO的音樂很有空間感，他們以音樂營造一個迷幻的空間，但從一個空間跳出來後卻墜入另一個超現實的空間，有點像超現實主義畫家雷內·馬格利特 (René Magritte)的作品。

– Eva Leung

DJ Miko Van Chong

Winner of Ableton Suite 8 Lucky Draw: 

 Jan Linton

(Continuous Set)

Jan Linton (for reasons as yet unknown) decided to arrive so late that one would think he was at the pinnacle of the fashion world. But, despite rubbing me (and the other waiting people) the wrong way before he even began I have to say that his set was good. He began with almost prayer-like music with him speaking over it. There were many cats-being-strangled kind of sounds that followed set to hip-hop beats. He then moved into a Daft Punk-like shiny-happy bit, which had more screeching sounds. I’m not sure if one could reasonably describe his style as “anything punk”, though it is vaguely post-hardcore, especially because the combination of strange sounds and a constant, normal-sounding voice was reminiscent of Big Black. There was some almost-Calypso sounds, with some very heavy and distorted bass to contrast. At one point, commendably, the sequenced drums were almost like those that a real rock drummer would play (with lost of ride cymbal to boot) which, when set against the irrepressibly electronic electropop sound was really cool. Even more innovative was the way he went on to combine funky-hip-hop melodies with a beat poetry feel – which felt (though didn’t necessarily sound) like Talking Heads. The 90s Fresh Prince type hip-hop continued, and blended into a more Suicide-like sound – the tortured Phil Spector girl-group melodies with the deliberately simple beats. Plus, he actually sang in tune, unlike Alan Vega, so that was cool too.

However, he really didn’t know when to end, and went on for waaaaaayyy longer than I could take. So, I cleared off after this point, feeling pleasantly saturated by electronic music. Surprisingly, I was kept interested throughout the show and impressed by the variety of sounds we had. A good night, after all.

– Shashwati Kala

Jan Linton是Underground Electronica #2的壓軸演出樂隊，是一隊來自日本的Ambient punk樂隊。他們的音樂很有節奏感及爆炸力，什有氣勢，會令人不禁隨歌起舞。而最特別之處在於Jan Linton演奏富有強烈節奏的音樂下，以一種悠悠然、溫厚的歌聲演唱著，像在混沌的現世中仍能處之泰然的感覺，在一種不協調的節奏中尋找一種和諧感。

– Eva Leung

photos © Copyright 2011 by ANGUS LEUNG

poster by ANGUS LEUNG

me, still allowing us to play events called “Girls with Guitars”    Lastly a big thank you to Backstage 

love Chris B xx

Dark Himaya

 Setlist:

1. Subtle Knife

2.  Cursed Muse

3. Bia

4. Silent Protest

5. Personal Demon

6. Papercut in Your Eye

    Dark Himaya’s self-declared ‘jazz-grunge’ really kicked off the night with the perfect brooding atmosphere that showcased the silvery vocals of the two lead singers. The awesome range and impressive vocals of the singers really resonated, especially when Ivy and Aileen combine on some fantastic sounding harmonies, such as on ‘Papercut in Your Eye’. However, I felt the songs of Dark Himaya seemed to almost work in a reverse way, with the voice accompanying the silvery music as opposed to the usual way round. In a way, it wasn’t the lyrics that mattered as much as the overall melodic fusion of the silvery sound of the keyboard and velvety vocal chords, unobtrusively accompanied by the drums and bass. The distinct sound really made it a fantastic set to kick off the Girls with Guitars 5 gig. 

- Sophia Chan

 The Underground的 “Girls with Guitars 5”於8月12日於Backstage舉行，承接以往的 “Girls with Guitars”系列，音樂會的焦點放在各女樂手身上(雖然男樂手都很有吸引力)，再次為觀眾帶來精彩的演出。

第一隊演出的樂隊是演奏Jazz Grunge的Dark Himaya，樂隊成員包括主音兼結他手Ivy Fernie、和唱兼鍵盤的Aileen Alonzo 、低音結他手Alejandro Dini 及鼓手 Keith Woodfin。當晚他們的演出很流暢，開始時以較為輕快而富節奏感的歌曲為觀眾熱身，包括“Subtle Knife”及“Cursed Muse”，主音Ivy的歌聲雄厚而具磁性，演奏第三首歌曲“BIA”時，更與鍵盤的Aileen演唱二部合唱，兩位均唱功了得。一隊樂隊通常有一位歌聲了得的主音已經很出色，但Dark Himaya的Ivy及Aileen都有唱得之人，加倍出色。 “Personal Demon”一曲有Aileen如清泉般的琴音，爽快利落。最後一曲 “Papercut in Your Eye”的曲風一轉，是一首比較柔和的作品，更能發揮Ivy的唱功，而她那帶點神秘感的歌聲，彷彿要舒解生活於煩囂都市中人的心靈。Dark Himaya成立於2009年4月，短短兩年多便已經有多首出色的作品，並活躍於多個演出場地，十分難得。
- 依花

Thinking out Loud

Setlist:

1. People

2. Gonna Be Famous

3. Radio Aiplay

4.  Little Fishes

5. Rock ‘n’ Roll Machine

6. Two Lips

7. Sex Junkie

8. Moving On

      Thinking Out Loud totally rocked the stage with their infectious beat and dirty rock stage presence, highlighted by their charismatic front woman, Chris B ( I especially enjoyed her fish dance moves for ‘Little Fishes’). ‘Gonna be famous’ also ignited the girl-power feel within me, something one always hopes to get at a Girls with Guitars event. The sax also lent an interesting and unique element to the band’s sound, with Mr B’s rapping certainly mixing things up in ‘Radio Airplay’. Special mention has to go to ‘Two lips’ with its overtly sensual sound, which was a surprise for me, having never heard TOL play, but Chris’ stage presence definitely stole the scene! Thinking Out Loud’s catchy beat and powerful vocals proved a very popular set, packing out the venue and igniting the crowd.

- Sophia Chan

 第二隊演出的樂隊是Thinking Out Loud，成員包括The Underground的創辦人Chris B，為樂隊的主音兼結他手，還有結他手 Sean、低音結他手Will、鼓手Jon及薩克司風手Mysterious Mr B。他們的演出無論是歌詞及音樂的演繹都是意想不到的鬼馬生動，Chris B的演出尤其突出，她的歌聲帶有一點點的沙啞，很有個性，時而帶點嬌俏地唱 “Gonna Be Famous”，時而有爆炸性的演出，如唱 “Star”一曲時那一聲的狂野大笑，或放下結他時，帶點神秘色彩地演唱 “Two Lips”，演出收放自如。而演奏“Radio Airplay”一曲更有Mysterious Mr B的聲音演出，他以讀歌/說話聲錯落有致地配合於歌聲及音樂中，難度高但他們配合得相當出色，可見樂隊成員很有默契。最後一曲 “Moving On”中更有兩句中文歌詞(是當晚唯一一首有中文歌詞的作品)，其實Chris B的中文很好，但還是帶點尷尬的表情演唱，十分有趣，且令人驚喜。Thinking Out Loud是一隊很有幽默感的樂隊，從觀賞上會被Chris B的台型吸引，而細聽之下又會會心微笑。

- 依花

Duster (Philippines)

Setlist:

1.    Billions

2.    Houseborken

3.    QC Girls

4.    Boys Who Like Boys

5.    Natives to Noise

6.    Gucci Gang

7.    Dek-a-doodle Dandy

8.    Balls [Encore]

Wow. Just, wow.

I knew that these girls were good coming into the show, but I had no idea that I should’ve expected them to be as hard-rockin’, in-your-face punky and fun as they were. They’ve got the speed and hard-hitting quality of 1^st wave British punk (which retained its rock ‘n’ roll roots) and tunes composed like a mix of the B-52’s and Devo. In short, they’re just the kind of band that’s super fun to listen to live. They sound very different from the way they did on their album – they’re much harder and more “rock” – and that’s terrific. The tones they used on the night were much fatter, along with a proper bass guitar which combined to make the sound much thicker, and its impact more immediate. That, and their KICK-ASS drummer Ristalle – my favourite kind of punk dummer – who plays surf-rock beats with love (much like a certain Bill Stevenson). Singer Katwo has an immense stage presence (helped miles along by her empirically awesome moves) and a playful, youthful voice to complement that. And guitarist Kris has a style that’s a cool composite of punk, rock ‘n’ roll and light metal, reminiscent of Steve Turner of Mudhoney. But, she also has a Freddie Stone-like ability to introduce nimble fills and teasing riffs that round out the songs well.

They began with Billions, which was almost like a slower, lighter version of a Plasmatics song. Houseborken was a perfect example of Kris’ riffing ability that I’d mentioned, and made the song almost like a duet between lead guitars and vocals. Boys Who… was about being a beard (look it up) expressed in a gambolling, NOFX-like sarcastic style (except sexier). Gucci Gang was much more in the Sex Pistols’ vein – poppy and innocent on the surface, but with an undertow of sarcasm. Dek-a-doodle Dandy has a chorus that’s addictive despite any language barrier. They were called back for an encore by the crowd even before they really started moving off, and thank God – Balls was a wonderful chaser for the set past. With its hints at funk and 70s pop, it filled out their repertoire well, while still being something you can move to. They’re uber-confident and their execution of songs that were “ready to wear” (their words) is panache-ful – I can’t wait to see which direction they’ll move in with their next album!

– Shashwati

 壓軸出場的是專程從菲律賓來港演出的全女子樂隊Duster，是一隊Punk的樂隊，成員有主音Katwo Librando、和音及結他手Kris Dancel、低音結他手Myrene Academia及鼓手Ristalle Bautista。她們當晚除了為觀眾帶來多首英文作品如 “Housebroken”、 “QC Girls” 及“Boys Who Like Boys”等外，更有以她們母語創作的作品“Gucci Gang”及 “Dek-a-doodle Dandy”。雖然聽不懂歌詞，但仍然令觀眾聽得相當投入，全無語言的障礙，真的是音樂無彊界。其中一首歌“Gucci Gang”很有趣，當中含有不雅用語，但主音Katwo及和唱的Kris以帶點歡樂的聲音叫喊，有點戲謔的成份。主音Katwo的歌聲很有力量，Punk的那種狂野及豪邁完全表露無遺。

當晚在Backstage的小小空間裡，站滿了眾多觀眾，雖然可能有點擠擁，而且兩個多小時的音樂會可能會使人站得有點累，但當晚音樂會的熱烈氣氛及音樂所牽引觀眾的高漲情緒，卻是怎樣再擠擁再累都是值得的，這就是Live演出的感染力，也就是欣賞好音樂的意義所在。

- 依花

photos © Copyright 2011 by ANGUS LEUNG

poster by ANGUS LEUNG

Heavy 6 proved to be a night to remember.  Thanks so much to Orthon for their long-awaited return to The Underground, it was indeed a  memorable set. Thanks so much to all the bands, Backstage and of course to the amazing team from The Underground.  Thanks to our special host for the evening Wu So Lui (Lady Beard).  We’re all looking forward to Heavy 7.

love Chris B xx

Memoimoil

Setlist:

1.    Scumblack

2.    Mess

3.    No Balls Nor Miracles

4.    Last Day

5.    Dance Ballet

Another night, another Heavy show. Things were, admittedly, a little soft in Backstage (nearly every band sounded insufficiently loud to me anyway), but the enthusiasm of the bands and the variety of metal sort of made up for that. Wu So Lui hosting in place of Chris B was a cool and very appropriate change too.

Memoimoil have a pretty perfect definition of their sound – they are indie, and they are metal. And, unlike many bands that choose to add a very different spice to flavour their metal, this one actually manages to pull it off to some extent. They have that dissonance with a distinct dark undercurrent that indie has, and this extends to subject choice too. They write about heartbreak, love and have a nuanced take on anger (something which precludes most forms of metal), which supplements their sound. They are typical of a heavy band from the Noughties epoch – their metal sound tends to be a collection of leanings, rather than the base of their style. Sometimes, this comes out as an incoherent (NOT confused, a criticism I have had of bands in Heavy shows before) mix like on No Balls Nor Miracles, but one can appreciate what they’re trying to do.

They tend to begin songs in a pop-rock manner, as though to draw the listener into a soft sell, and while this works when they put enough flourish (Dance Ballet) it fails when the sound is too dark for its own good (Last Day). Scumblack had the unique distinction of being a metal-esque song that does not feature groovy drums (they were more complex than headbang-able), and this had the pleasant result of making them sound more like noise rock (including the bassist’s genuinely tortured screaming style). Dance Ballet was a chugging number, which raised their game from the disappointingly predictable Noughties rock No Balls… Their closer was awesome – very funk-oriented bass and lots of contrast between the brighter and darker notes. Their set did its job of showcasing the band, and starting the buzz for the rest of the show, so a job well done, I’d say.

– Shashwati

Darkness Pool

Setlist:

1.    Burying Alive

2.    [Untitled]

3.    288 D.C.

4.    Darkness Pool

5.    Democracy

Darkness Pool, by contrast, do not really “mix” metal with something far-removed from it. They play the classic, chugging, headbang-ey, moshing kind of metal from just around the time that thrash was developing. That means, there’re still soaring solos, high-register rhythm chords, and the classic American rock style of powerful, epic-sounding vocals. The lyrics are first-person stories, too, rather than the metal tendency for monologue. They’re a blast from the past all right, and this is always a double-edged sword. The songs do tend to sound dated and samey, and even if you love metal, it grates on you from time to time. However, these guys play it with grit and in a commanding force that sweeps you over in a wave of Iron Maiden-like chromatic goodness.

The alternating between speeds in most subgenres of metal have always sounded jarring to me, and Darkness Pool was no exception – the changeover was particularly disjointed during their Untitiled song. Burying Alive was a mass of elastic riffs, thudding rhythms and Ian Gillian-type singing. Darkness Pool was as perfect a performance of any song as you can get – so much so, in fact, that I didn’t manage to take notes because I was enjoying it too much. Democracy, though, was their best song – they used darker and more abrasive textures, petulant solos, and had a certain unexplainable charge to it, perhaps in keeping with its subject. While they do need work so that the songs don’t sound like they’re divided into “the classic rock/70s metal part” and “the thrash-ey part”, etc, they’re just so good at the execution that the next time they play, I will be there.

– Shashwati

This is Ammunition

Setlist:

1. Burn the Flags

2. You Fucked Our Rock ‘n’ Roll

3. Tyler Durden

4. Pushed too Far

5. Soundcheck Song

6. Left For Dead

7. Valkyries

Bang - Screaming, Guitar, Bass, Drums and More Screaming - What just happened? and why has it stopped?

Straight from the off, This Is Ammunition (TIA) thrashed out their relentless onslaught of self-styled ‘aggrorock’. Performing at The Undergrounds’ ‘Heavy 6′ event, TIA showed that Hong Kong really knows how to scream with the best of them. Fast, heavy and constant, I can only imagine that performing is an endurance exercise for TIA, which makes them all the better to watch. At no point did the band let up, blaring out hard head-banging awesomeness from beginning to end. This is not to mention that the band also have a formidable stage presence, and delivered an energetic performance on the night (which anyone who has seen the size of the stage at Backstage will know is no easy feat in such a tight space). This proved even more impressive when I was told by more seasoned veterans of the metal scene in Hong Kong that TIA are usually even better than they were on this occasion.

The music itself is difficult to pin down as all the bands that I was put in mind of during TIAs performance were nothing at all like TIA, let alone anything like eachother. It was more a case that I would catch a hint of one band in the maelstrom of bass and drums or in part of a guitar riff or else be suddenly reminded of a particular song through some quirk in the vocals. None of which will help to give you an idea of what TIA are really like in the flesh, the only way is to experience it for yourself (which, let’s face it, you should do anyway). There is a taster in the Heavy 5 section of the Undergrounds’ Youtube page, however anyone who has ever tried to record a concert with their phone will know how reliable these kinds of videos are. Otherwise, their album is available (FOR FREE!!1!) at http://www.imusicbox.hk.

 I would urge anyone who hasn’t already to get to TIAs next gig (whenever that may be). Those of you who have a soft spot for the hard stuff, you won’t be disappointed.

– Keenan Manning

Orthon

Setlist:

1.    Transmigrate of Death

2.    Prediction of Ancient Darkness

3.    Lake of Sins

4.    The Ironic World

5.    Curse of the Lord

What a band. Their composition style instantly reminded me of the grandiose, overpowering melodies of King Diamond, but with low-register, guttural vocals. The symphonicness of their sound cannot be overstated – the sound clearly derives from classical music with more time being devoted to develop note patterns (rather than the riff-focus of other forms of metal). The keyboards are wonderfully discreet, and serve to underline the melodies (much like a cello in an orchestra) maintaining an organ-esque tone that allows them to sound like they don’t take themselves too seriously while playing up the drama deliciously. Their guitarists sound like they’ve grown up on a staple of Paul Gilbert and people like Yngwie Malmsteen which, again, can be monotonous to the critical ear but are also great to listen to. Top this off with the much more heavy metal style of the drums (particularly cymbals), and you get a wonderfully moody mix of songs which also have different parts but which are melded together masterfully.

They’ve made it a practice to intro their songs, like an overture at the start of an opera, and the one from Prediction… was particularly theatrical, leading into a headbanging fest of a song, amazingly, outside of 4/4 (!!). They move between many different kinds of metal (including speeds), and the guitarists take the time to develop the ideas, rather than just touch bases, as in the middle portion of Lake of Sins, or the thrash leanings of The Ironic World. Yet, the song was brief in its detail – nothing was played or sung for any longer than was needed, and the compositions were, unusually, replete with emotional appeal (in a metal effin’ song… who’da thunk it?!), embodied in Curse of the Lord. Their approach to metal doesn’t flag, and every moment of their set felt like something different was happening – which is not really something you can plan, even with their all their symphonic deliberateness.

– Shashwati

photos © Copyright 2011 by ANGUS LEUNG

poster by ANGUS LEUNG

Woooooooohooooooooo!  What a great night!  Our first show in Mongkok courtesy of The Live House.  We had HKHQ.tv filming the event (watch out for that documentary coming soon…!) and making the bands feel like superstars.  We had lots of girls with their guitars and variety of music and the feedback from the audience was very satisfactory.  I personally love all four acts, as I’m positively biased towards female musicians  The Underground team is looking forward to more shows at The Live House and to more shows from great Hong Kong bands!

love Chris B xx

Savannah Betts

Setlist:

1.    Fiddler and the Voice

2.    Hunt the Wolves

3.    Home

4.    The Perfect Storm

5.    The Twat Song

The show began with a performer set in the classic “female singer-songwriter” mould. Alone with her guitar, Savannah has a considerable presence on stage, probably owing to her work as an actor. She’s got the kind of composition style which, at its best, gives you that warm floating-in-mid-air sort of feeling. Add to that her voice, which is rich yet having papery overtones, and you have a recipe for feel-good music. My problem is that she doesn’t fully utilise this voice in her songs – she clearly does not have an unconventional or unmelodious voice, because she does create some beautiful moments with it. But, because the songs are relatively simple in their construction and rely on their emotional content for effect, not hitting even one note can sour the feel built up to that point, and this tends to happen more often than I’d like. A little effort in this direction will, I’m sure, go a long way in making her a better performer.

Her guitar style is simple and unfussy, and tends to mirror the franticness or calm expressed in the lyrics almost exactly; an approach that works well in Hunt the Wolves, which is about annoying things that persist in your mind. Home condenses her songwriting approach into its purest form; and while it’s overly simplistic, it has potential for some lovely solos (perhaps she should consider getting a lead guitarist, or even a piano into her act). The Twat Song was definitely her best, and a really good closer, because it had a manic energy reminiscent of the Violent Femmes. I’m guessing the last two songs were written more recently because they seem to have a subtle dark undercurrent, unlike the others; if this is true, her future songs may be worth watching out for.

– Shashwati

Girls with Guitar 4 – 照耀在女樂手身上的Spotlight

說起搖滾音樂或樂隊音樂，好像仍然是男性主導的世界，縱使外國出現過一些著名的女樂手，但還是屬於少數的例子。The Underground於2011年7月23日於旺角的The Live House舉辦了Girls with Guitar 4音樂會，重新把spotlight照耀在各女樂手身上。Girls with Guitars音樂會系列的舉行目的，相信並不是要提昇女樂手的地位或是什麼的，而是要展現及肯定女樂手的位置，相信她們能夠以獨特的女性觸覺為觀眾帶來好音樂。

            當晚共有4隊樂隊演出，包括Savannah Betts、New Tonic Press、Who Shot Holga及FAD。Savannah Betts是一隊一人樂隊，說起一人一結他自然便令人想起林一峰，繼而想起at17的兩位成員盧凱彤(Ellen)及林二汶(Eman)，她們也是本地較為突出唱作人。而同樣也是一人一結他的Savannah也毫不遜色，以自學的結他自彈自唱多首作品。Savannah當晚演出了5首歌，題材都是圍繞著生活的所思所感出發，如 “Home”是一首比較抒情的歌，說出以香港為家的心情，而擁有香港人身份但卻有外國人外貌的她更能表達香港人身份的混雜性。而 “Perfect Storm”一曲充分表現出她出色的結他及圓潤而優美聲線，更以有力的歌聲把歌曲的副歌部分的情緒推至高峰，控制得宜。Savannah表達出年輕人的青春活力，欣賞過她演出的觀眾必定會受她的甜美聲音及自信的笑容所吸引。

 依花

New Tonic Press

Setlist:

1.    The Mountains Are Moving

2.    New Solution

3.    Who Do You Think You Are?

4.    Still Want You More

5.    Something in the Water

6.    Sunny Does it For the Money

New Tonic Press’ set heralded the night’s oddity of having the drummer being enclosed behind the transparent panels while playing their hands off (I was almost expecting carbonite to pour down…would’ve made for a much better still). And indeed, NTP’s drummer is absolutely fantastic – his style has Matt Cameron’s engaging rhythms and Dave Grohl’s (in the Scream years) frenzied pace and strength. This suits singer/guitarist Sue Shearman’s guitar style – dirty alt.-blues with some post-punk in there too – to a T. This sort of combination, though, is a dime-a-dozen, and what makes them unique is violinist Charliah Best; the sweet violin replaced the lead guitars and contrasted well with Sue’s guitar. Which was good, ‘cause the mix was not brilliant that night, and they didn’t have their bassist with them (whose absence left a noticeable gap in the sound); being unconventional was a good balm for these sores.

New Solution could’ve been a 90s Pearl Jam song, with a deep and dissonant melody that’s executed understatedly. Still Want You More was a cracking song, with something of a rockabilly feel (which, again, would’ve been much better with a bassist) mixed with garage-rock textures. The violin accents on this one were particularly exciting, as they were on Something in the Water. The song’s heavy, melancholic riff was one that cut through the muddy mix and hit you, backed up by the stinging sarcasm in the lyrics and vocal delivery. They way their songs are constructed, though, it’s very hit-or-miss; perhaps it’s the dark side of having a violin in the band, but the quality of composition varied even within the same song, and they tended to peter out rather than finish definitively. Again, though, theirs’ was a good chaser to the previous set and the songs were fun to listen to, so they can be given the benefit of doubt for that night.

– Shashwati

 New Tonic Press是一隊演出folk blues音樂的樂隊，今次演出的陣容有主音兼結他手Sue Shearman、小提琴手Charliah Best及鼓手Malte Noack。主音Sue的聲音華麗而具有個性，而最令人印象深刻的是小提琴手的獨特演出。當歌聲、結他及鼓演奏較為低沉而複雜的音樂時，小提琴以簡約柔和而不失力度、及不斷重複的旋律中，穩定及帶領著歌曲的方向，使慣常於古典音樂出現的小提琴和諧地與結他及鼓對話，使New Tonic Press的音樂充滿著古典氣息，有很大的感染力。這兩位女樂手Girl with Guitar及Girl with Violin於當晚的演出都同樣出色。

 依花

 Who Shot Holga?

Setlist:

1.    More

2.    Got a Thing

3.    Killer Heels

4.    Ino UNO

5.    What You Said

6.    Let it Burn

7.    The F Song

8.    Clair

Next on was the “2/3 chick rock” of WSH – I don’t know what that means, but I do know that they’re wonderfully bluesy in a very unpretentious way, and their songs have riffs with massive bottom-ends (not often you get to say that about a band whose primary songwriter is female). It’s a result of singer/guitarist Tilly’s natural sound, which naturally tends towards the Chrissie Hynde style of upbeat blues-influenced American rock. Her lyrics, like her stage presence, are quirky and endearing, and she’s always fun to watch. Again, the mix was not kind to their sound at all, but the songs’ natural effervescence helped them counter that to a great degree. Bassist Marie is really solid, and drummer Martin’s style allows him to play some really cool fills while remaining in the proverbial pocket.

The drums were miked way too loud on More, and that nearly ruined the sharp, angular chords set against the archetypal 60s rock texture. After this was fixed, Got a Thing continued in the same vein but sounded much better. However, the song is composed in a manner that the chorus is sung on the very periphery of Tilly’s vocal range; this inherently means that there will be times that the execution will lack, and unfortunately that night was one of those times. Let it Burn had another heavy riff that sounded almost like a Byrds song, and it highlighted the side of Tilly’s vocal style that sounds like early-Blondie Debbie Harry. Hopefully this band will go far by building on these strengths, ‘cause I would love to see these guitar-laden girls for a long time.

– Shashwati

    Who Shot Holga是一隊很年輕的3人組合，包括主音兼結他手Tilly、低音結他手及和音的Marie及鼓手Martin，單張介紹他們演出的音樂是2/3 Chick Rock。她們的音樂節奏感很強，帶點玩樂及調皮的風格，這令人想起搖滾是屬於青春，而青春也是屬於搖滾的感覺，Who Shot Holga便給人有這樣的感覺。

 依花

 FAD

Setlist:

1.    Thoughts of a Dying Liberal

2.    Salamander

3.    So Tired

4.    Dream in Dream

5.    Sleep Out

6.    Disco 2000 (Pulp cover) [Encore]

I’ve seen FAD play a few times, and their stage manner is the epitome of a restrainedly nice band; they seem happy to be on stage, but not too excited by that fact. This is usually reflected in their music – they’re calm and clean compositions, often featuring long-held notes by each instrument intertwining and creating complex textures, in the vein of The Jesus & Mary Chain, or a slightly less grungy Catherine Wheel. It’s probably not a coincidence that so many of their songs centre on dreams and sleep. The songs tend to be emotionally resonant numbers sung with great care and delicate instrumentation. Basically, the band usually has very few corners of any kind. This is why, I guess, I’ve usually found them a bit dull – always pleasant, but I don’t find them exciting.

Which is why I was very pleasantly surprised to find a completely different band playing that night – they seemed loose, relaxed and like they were actually having fun on stage. Perhaps consequently, their set that night was a little more powerful – the chords were muscled a bit more, and the keyboards seemed to flow easier than usual. Now, I don’t know just how tipsy or whatever else they were, but their attitude that night is definitely something they should consider adopting once again. They were also luckier because the mix for them was actually quite good. The result was a bit like early Audioslave (vocals not included), and they sounded exciting and were great to watch in this avatar.

Thoughts of…began with a minimalist riff, its oxymoronic nature creating the intrigue, before adopting a much harder texture that was offset by the Tom Morello-ike solos. So Tired was refreshing because there was a nice contrast between the childlike melody and the abrasive chords made it an intriguing listen (much more than usual). Sleep Out had a wonderfully heavy yet subtle bassline that was its driving force, pushing the song into an experimental, art-punk sound. They were the first band I’ve seen that seemed genuinely surprised when an encore (much-deserved) was demanded, but they settled on the Pulp song after nearly 10 minutes (I swear) of discussion. They changed the style to more of a Noughties-arty sound, which also worked, and they finished off their Midas touch-night to a huge roar from the audience.

– Shashwati

    而最後一隊演出的樂隊是FAD，也是全晚最人強馬壯的樂隊。這隊5人的樂隊組合包括主唱及結他手Sky、結他的Sammy、低音結他的Carina、鍵琴及和唱的Shireen和鼓手Baller。當晚的演出他們表現出很強合作性，而看其眾多的支持者便知道他們已累積一定數量的歌迷朋友，使他們的演出充滿著開派對的氣氛。FAD的歌曲風格具有多樣性，豐有節奏感，既有活潑又有較抒情的一面，而其中最後一首歌曲的結尾，主唱及結他手Sky把結他放在地上演奏，營造出震撼的效果，令人回味無窮，留下深刻的印象。

             男女待遇不均的情況在繁華的香港好像不太明顯(相對於現在還是男尊女卑的社會而言)，但這並不表示問題不存在。而The Underground從舉辦這一系列的音樂會入手，除了把好音樂帶給觀眾外，更帶來更重要的議題讓觀眾深思。

 依花

photos © Copyright 2011 by ANGUS LEUNG

poster by ANGUS LEUNG

Thanks to Kubrick for this opportunity and thanks to the musicians who took part.

Love, Chris B xx

Avery & Ginkgo

Setlist:

1. Sleep!
2. March
3. Summer of Bohemia
4. To Xi
5. 5.    You and I 

There was the most brilliant of odd vibes in the Kubrick bookstore-cafe that evening. It didn’t help much that while trying to get notes for this review half my mind was trying desperately to ignore the various appetising smells wafting toward me from the kitchen. Still, I tried – so, forgive me if there are any random references to food in these snatches of text. Besides tantalising smells, the numerous arty and philosophy books combined with the quiet eagerness of the place’s patrons made for an atmosphere thick as a fog. The wonderful thing about that was how it seemed that there were no gaps between sets, or even songs, and the ebbs and flows of sound were smooth and almost indiscernible. It was great to be there right in the thick of things, as the show that night was kicked off by Wain.

The first act was, I am given to understand, a not-regular collaboration between two guitarists - one of The Underground’s video-dudes OC, and Ah Chin – and a singer/songwriter girl who called herself Avery. I’m given to understand that some of their songs were poems set to tune. This was probably what contributed to some of the disjointedness in the set – it kinda showed that they don’t usually play together because there was little chemistry. But, their style of gentle acoustic-pop/soft-folk doesn’t require tremendous coordination between the band-members, so no real harm done. This style, however, also means that you can’t develop your own sound within its bounds because it’s too shapeless and generic (and not in the Flipper way) – if they plan to continue as a group they should really look at getting their guitar sound right. Avery seems very young and, perhaps consequently, doesn’t seem to have figured out her sweet spot within her vocal range. Some songs that she sang a little higher on, like Sleep! And Summer of Bohemia, made her sound as though she were holding on to her voice, and hence a bit choked up. When she did sing in the middle-notes, her voice had a lovely Cat Power-like paperiness to it, which was made better when contrasted with OC’s deeper, richer voice and almost spoken-word approach, such as on March. He too, though, needs to get a better handle on his voice which was inconsistent in the higher range. Technique, technique!

They were, it seems, quite clever about their songwriting – aside from the poems used, they used the Chinese national anthem’s first couple of lines in (if I’m not wrong) Summer of Bohemia, which is a clever device. March featured some social commentary about the working class and had some nice mid-range harmonies (which is their vocal strength). OC’s more dominant style of melodic soloing on the middle strings interlocked nicely with Ah Chin’s focus on accenting the richer notes with the higher parts of the first two strings – this kind of coordination can only come from practice, and these two have clearly got a good complement system going. To Xi had a more pastoral, almost-country feel to it and was a good change from the very poppy nature of their other songs. Avery had a bit of an emotional moment during You and I, as she broke down while singing it, but this only seemed to endear her to the audience. After that, her voice seemed to have spontaneously developed years of character – so, the catharsis seemed to have done her good. Overall, a soothingly mild set of songs performed competently, so there’s definitely promise there if they do continue playing together.

P.S. – Part of these comments is based on information that may be termed hearsay, so I apologise to the musicians if I’ve got something wrong. My brain sometimes shorts out and synthesises “facts” from bits and pieces of intermittent information. But, I think we can agree that these manufactured details are more interesting than the truth, so try to get over your obsession with reality, will ya?

- Shashwati

Stuart Lennon

Setlist:

1.    Come What May

2.    So Good to See You

3.    Elastic World

4.    Stop the World

5.    June Sunday

6.    London’s Waking

7.    Hey You

The next to perform was Stuart Lennon, usually the singer for local rockers Papancha, but who has recently “accidentally gone solo” (a happy by-product of the band’s search for a new bassist). He’s far more experienced at this music thing than both the other bands that night, and it showed. His songwriting has a much more stable and mature form than that of either of the other bands that night because he’s found his particular style of expression. This style, acoustically, is one of simple chord progressions that combine “sweet-sounding” chords with more lopsided and dissonant ones in close proximity, usually moving from one kind to the other in the space of the verse to the chorus. Without this dynamic he would sound like a typical acoustic-folk or pop artiste, but because it does exist he sounds more like alternative-indie mixed with grungy influences. At its best, it is reminiscent of the deceptively casual approach to strong emotions that Pavement took, lulling you into a false sense of “everything’s going to be okay”-ness. This allows for a sarcastic interpretation of his songs because of the way the lyrics mingle with the music, adding a layer of complexity to the songs, which is always positive.

His voice, though, is a bit of an acquired taste– it’s a bit nasally thin, with that slanted quality which makes you feel like it’s missing the note even while hitting it. This kind of edge is not something you can fake (not well, anyway), and is another unique feature of Stuart’s sound, so give him a chance and you may end up quite liking this kind of timbre. It also contrasts well with the smooth and bouncy nature of his guitar-style. Having said that, a little work on having the voice maintain its integrity on the sustained notes wouldn’t hurt.

Everything I just said was basically embodied in Come What May which has a buoyant energy that propels it through its REM-“happy song”-like territory. So Good to See You saw the use of one of the six harmonicas he had with him, which helped to enact the emotional lift that I was talking about as the chorus began. He began Stop the World with a Kerouac haiku (which instantly gives you tonnes of cred) and launched into a grungy ditty which sort of sounded like acoustic Love Battery. Hey You was a definite highlight and a great way to round out the set; despite being a little more conventionally pop-soundng, it gave closure to any pent-up frustrated energy in the previous songs with its annoyed yet level-headed railing against, ostensibly, “The Man”. This sort of maturity in treating a subject is good to hear in songs, and I hope to see more of it in future songs.

-Shashwati

Eli

Setlist:

1.    Creep

2.    Deep

3.    Isolation

4.    He is Definitely Coming

5.    Fog

6.    Lost

The last time these guys played the Underground, they were good but still sounding way too much like they were trying to sound like Radiohead. This seems to have been solved by now because they seemed to be much further along towards figuring out their own approach, which is more like the sinister feel of Alice in Chains circa 1993-6. The way the rhythm and lead guitar act as counterpoints allows the songs to have a strange frantic calm, and you can feel this oxymoron. The eeriness of their sound in the electric form was replaced by a pervasive uneasiness, which works just as well. This is draped in singer Sun Yu’s near-drone style of singing. He, like Stuart, has obliqueness to his voice, but because his tone is much deeper and his style of singing much stronger (it’s almost like Scott Weiland’s softer baritone), it takes less time to like his voice. They still do Creep though, and it’s still good because they make it their own by underscoring the flailing frustration in the song (as opposed to the original which masks it). They need to work on adding more substance to the guitars, though, because the songs sometimes get a bit lost in their depth during the bridges.

          The atmospherics continued with Deep which allowed guitarist Miu Tham to show off her more fine-tuned soloing skills. She’s developed a positive knack of really probing the areas of sonic weirdness the songs reach without overplaying, especially with higher notes, which makes the songs more effective than before. This is not a band that shies away from using non-harmonic notes and they used them best in Isolation, though the song suffered a bit from the lack of percussion that would’ve really driven its pace changes home. The melancholy was heaviest in Fog with its gritty, muddy feel; and yet, it still had a bit of resigned happiness because of the lyrics. They chose to change it up a little at the end with the plaintive Lost and its much more simple approach to the broody sound. The song ended softly, and in keeping with the tendencies of that night, the sounds faded into the books as it slowly sun in that the show had ended.

- Shashwati 

Photos by Nino Lin

Poster by Wain Yee