Double Malt

Two malts are always better than one. One of us hails from Scotland
(the home of malt) while the other hails from Illinois (not the home
of malt). Before our Double Malt days, we both played in bars and pubs
in our respective home countries. Then we met in Hong Kong, became
friends overnight, jammed together and formed a band for fun. We don’t
take anything too seriously (apart from the music of course) so if
you’re thirsty - make your malt a Double tonight!

Papancha

Papancha is a thee-piece Hong Kong based-band featuring two Brits and a Singaporean. They play upbeat grungy rock with punchy tunes that combine folk, big rock choruses and artful lyrics, inspired by a love of Neil Young, grunge, heavy guitars and Jack Kerouac.

Jukator

Founded in April 2010, Jukator, with its name meaning “player” in Romanian, has depicted the unity, the passion and the persistence of the five members towards music.

In the name of Jukator, the five members, OK Lo on vocals, Bonaventure Ip on guitar, Wong Wai Kin on keyboard, Jacky Man on Bass and Joseph Ho on Drums, have been devoting to working on the music that they love.

Pursuing the same dream; Jukator, five members in one soul.

成立於2010年4月，Jukator－取名自羅馬尼亞文中的『演奏者』－刻畫著五位成員對於音樂的團結丶熱情以及堅持。

五位成員－主音OK Lo丶結他手Bonaventure Ip丶鍵琴手WongWai丶低音結他手Jacky Man和鼓手Joseph Ho－一直以Jukator的名義致力於創作他們喜歡的音樂。

追求同一夢想；Jukator，五位一體。

Say You Care

Say You Care是一隊成立於2009年8月的香港獨立Power-Pop樂團。由主音Quentin，結他手Victor，低音結他手Kevin，鼓手Joe組成。 我們樂團的意念很簡單，就是希望你們把自己埋藏在心裡的話語，不要猶豫，盡情對自己關愛的人說出來！
Say You Care is a Hong Kong indie Power-Pop band founded in August 2009, it consists vocalist Quentin Leung, guitarist Victor Chan, bassist Kevin Lip, and drummer Joe Ng.
The concept of the band is very simple: If you care about something or someone, don’t hesitate & hide, Say You Care! This is what we wish to deliver to our audience.

我們非常高興帶給大家Underground第五張合輯！與之前同樣地我們找來最頂級的本地樂隊，不同類型不同風格，絕對能迎合不同口味的你們。非常可惜地這次也是我們最後一次與Mark-1 Studios合作。一如以往，我們準備了兩場CD5發佈派對，一同來享受音樂和啤酒，以及贏取豐富獎品！
參與我們這次命名為「Breaking Through」合輯的樂隊有：
AirTub, Audiotraffic, beebob, Intellectual Morons, operator, ReOrientate, The Bollands及Who Shot Holga?
來一同支持本地樂隊吧！
CD5發佈派對詳情如下：

地點：Backstage, 中環威靈頓街52-54號1樓
時間：晚上9時30分至1時
樂隊：eli, operator, ReOrientate, The Bollands & Who Shot Holga?
HK$150 (包1隻CD，1支BECKS啤酒及1個抽獎機會)

抽獎禮品包括：
============
Hotel Icon一晚住宿
Sennheiser HD 429耳機
Tom Lee HK$2500禮券
Edifier Tick Tock

It’s at Hard Rock Cafe - address LG/F LKF Tower, 55 D’Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Bands: AirTub, Audiotraffic, beebob & Intellectual Morons
HK$150 (includes 1 CD, 1 Becks & 1 lucky draw)
Lucky Draw Prizes
Underground x Zippo Lighters
One Night in Hotel Icon
Sennheiser HD 429 headphones
Tom Lee HK$2500 voucher
Edifier Tick Tock Bluetooth Device

我們非常高興帶給大家Underground第五張合輯！與之前同樣地我們找來最頂級的本地樂隊，不同類型不同風格，絕對能迎合不同口味的你們。非常可惜地這次也是我們最後一次與Mark-1 Studios合作。一如以往，我們準備了兩場CD5發佈派對，一同來享受音樂和啤酒，以及贏取豐富獎品！

參與我們這次命名為「Breaking Through」合輯的樂隊有：
AirTub, Audiotraffic, beebob, Intellectual Morons, operator, ReOrientate, The Bollands及Who Shot Holga?
來一同支持本地樂隊吧！

地點：Hard Rock Cafe, 中環德己笠街55號LKF TOWER地下
時間：晚上8時30分至11時30分
樂隊：AirTub, Audiotraffic, beebob & Intellectual Morons
HK$150 (包1隻CD，1支BECKS啤酒及1個抽獎機會)

抽獎禮品包括：
Underground x Zippo打火機
Hotel Icon一晚住宿
Sennheiser HD 429耳機
Tom Lee HK$2500禮券
Edifier Tick Tock

Stardrops

1.    Light & Shadow

2.    Nobody

3.    Total Chaos

4.    Happy Infection

5.    Forever

It was all set to be a unique show, in that after a long time we had not one but two bands making their live debuts on this night. The first was a band that made for a very interesting visual – a bassist built like Doyle Frankenstein, a pop-star looking singer, one guitarist who looks like a Strokes member and one diminutive lead guitarist who almost certainly belongs in a Puffy AmiYumi video. This could’ve been majorly disconcerting, but luckily it only serves to augment their sound, which is a good mix of different kinds of rock. Now, there’s nothing groundbreaking or avant-garde or any words like that, let’s be very clear, but it is good, solid rock with some hints of Sabbath-like metal and light funk. That’s their wheelhouse; and if it’s yours too, you’ll enjoy them. It’s not surprising either, considering that they’re something of a “supergroup’ – bassist Gavin is ex-Gong Wu, and guitarist Gami used to be in Glitter, so they’ve been around the block.

Their drummer was especially good that night, essentially leading the band between different styles. My major problem with them is that they ended up sounding very generic, but they definitely deserve some more time. The singer in particular could go for a sound like Siouxsie Sioux – she certainly has the voice for it. For now, she’s the decent pop-singer type, but I have to say that a slightly more oblique approach could really help set her apart from other such singers. Another useful thing to do would be to get some good vocal training – in songs like Forever you can’t help but cringe when some very key notes were missed.

The lead guitarists’ style can perhaps be best summed up as “like Jennifer Batten”, who played with Michael Jackson and Jeff Beck in the 80s. The sharp, medium-paced yet punchy 80s-style melodic leads really reminded me of Ms. Batten, and that’s a compliment. The drummer’s command of the band was highlighted in Total Chaos, moving between grunge, glam metal and a Sabbath-ey chug. Nobody was an interesting number with a light twirling riff in the style of the Kaiser Chiefs, if a little let down by the generic singing. It’ll be interesting to see where they take their energies in the future. Whatever their faults, the band was really very tight, and definitely entertaining, so I’d have to congratulate them for a successful debut.

– Shashwati Kala

Little Fat Pig

1.    I Love Hong Kong

2.    Promise Me a Shiny Day in Kenting

3.    Don’t Eat Shark-Fin Soup

4.    Entertainment of Death

5.    669 + Killing in the Name [RATM] + Computer Explosion

6.    Ice-Cream Muffin (Tonick cover) [Encore]

Tremendous fun, is how I’d describe this band in short.

Theirs is a powerful mix of grungy low-end, the speed of hardcore and the combination of strong opinions and messages delivered in a playful voice much like early punk bands had. On a personal note, I have to state how much I like the idea of knowingly having a female singer with a voice that many people might find annoying, but who sings so tunefully that you can’t help but listen – something that male singers tend to get away with more easily. It was the approach taken by greats like Poly Styrene did with X-Ray Spex (I can hear her singing all of Germfree Adolescents in my head right now) and LFP’s (admittedly adorable-looking) singer carries it off effortlessly. The contrast of substantial content and a jokey delivery is one they use to their advantage, especially in songs about not eating Shark-Fin soup and their awesome [partial] cover ofKilling in the Name. They’re the kind of band that make you (read: me) just smile, because they’re good without being calculating. Awesome and hilarious is not a combination you often get. Plus, they started off by briefly doing The Runaways’ Cherry Bomb, which instantly scores you points with me.

The sound was, overall, like the kind of punk that bred hardcore – lots of Ramones-ey buzzsaw sound with the guitar, and the drummer sounding like the frenzied Jerry Nolan of The Heartbreakers. They almost sound like the Ramones on Too Tough To Die, when they’d just gotten Richie Ramone and realised just how much faster they could play their already fast songs. But, that’s not all. Entertainment… there was a bit of early Blondie with their lighter punky sound, and some NOFX in the sardonic tone of the riffs. They manage to even get that Reel Big Fish feel of farcical enjoyment without having a horn section – something I should’ve though impossible.They ended their set, and were soon called back on, and did a romping Tonick cover, just to snag those last few who were holding out and make the whole room jump. Quite simple, a bloody good job.

– Shashwati Kala

Logo

1.    I Saw Your Eye

2.    Chicken Factory

3.    Project Yourself

4.    In Another Life

5.    Lilac Sky

6.    Pink Flamingo

7.    Non-Stop Paradise

8.    Karaoke Lounge

9.    Taxi to Wanchai [Encore]

Logo is one of the most exciting live bands I’ve seen in HK, and one of the main reasons for that (aside from their songs) is that they seem to be teetering on the verge of chaos. They tend to go faster as songs progress, including ones that they started off at breakneck speed. This night, was not like that – their performance was perfectly paced and well-controlled, which, surprisingly enough, made for an equally cool set, which allowed the songs to sort of float in the atmosphere and into your mind. It really helped that the sound in the Live House was just about perfect for them. The crunchy reverb of the guitars with their various effects, the calm bass, self-assured drums and eerie vocals all seemed to meld perfectly even at the slower pace. This was a very different side of their music that was on display, and it was great to hear.

Another potential problem that Logo was facing was one that typically faces a band that releases a great first album – the second rarely matches up, mainly because the incubation time of the second lot tends to be much shorter. However, without meaning to jinx them, I’d say Logo are well on their way to bucking this trend. Their set this night was mostly new songs, and they all have that same incisive yet spry character that their earlier songs did. The Ray Davies-style observational lyrics that simultaneously work at conflicting levels of annoyance and attachment to the same thing are still very much there. How it all turns out remains to be seen, but the signs are promising.

The brass sheet that drummer James uses is one of the most distinctive sounds you’ll here in the music scene here, and it was the bellwether this night too. The sinister I Miss Your Voice was much slower than they usually play it, and took on an air of seriousness that was nicely broken by the guitar. Chicken Factory is a striding funky song, with a bass line much like one Larry Klein would’ve played. In Another Life was a much faster song, and one that I cannot describe using any references but Logo. It’s in a similar vein to their Temple of Smoke, but the Arabic lilts are replaced by a shade of hurried melancholy. They played almost unbelievably catchy Non-Stop Paradise, and surely enough the crowd couldn’t resist nodding along. Their encore was, as usual, a romping-stomping rendition of Taxi to Wanchai, which was the perfect chaser to their reserved, measured set. I would go so far as to say that this may be the most perfect set I’ve seen them play. In many ways, this set has convinced me that they would make a perfect neo-hipster band, and I don’t mean that pejoratively; come on hipsters, support Logo.

– Shashwati Kala

TeamHero

1.    In Your Eyes

2.    Pointless (OneLastFall cover)

3.    If Only

4.    The Anticipation

5.    My Hero’s Dying

After a long hiatus away from the music scene, TeamHero’s debut saw the very impressive guitarist from OneLastFall, Faro, back into the swing of things with a new band. Good thing too, ‘cause they sounded pretty damn good. With their heavy, highly melodic, late 90s-style metal they took over the room instantly with the first notes of the anthemic In Your Eyes. Another thing this set made clear was exactly how good a vocalist Faro is – excellent, as it turns out, with a particularly rich voice that sounds great at higher pitches. This, combined with the Queensrÿche-like elegance of the two guitarists’ style made for a great listen. Pointless saw OLF singer, Sheila, do a cameo, and she was note-perfect as usual. The guitar acrobatics and vocal flourishes combined, I must admit, made me miss OLF somewhat. But, with the very next song, I was reminded how good this band is too. Excellently arranged, If Only harked back to the winding melodies of 80s metal without being the slightest bit cheesy, which is really hard to do.

The two guitarists styles were like the less cheesy side of Steve Vai’s style and a strongly Randy Rhoads feel of almost-classical tuneage mixing into an epic-sounding mix, backed up by a firm rhythm section. One thing I particularly liked was how they were able to sound heavy without abusing or overusing distortion, which allowed the songs to sound warm at the same time, significantly accentuating the melodies. This was most clearly heard in My Hero’s Dying, which sounded almost like Rainbow (with Dio). To top it all off, they refused the encore ‘cause they simply didn’t have any more songs. A non-wanky no-nonsense approach to back up metal of a similar kind, and they’re only gonna get better - well-worth checking out whenever they play next.

– Shashwati Kala 

ni.ne.mo

1.    Kwun Gok  困局

2.    Daydream Love Letter

3.    Shades of…

4.    We Are Dogs

5.    Sogly

6.    怎麼天生不是女人 (草蜢Grasshopper cover) [Encore]

I was quite apprehensive about ni.ne.mo, considering they used the word “electronic” to describe themselves, which has usually meant “distracted” in my experience. Happily, I was proved wrong by this band, who merely used electronic  means  to augment their spacey, indie sound. Lots of broody melodies and moody vocals, combined with cleverly used drums and subtly-used electronic effects and a violin, all mixed together on a vaguely jangly indie-roc palette, these guys were very interesting to listen to. Clearly, they had something to say too, which seemed to give their performance and the songs an inherent attitude – always a good thing. Kwun Gok sounded like a 2000s version of a Talking heads song, with is odd-sounding textures and stop-start rhythms (although, the lyrics were quite hackneyed). Shades of… was perhaps the song that epitomised the style, with interesting rhythms and pallor of discomfiting weird beauty that was added by the violin. The singer fiddled away with the effects on his vocals, as the music rose to frenzy and the ragged sounds made your heart rate rise. Exciting stuff.

We Are Dogs was about a professor who, apparently, called all HK people “dogs”, and was like a Talking Heads song, but the singer being Johnny Rotten. Feel how uncomfortable yet cool that sounds? It was just like that. In fact, the slight discomfort that’s caused by listening to unconventional music was a constant feature of the band’s sound, although they did push it over the edge in Daydream… and over-dancy (for me) Sogly. Their encore rendition of a boyband’s song was, I’m afraid, a mistake, ‘cause their set would’ve been much more impressive without it. They weren’t able to give an interesting twist to the cheesy tune and lyrics and it just ended up sounding…well, lame, instead of clever. Still, overall, they clearly have some interesting songs and make for a good live act, which they lived up to on the night. Now, if only they’d make their lyrics less typical, they could really show off their musical potential.

– Shashwati Kala

photos © Copyright 2012 by ANGUS LEUNG

poster by ANGUS LEUNG

What an amazing night this was! It’s been a long slow lead-up to our biggest event ever. Thank you to everyone who came to support the bands AND The Underground and thank you to those who couldn’t make it, there will be other shows too! Thanks to the team of musical friends whom I work with who make all these events possible. Thanks to our amazing sponsors, especially Becks and Zippo and Edifier!   Thanks to HKGFM.net for hosting The Underground channel there!  Thanks to Shaun B!  Thanks to the bands themselves - we could only choose 5 for Underground 100, we love many more Hong Kong bands - we salute your passion, your creativity and your persistence - Hong Kong needs you! Thanks to Musique & Angus for those special hand-made leather straps. Thanks always to Mangrove Giant for that amazingly sexy iphone app you made & maintain for us! And big thank you to Wu So Lui who brought glamour and beauty to the night and finally a beard too!

 And to those 10 lucky winners of the limited edition Zippos, treasure them, they are indeed special.  

Love, Chris B xx

Airtub

1. Breakaway
2. Running Behind
3. Perfect Life
4. This Time
5. 摸索
6. One More Time
7. Wonder World

I s’pose there was no more fitting way to have started the 100^th-iest Underground show than with the band that seems to have hitched their trailer of momentous events with the Underground itself. I say this because the last time they played together was at the 5^th anniversary show, and even then they’d specially reformed for the purpose. This performance of theirs made it 12 years since they first got together, and they don’t seem to be much worse for the wear. They’re clearly still capable of getting a good gambol going when they play, and while it would be disingenuous of me to say that their music is groundbreaking or very gripping, the atmosphere and crowd rapport they managed to create was a good as any I’ve experienced. If you accept that they compose poppy ditties (which you may well not) there is quite an interesting trove of versatility to be found. Their set touched on many different styles of song ranging from the typical (the classic polished Bryan Adams-style love song) to the quite unexpected (a pop metal number with a surprising amount of groove, and a (presumably) Arabic-influenced melody). Like most poppy bands, they don’t run the risk of overusing an approach (unlike, say, the unlistenably long metal solo), as things are polished and sleek. The downside is that the music can be predictable to the point of being tedious (but that’s not really the band’s fault), and is full of glib truisms and platitudes that grate on the mind’s ear. Also, I must pull them up for doing exactly what I hate with their synthesisers – using the kind of horn effects whose timbre I can only accurately describe as “douchey” (though, in all honesty, I’ve never heard a synthesised horn sound  that wasn’t so). But, they are enjoyable to listen to nonetheless, made even more admirable by the fact that they haven’t played together for three whole years.

After the massive intro by Chris B and Wu So Lui, they opened with the tingling creepy Breakway, which vaguely resembled the Cranberries’ Zombie. The combination of husky voice, aggressive guitars contrasted with the rather bright keyboards made for an interesting soundscape, made better by the fact that they didn’t go for a needless solo. The rhythm combo fit in much better with the song, and the choice is noteworthy. This isn’t for lack of ability, though, because the very next song (and several thereafter) had a quite blisteringly shreddy solo. The very sugary 摸索 while being very standard pop fare, was really well-done, and the mood created is similar that created by bands like Keane. Actually, that’s probably the best illustrative comparison I can make; the floaty pleasantness of AirTub’s music is very similar to Keane’s. One More Time started off almost sounding like a slow version of Run to the Hills, and had more of the sonically interesting rhythm combo instead of a solo, making the song a real thumper. They ended with the very rousing and anthemic Wonder World, which had an oddly nursery-rhyme-like melody. The feel of the song even made up for the lame horns, attested to by headbanging people, and they finished off with grandiose finesse. In all, a very good way to start the show, and a definite testament to the band’s competence.

– Shashwati Kala

 FBI

FBI

1. Senorita
2. Hey
3. Jasmine Revolution
4. FU
5. FBI Theme Song
6. Man Love [Encore]

We’ve come to a stage in the HK indie scene, where there is such diversity, that there are at least 2-3 bands that are right for the same job. What I’m trying to say is, if you need a band that will guarantee entertainment, the veterans in FBI should be on your top 5 list. It’s been very quiet on the Fire Bird International’s front recently, so I was quite keen to see whether or not they still had their trademark flair.

To fill in the usual lull that is rigging up, front man Cain offered his congratulations to the UG in the form of a poem that he had prepared. “Ode to the Underground” I believe it was called. It set the crowd in good spirits, actually, perhaps maintained the current good vibes set by the previous band and heroes: ‘Airtub’ I should say.

FBI then proceeded to demonstrate that being an energetic band with great stage presences is like riding a bike, you simply just don’t forget. They rifled through their brand of what I’m calling fusion-pop-punk at a good pace and never failed to capture the interest of the crowd, who’s appreciation of popular songs such as Senorita, Jasmine Revolution and of course Man Love, was reflected in the amount of dancing and jumping that was taking place. My favourite moment from the set was during the FBI Anthem, which is this sort of … rap, I suppose, where the band introduces themselves, I saw a middle aged man in the audience watching very intensely with this look of bemusement on his face. It was sort of like he was unsure if it was the strangest, or greatest thing he had seen. Listen, the point is, he was watching… closely, and so was everyone else. Well done fellas, welcome back.

– Timmy Gunn (Shotgun Politics)

Winner of  Voila Chevalier watch: 

Winner of Hotel Icon overnight stay: 

Winner of Tom Lee voucher: 

Winner of HMV voucher: 

Winner of Sennheiser HD400 headphones: 

Winners of Edifier Prisma speaker systems: 

Winners of 10 special edition Zippo lighters: 

The Underground Band

Surprise Guest: The Underground Crew Band.

There was a surprise band earlier on in the night that I want to draw attention to.

Yanyan, Angus, Vivek and Calvin, are all familiar faces at gigs in Hong Kong and not just under the Underground flag. They got together to form a band that would play one song from each of the released Underground compilations, of which there are 4 and it goes without saying that you should definitely own all of them.

I’m told they only practiced 3 times, which is pretty impressive because they sounded great. What was awesome was that they had guest vocalists who were also members of the Underground crew. Cliff the bouncer who insulted my football team sang a David Bowie Knives song. Possibly the greatest highlight of the night. Marketing dude Keenan, I believe his name was, sang a good cover of a Helter Skelter song and we can’t forget that Chris B sang her sexy rendition of Sex Museum by The Sleeves! Brilliant stuff.

I was secretly hoping that when it came to the CD4 selection, Shaun (aka Mr Chris B), who was standing side stage when all this was happening , would get up and sing 852 by Shotgun Politics. Alas it was not to be. Next time?!

Senseless

1. Stock
2. Sales
3. Made in China
4. The Admire
5. Salary Race
6. Please Hold, Rock and Roll
7. Love Trap  愛情陷阱  (with Wu So Lui)

I remember watching these guys a few times, in fact, I’m fairly sure I might have reviewed them before. I have always thought that they had good songs, but their delivery could have dealt with more work. They have however, improved each time I have seen them. At the Underground 100 though, dear GOD did they bring their A game.

It must be noted that these dudes who play a comedic punk rock, as in, the songs are funny, have won the HK battle of the bands award. So you have some idea of the calibre we’re dealing with here.

Now I don’t understand Cantonese if it ain’t directions to my next char siu fan fix, but I have been told many times that these guys are funny. I watched a lot of their set with my buddy Jan, who of course fronts the legendry Qiu Hong, and he too informs me that Senseless are some funny mofo’s, just in case all the laughter in the room wasn’t the give away. He also tells me that he loves them, and rightly so.

I have been to many shows in HK now and seen certain bands on more than one occasion. I have however, not seen a band that has grown in confidence and deliver an execution of a set, in the way that Senseless did at UG100. Hell, I’m tempted to say they stole the show! There were times where it felt like we were at a Senseless concert whose devoted fans loved every moment of it.

As I said, I don’t understand the songs, but I understand good song writing, and Senseless are very, very good at that.

– Timmy Gunn (Shotgun Politics)

The Sleeves

1. Sex Museum
2. Thursday Song
3. Totalitarian Love Song
4. Walk With the Devil
5. Mirror (with Ivy Fernie)

It’s always so hard for me to review The Sleeves because I like to think that they are my mates! Except Keith, who is my Uncle Keith and my music career advisor. One can’t befriend the staff. I’m always going to be biased, but I do legitimately think that they are a good honest rock’n’roll band who write songs from the layman’s heart. I asked Philip from the band ‘Lone Star Radio’, who was watching The Sleeves with me, what he thought. He accurately answered “They have that Brit-Rock vibe with the good songs going on, I like them … I BELIEVE them” Couldn’t have said it better myself.

The Sleeves are another band who have grown a lot, I have seen them in quite a few incarnations, and I feel like they have found a good place with this current line up and role responsibility.

Pete, the band’s new lead guitarist wears sunglasses on stage. If you know me well, you know I f****** hate guitarists who wear sunnies on stage, IF… IF…they can’t back it up. My hat’s off to Pete, he played with attitude, flair and had great lead guitar work, I forgot that I initially had beef with him and became an instant fan. His riffs and solos bring that little bit more of an edge to The Sleeves that I previously think was missing. This is saying a lot as I was a big fan of previous axe man Bee. I also have decided that Uncle Keith is the right front man for the band, and that they have a great rhythm section with bassist AG possibly being one of the most fun band members to watch in HK.

The Sleeves recently released their debut CD. You should definitely pick it up. Now.

– Timmy Gunn (Shotgun Politics)

 Qiu Hong

1.    Let’s Go 出發

2.    Look For Treasures 尋寶

3.    7.1

4.    Get Back 尋找回來

5.    Boom Theory 爆炸論

6.    We’re 我們

7.    Night 城內入夜

8.    Can’t Leave 離不開

It’s quite late in the night when Qiu Hong take to the stage, but there are still a very good number of people in the room. That’s Qiu Hong for you though, a band that has continued to deliver great sets and write great songs over the years that their fans will stick with them anywhere they go.

There’s this air of excitement that has given everyone in the room that second wind when Qiu Hong step up on stage. I for one haven’t seen them in a while and judging by just how good all the bands had been so far, surely Qiu Hong were to be the cherry on what has been a FANTASTIC cake. Yum cake. ANYWAY. Qiu Hong explodes into the start of the set and there are instantly devil horns, rock fists and much cheering going up into the air.

Qiu Hong take great care with their sound, and this was evident as they sounded incredibly powerful. Their balance was just right. My favourite thing about QH, is how charismatic Jan is as a front man. He’s this tiny dude who is very well mannered and quiet when you chat with him, but when he performs, he owns that stage, and you are privileged to be their watching him lead the beast that is Qiu Hong.

I’m not sure if Qiu Hong is a professional band, but they certainly seem like it. They look at the set in terms of the bigger picture, it is paced very well, slowing down at the right moment and transitioning in and out of their heavier songs with great ease. They are another band on the bill that has shown brilliant song writing. Their melodies all work together at the right times. Every note sounds like it has been deliberated over carefully before making it into the song.

Then of course, there is the megaphone. Screaming into a megaphone is badass. The End.

——————————————–

It’s been something like two years since I turned up at a show armed with a notepad and pen but when I got the text asking if I could come review THE UNDERGROUND 100 celebrations, I would have been a damn fool to say no. Chris B and her ever-growing legion of Underground crew have been giving the HK indie scene a home for eight years now. Upon arrival at Grappas, I see a lot of familiar faces in the crowd, many of whom, are also in bands. Like a lot of these people, the Underground gave me my first chance to perform in Hong Kong, way back in 2005 with my angsty teenage emo band ‘Hotcakes on 55^th’. I thought it was a fitting tribute that so many had turned out to support the centurion of shows.  Well done guys, here’s to the next hundred.

– Timmy Gunn (Shotgun Politics)

Photos © 2012 by ANGUS LEUNG and Carina Ho

Poster by ANGUS LEUNG

What a cool Thursday night this was!  We were indeed excited to be part of Social Media Week Hong Kong! We were honoured to have some of Hong Kong’s more socially connected bands to excite & blow everyone’s minds  Thanks to everyone who made it out on a weeknight!   Thanks to the three bands for giving 200% to their performances.  Thanks to everyone at Backstage!  Thanks to our wonderful sponsors Edifier, HKGFM.net and Becks.  See you all at next month’s BIG event - Underground 100.

love Chris B xx 

Reign Lee

Setlist:

1. Stay
2. Don’t Close Your Eyes
3. Sleeper Cars
4. Helena
5. Built to Last

After an absence of several months, Reign Lee made a welcome return to once again grace the stages of Hong Kong.  At the Social Media Underground Reign was somehow a little different from the Reign I knew before - perhaps on account of having Freddie Gunn (of Shotgun Politics, or “Orgasmic Freddie” as Reign called him) standing in as the drummer, who brought with him his brand of in your face, no holds barred goodness, against which Reign more than ably stepped up to meet full on.  The end result was a set delivered with supreme confident, something which one has grown to take for granted when it comes to Reign, more powerful, edgy and intense, and yet darker than ever before (on the last point, I couldn’t quite pinpoint the cause).  It was, however, a little erratic in places, which probably could be put down to a relatively new drummer, who has been known to get a little… erm… carried away from time to time.

Thlayli

Killer Soap

Setlist:

1.    The Choice That I’ve Made
2.    For the Lost Souls
3.    The Sun Also Rises
4.    Just Gone
5.    Reason

Bringing up their sixth appearance at an Underground show, Killer Soap played the part of the not-too heavy band that allows a transition from acoustic/light music sets to heavier stuff; and, boy, did they play it well. Their songs, nearly all of them, are astutely arranged; arrangements that create a sort of synergy between the different musical elements. Which is not to say that they’re inadequate musicians in any way - singer Rocky’s chops alone can put that idea to bed. It’s more that the very creditable restraint that they show (guitarists in particular) might make the songs seem underwhelming if they weren’t arranged as well as they were. Their atmospheric, at times ethereal guitars, soar in a way that makes your soundscape seem to be pleasantly expanding – a very 1999-and-after Foo Fighters tendency.

Rocky’s voice and vocal technique is impeccable, but also bordering on being very similar to the kind of insubstantial pop-singing that one hears in manufactured groups. In fact (and let me make it very clear that this is my opinion, hehe) when heard individually are quite similar to trends from 2000s pop rock – trailing, somewhat feel-good melodies made punchy by pedals, the rootsless drum style, and the singing that’s dangerously close to being ingratiating. BUT, the band takes on just the approaches that have lead to these results while avoiding the results themselves mostly due to their abovementioned restraint and arranging-acuity. Guitar effects are used with judiciousness worthy of Tom Morello (though not in a similar way). The result is a very lifting, flourish-based sound that’s reminiscent of the Goo Goo Dolls (at least in their Hold Me Up phase). For the Lost Souls is a particularly good example of this; the excellently coordinated stop-start structure and combined epic feel of the contrasting guitars (one soaring while one plays peeking-round-the-corner notes) were like ear-honey. The pauses, by the way, pervaded most of their songs, and each one was perfectly executed, so well done, guys. Just Gone (highly reminiscent of Hungry Ghosts’ Chinese Families to start with) highlighted even more clearly their ability to arrange well, because the splintered-texture of the guitars playing rousing melodies blended perfectly with the vocals. Reason, their most “famous” song, was a tour-de-force, being slightly more nitro-charged and intense than the other songs. It actually reminds me a bit of In Love & Pain’s style, with some light metal drums entering the sound. A very intense ending to a great set; testified to by the fact that the audience demanded more songs as they left the stage.

– Shashwati Kala

Shotgun Politics

Setlist:

1. Glow
2. New Year’s Day
3. Paper Heart
4. Johnny Rage
5. Mama’s Girl
6. Break
7. 852

Shotgun Politics, which describes itself as a party rock outfit, has always been known for its ability to whip the crowd into a frenzy, and this night was no exception.  After politely requesting the lighting tech to turn down the lights to make the stage cooler, the band proceeded to deliver an upbeat set of eminently danceable tunes at breakneck speed (that’s presto to the classically minded amongst you), featuring some of the popular tunes from the band’s two albums such as New Year’s Day, Johnny Rage.  Only at the request of Freddie Gunn, who was probably close to exhaustion from having played two sets, did they take a breather with a slower tune (slower… at allegro), a new song, aptly named “Break”, which made me think must have been written for this very purpose.

This was the second time that I’ve watched Shotgun Politics since the sad departure of the lead guitarist Kevin Ronquillo.  It must have been a daunting prospect for the new lead, Kit (of In Love & Pain!) to follow in the footsteps of such an accomplished guitarist, so it was good to see him settling into the band and making his own distinctive mark on the music - I have no doubt that Kevin would approve of his successor.  With the new lineup, the Shotgun Politics has lost none of its lustre and can only go from strength to strength to entertain the public for a long time coming.

Thlayli

 photos © Copyright 2012 by ANGUS LEUNG

poster by ANGUS LEUNG

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

Setlist:

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

  Setlist:

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 tell. 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