Live review from Underground Heavy #7:
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
Live review from Underground Heavy #2:
Setlist:
1. Gin & Tonic
2. As One
3. Supremo
4. Shattered
5. Integrity
6. [Untitled]
7. What it’s Worth
8. Behind These Walls
StW is one of the true heavyweights of the hardcore scene, and the set they played was testament to exactly why. Even their tuning up was noteworthy, with some stylistic forays into sounds that you never hear from a metal band. Combining their usual frenetically-paced songs, with an almost amphetamined delivery from all the band-members, their set went like clockwork, with near-segues and very smooth transitions from song to song – no shoe-leather here. They were so in control of the crowd, it was ridiculous. The revelling began from the very first second of Gin & Tonic, with the moshing getting increasingly harder as their set progressed. There was some customary making-fun-of-the-audience too, with people earning the loser-tag for knowing “the sensitive part of the song.”
In terms of song-quality, StW are unrivalled – they expertly resist the natural hardcore tendency to have a very 1-D set, with every song having its own distinct character. Having the unique ability to have not only guitarists, but vocalists play off each other, their songs foray into musical territory ranging from the weird-out rock of Primus, to the melodic strains of more “metal” bands, wrapped in good-‘ol screamed vocals. There’s even some anthemic riffs that reveal a classic-rock influence, along with highly judicious use of changes of pace. Overall, the heavy slamming and crowd-surfing (complete with bashing the Rockschool lights) spoke for itself – these guys kick major ass. ‘Nuff said.Shashwati
Live Review from Asian Rock:
The last band of the evening was the well known local hardcore/metal band, Shepherds The Weak, which has been around for 8 years. I DON’T LIKE HARDCORE, but since I was asked to write the review I made the effort and admittedly, was surprisingly well rewarded. The music… yes, the music - definitely loud and intense, but everything was excellently delivered, every guitar chop, every bass drum kick (and there were a lot of it) was clean and distinct. Once I was over my initial prejudices I began to appreciate the care that has gone into the songs, a lot of musicians can play fast and loud, but to put it all together and make it all flow naturally and melodically is not an easy task and I believe Shepherds did that very well. In a couple of the songs there were quieter moments which definitely gave the musicians their chance to show-off their skills. The use of 2 vocalists served to add more complexity to what were already interesting arrangements. In summary I can honestly say I actually enjoyed the set, something that I’ve never said of my past hardcore experience - I realise now it was prejudice at play and I would say if you listen to the music rather than write it off up-front, then I believe Shepherds will not disappoint you.
Thlayli
Live Review from Underground 31:
The suspense hung thick in the air, you just got the distinct feeling that something big was about to happen. And, it did. They burst into some of the heaviest mosh metal I’ve ever heard, and the crowd simply went berserk. Explosively violent, they blasted forward with the intensity of a freight train, laying waste to everything in their path. The audience was beating the crap out of each other and loving every moment of it. The dance floor was a body surfer’s Hawaii, you couldn’t keep a beer upright there if your life depended on it. This was absolutely the most spectacular live performance i’ve ever seen. Shepherds the Weak is one of my top favorite “HK Underground” bands, simply because of their unparalleled intensity. Their technical skill made them even more amazing.
Wally Amos
Performances:
Official Band Website: http://myspace.com/shepherdstheweak
