Thank you so much to everyone who turned up last Saturday to watch the show! We all enjoyed the surprise on Shaun (The David Bowie Knives) face when the crowd of Nigella Lawsons turned up in full force to wish him “Happy Birthday!” The cake was yummy and it was all Shaun’s girlfriend Natalie’s idea. There’s always surprises at The Underground 🙂
Thanks to Space Edge for playing their DEBUT (and I mean first gig ever) at The Underground, Bank Job were superb, ToNick were so much fun and Kisses from My Grandpa took our breaths away! Thanks to Tina & the wonderful staff at The Melting Pot and so many thanks to Zane, the superb sound & sax man there. Last but not least thank you to BC Magazine and Asahi 🙂
love Chris B x
Space Edge:
Space Edge started the night off for us with a funky riff that got the crowd going. And then the vocals kicked in; and I must say, that is one of the things from this band that really stood out to me. The lead singer’s voice reminded me of Elvis Presley’s, but with a more modern and heavier twist to it. It had a distinct tone to it and he had a unique vibrato. I also noticed that their drummer was a girl, which is very rare nowadays so more power to you!
Their style of music was very old school 90’s pop and you can’t help but bounce to it. It’s music that would play on a summer road trip with all your best buds. On their third song, there was a tiny ‘oops’ moment when the lead singer (who also plays the guitar) found himself with an unplugged guitar! With this show being their first, they handled this particularly well as they kept on singing and moved on. They seemed a tad bit nervous during their set, but that’s almost expected when it’s your first show ever. They gave the crowd a good show and with more experience and doing more shows together, I’m sure they’ll have many great shows ahead of them.
Kyra Santiago
Bank Job
This is definitely a group of very, very talented musicians. As they were doing their sound check, each one was busting out different riffs and tunes and I told myself “this is going to be good”. And it was! They are unique in more ways than one. To start off with, they definitely had that ‘mysterious’ factor with the guitarist and lead singer in shades (and mind you, it was 11:00 pm and we were indoors). They weren’t afraid of being themselves; being different, which I respect very much.
The flyer was not lying when it categorized their music as “funky”. The singer had a little tambourine that he played to the beat and the saxophonist (yes, they had a saxophonist. how cool is that?!) was definitely a bonus treat for the audience when he churned out one solo after another. What I loved about this band was that each member was given the chance to shine and show off a little, and it was all good taste and not over-the-top at all. They had so much stage presence, and knew how to have a good time.
Their sixth song entitled “Down in Mong Kok” reminded me of a hoe down. It was funky, and the crowd got into it by dancing and bouncing around. During their next song, I clearly remember this one part where they all start playing their own thing (at different rhythms) but they still managed to stay in time! That was impressive. They were cheered on when they asked if they could play another song, and even after they finished the crowd was still asking for more! They were great musically and technically speaking, and a band that I would definitely come back to see.
Kyra Santiago
The David Bowie Knives
The David Bowie Knives know how to please a crowd. Throughout their set, they made references to Hong Kong, which the crowd loved. The lead singer had a unique style of singing and has an accent when he sings. For a three piece band, they sounded very ‘full’ and it felt like there were more than just three people on stage. They had great stage presence and were obviously very comfortable on stage and with the audience. During their second song, they got the audience clapping so points for audience participation!
They are pretty much the definition of rock and roll with their in-your-face lyrics and big movements on stage. I loved how brutally honest they were with the words in their songs. Towards the middle of their set, the crowd was getting really into it and it felt like one big party. Their fifth song entitled Money was my favorite. They said it was their more ‘mellow number’ but it was one that stood out. I found myself smiling half way through because of the lyrics and how true they were!
The David Bowie Knives are a blend of Nirvana, Jet and Iggy Pop and The Stooges. The introduction of their song ‘Thighs” reminded me of Nirvana’s “Come As You Are”, which is a good thing as Nirvana is probably as good as it gets.
This night was not like any other as it was the lead singer’s birthday and he was serenaded with a happy birthday song from the audience (or 50 Nigella’s, either way works) and presented with two mouth-watering cakes. The David Bowie Knives were asked to play one more song to end their set and they killed it. They are definitely not afraid to go all out and they are not afraid to sing about anything and everything.
Kyra Santiago
Kisses From My Grandpa
For their first time playing with The Underground, I must say these guys blew me away with their music. They were the first instrumental band to play at the Underground and each one of them is such a talented musician. During their sound check, they didn’t give much of their talent away. The first thing I noticed about them was the lead guitarist’s pedal board. I am not joking when I say it was HUGE; practically the size of my suitcase (width wise).
Their first song had a very eerie and dark sound to it. The way the riffs flowed and blended together with the different effects was very cool. And it was really interesting to see them make that kind of death metal/progressive rock/post rock kind of music on stage, with no backing tracks whatsoever. The way they transitioned from a more mellow sound to a heavier metal sound within songs was very interesting and kept the audience in awe. Their synchronized head banging and crowd interaction was entertaining and made their performance enjoyable to watch.
Between their second and third song, their drummer came up and introduced the band. He showed the bands humorous side and interacted with the crowd well. Their melodic riffs and insane guitar solos kept me glued to them throughout their set. They reminded me of Dream Theatre and Explosions in the Sky, a mixture of progressive rock and post rock. They are such a talented group that I can only expect more AWESOME from them in the future.
Kyra Santiago
ToNick
Tonick ended the night with a great set, great humour, and great music. When I approached their drummer about their set list, he simply told me they did not have one. They are such a carefree and energetic group and that makes them incredibly fun to watch. Their first song entitled “What A Sunny Day” set the mood for the rest of their set. They got the crowd involved by getting them to clap and wave their arms back and forth. Their music automatically sets you in a good mood with their catchy melody’s and guitar riffs (“happy music” as I like to call it). They reminded me of Good Charlotte and Blink 182. Their fourth song was the one that stood out to me the most as they went from punk to a reggae beat.
Most of their set was in Cantonese, and although I wasn’t able to understand 90% of what they were saying, I found myself laughing and bobbing my head to their music along with the crowd. Between songs they would briefly explain the theme of their songs, and they seemed to be talking about very relatable issues like relationships and smoking in bars. They have such great stage presence that the language barrier wasn’t even an issue. ToNick was a great end to a great night.
Kyra Santiago
photos © Copyright 2010 by ANGUS LEUNG
poster by ANGUS LEUNG