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Friday, October 9, 2009

Rockraiser Festival





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The Hong Kong indie kid is finally coming of age on a day which saw a host of great bands lining up for a kids' fundraising extravaganza just hours before the awesome British Sea Power took to the stage. Thanks to Kap Liu of Crazy Young Master Hong Kong had its very own all day mini-festival featuring well-established Beijing bands New Pants and Queen Sea Big Shark alongside local rising stars Chochukmo and Modern Children just 1 week after our beaches were rocked for 3 days by more than 30 bands in the Silvermine Bay Music Festival.
Hoghlights of the show for me were sets by Modern Children and Chochukmo and the aforementioned Beijing garage-punk rocksters Queen Sea Big Shark and New Pants.Unlike the earlier scheduled version of this event back in April, we had a sunny afternoon to rock out beside the South China Sea.
Typically for this event, there was a relaxed family atmosphere with lots of extremely young rock fans getting into the action.
Modern Children are one of the many promising young bands on the Hong Kong indie circuit with lots of ideas, a unique folk-rock style and a perfect band for the occasion, kind of like Arcade Fire on an up day meets Noah and The Whale. Perfect indie folk-pop.



http://myspace.com/modernchildrenmusic
Chochukmo are the perfect band for any event as their playing can flow betwen pop, rock, latin and jazz.
Jan, Mike, Lester and Kitty aka Chochukmo are really getting better and better in their live shows.Having just returned from a successful tour they've also been voted best new band in Hong Kong and are currently producing their debut album.One of Hong Kong's most quirky and individual bands, they play in a style that encompasses, rock, pop, and latin with lead vocalist Jan's mercurial vocals leading the sonic intricacies and shifting mood changes.The band played a great set with favourites like 'Caroline'and' Number One ', closing with a jangly upbeat version of' Head To Toe '

http://myspace.com/chochukmo
Queen Sea Big Shark generated the kind of excitement that local fans always display for visiting mainland cousins as the band powered through their set, opening with a gentle electro-pop number before launching into their more typical spiky, hook-laden, new wave garage rock with synthesised loops in 'No, No No!', 'Kiss, Kill Bang!', 'Love is Pop'and other favourites from their debut album, complete with pounding drums from Xiao Wu, infectious guitar riffs from Cao Pu , strident bass from Wang Jinghan and Fu Han one of the current Beijing's scene's most appealing vocalists.The band were chosen to support The Yeah Yeah Y eahs.

http://myspace.cn/queenseabigshark
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Saturday, September 12, 2009

Handsome Furs live in Hong Kong












































With so many great new indie bands around it's great to see that we can check out some of them in small ,intimate venues like Grappa's in Hong Kong,thanks to Justin and The People's Party.
This gig saw up-and-coming and highly-rated Canadian band The Handsome Furs (fronted by Dan Bechner of Wolf Parade) paired up in an inriguing contrast with local heroes Noughts and Exxes,balancing the subtle,melancholic songs of Joshua Wong's band with the equally clever but more in-your-face style of the Canadian rocksters and Dan Bechner's anthemic,Springsteen -like vocals.
Noughts and Exxes live @ Grappa's

Ok,Handsome Furs really do sound even better,punkier and edgier live than on the new album and onstage they display the kind of energy that galvanises the audience into an uncontrollable frenzy as they launch into a bunch of songs from 'Face Control',gyrating ecstatically to the heavenly crescendo they create,always maintaining a beautiful,simple rock groove on songs like 'I'm Confused',''Legal Tender' and 'Radio Kalingrad',the dark menace of the lyrics always undercut by the upbeat driving tempo of the songs and the couple's obvious delight in performing.Dancing maniacally around the stage like rock'n'roll heroes Dan and Alexai just wound up the crowd to higher and higher levels of excitement with a bunch of beat-driven,hook-laden,super energetic,anthemic songs.One of 2009's best gigs in this city and a sign that the indie scene in Hong Kong is really maturing.Please, People's Party,lets have more.On my wish list would be Florence and The Machine,Los Campesinos and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.Oh ,and a return visit of The Handsome Furs would be great,too.
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Sunday, August 2, 2009











Good news for fans of alternative music in Hong Kong.
There's no doubt that the Hong Kong indie scene is improving when we have talented young bands who're already well known with other young guns following the trail they've blazed.That's highly encouraging for fans of the local music scene in a city full of bars pounding out bland ,stereotyped musical offerings.
First on in this Backstage gig were Chochukmo,just back from a highly successful Malaysian tour and even without their bassist they played an awesome acoustic set which highlighted Jan's vocals more than their normal raucous electric outings with favourites like 'Tell Laura I Love Her',a great version of 'Number One'  before closing the set with two of their killer songs,'Caroline' and 'Head To Toe'.
Chochukmo live @ Backstage
Chochukmo's feelgood jangle-pop harmonies were followed by the much more basic but hugely enjoyable post-punk of Shotgun Politics with a heady mixture of pounding drums,shouty vocals and a driving rhythm section operating at maximum velocity.
Shotgun Politics Backstage
Despite their youth ,headliners Innisfallen already have one very  good album ,'REALusion', and are already working on songs for their next so this was a chance to preview some newer material alongside favourites like'Beautiful Soul' and 'Butterfly Effect'(cue audience singalong and general mayhem from the crowd).Another great set from one of Hong Kong's best and indie bands.
Innisfallen 'Butterfly Effect'

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Saturday, July 4, 2009

Emmy the Great-From Hong Kong to Glastonbury and back


http://newindiemusichongkong.com/
So,what's your idea of a great indie show?Noisy guitars,pounding basslines,crashing drums and indecipherable lyrics?In this case you're wrong on all counts.
Rave reviews from indie expert Steve Lamacq and the fact that she was also fresh from an appearance at Glastonbury prompted me to check out this gig as my idea of indie is also generally along the lines of noisy electric guitars and shouty lyrics from either sullen or over-energetic performers in great bands like The Arcade Fire,Vampire Weekend ,Radiohead or local versions of those bands,unless it's someone experimental like Deerhunter ,Animal Collective etc.Emmy follows none of these paths but seems content just to let her acoustic guitar,amazing voice and complex,literate songs about relationships stand alone.
Using the set mainly to highlight material from her new 'First Love' album ,she launched into 'We Almost Had a Baby', 'Easter Parade', the hard-hitting 'Dylan' and 'First Love',just taking time out to sing one Faye Wong cover song in Chinese for her Hong Kong fans ,an uptempo version of 'Edward is Deadward ' and a (very brief')Michael Jackson mini-tribute after someone called out on her second encore for 'Billie Jean' finishing with uptempo versions of 'Where is My Mind?'and 'On the Museum Island'.It's the first time in Hong Kong that I and I guess many of the crowd have been so captivated by an acoustic indie performance.Emmy may not have come home to a reception like the wild crowds at Glastonbury last week but by her third encore it was clear that Lamacq knows a great performer when he sees one. Girls with acoustic guitars-indie fans ,it's the new way forward.
Emmy the Great live in Hong Kong


Emmy the Great 'The Easter Parade'


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Friday, June 12, 2009

The Storm after The Calm...Witness and Innisfallen live

The Hunger Site

Two great live bands for Hong Kong indie fans to check out.This gig saw one of Hong Kong's best live bands, Innisfallen, giving a workout to some new material and more familiar favourites from their highly successful debut album'REallusion' and Witness ,the UK lo-fi indie rocksters with two albums that gained great critical acclaim and appearances on MTV’s Five Night Stand and Later With Jools Holland as well as tours supporting bands such as The Charlatans, Doves, Wilco and Embrace in between their own headline shows. The second album, 2001’s Under A Sun,after glowing reviews, led to main stage slots at all the major UK festivals including Glastonbury, Reading and the V Festival.

Innisfallen kicked off the show with lots of material from their excellent 2005 debut 'REallusion',and live versions of 'No Reply','Beautiful Soul','Hairstings'which now have a darker,heavier feel with Cheong Ho's drums more to the forefront as well as some newer songs which see the band exploring new directions.This band 's sets are always worth checking out and this was no exception with a good balance between crowd favourites and newer,more experimental material.
Innisfallen 'Orange'

Witness arrived trailing clouds of glory from their previous incarnation and look like a welcome addition to the Hong Kong indie scene.On display were some great songs mainly taken from the 'Before the Calm' album' and in frontman Gerard they have a talented,passionate vocalist with equally impressive performances by Ray Chan on lead guitar. You can hear lots of influences in their sound from The Verve (they're both from the same town) through to a Neil Young or REM altcountry sound.Going by the enthusiasm from the audience this band still have a lot to say.
Witness 'Here's One's For You'

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Saturday, May 9, 2009

Beijing wonderkids Carsick Cars live in Hong Kong
















What a great gig for indie music fans in Hong Kong with two of Beijing's best bands performing at The Hangout.
Highlight of the show was a storming performance by headline act Carsick cars ,the Beijing band who've attracted international interest after performing with Sonic Youth,a moody ,rebellious racket that left our ears ringing.
First on were local band Unixx with some songs from their debut 'Nasty Fantasy' and a taste of some of their newer material which is heavier .In this band you can hear a reinterpretation of the classic,dark ,gothic style mixed with conventional rock. With Ed Poon's emotional guitar lead combining with Sean's vocals UNiXX's sound is melodic post-punk.
A Roller Control ,featuring Lona Records Alok Leung on bass is a heavy,dance-friendly monster which would be a welcome addition to any indie club night.From the moment Alok's heavy ,funky bass lines blasted out,complemented by percussion and all manner of electronica ,it was time to party.
A Roller Control is a 'Disco Punk band' consisting of Alok (programming / bass / guitars), Nerve (programming / keyboard), Nadim (vocals / guitar / keyboard), K (Vocals / keyboard) and Sebastian (drums...)
The Gar were a spectacular surprise.Less well known than the more acclaimed Carsick Cars,their set was full of intricate ,rocking guitar riffs and big songs with anthemic choruses that recalled early british bands like The Stone Roses,mixed with an amazing psychedelic guitar style.What seems at first like a maelstrom of sound has lots of intricate layers and textures.
The Gar live in Hong Kong




Carsick Cars gained deserved recognition due to their association with Sonic Youth who nominated them as their favourite Chinese band and their set had all the excitement you could demand of an upcoming indie guitar band.
Their sound is influenced by the Velvet Underground, Suicide and Sonic Youth and is a combination of explosive guitar and stabbing rhythms.
The band consists of Jeff Shou Wang on vocals, guitar, and loops, Li Qing on percussion, and Li Weisi on bass guitar.
Carsick Cars 'Zhong Nan Hai'



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Sunday, April 19, 2009

Hedgehog Tour '09 Atomic Rock





Hong Kong indie fans gave the best reception to noise-pop band Hedgehog that I've witnessed on the release of their new album 'Blue Day Dreaming' at The Fringe Club.
Kicking off the show were local indie heroes Born To Hula,with Angus on bass ,Harry on guitars and vocals and June on percussion and it was interesting to see 2 bands in transition with lots of new material to try out and a marked contrast in styles.Born To Hula are still at an experimental stage,trying out new styles and ideas while Hedgehog are perfecting and extending the noise-pop that is their trademark sound.
Born To Hula play in an edgy,agitated postpunk style with angular rhythms and dark lyrics on new songs like 'Hills of Sand','New Money' and 'Stick Figures'.The band have danceable beats,shouty punk style vocals and great hooks. It looks like they have a lot of good new songs that just need to be played live a few more times till they become as danceably addictive as their older material.
Born To Hula live @ The Hedgehog Tour '09
http://myspace.com/borntohula
'Our youth is so perfect/We don't have time to waste'
One of Beijing's best bands,Hedgehog are a noise-pop trio with Z.O. on guitar and vocals,BoX on bass and the amazing Atom on drums.
The band play a spiky,rocking noise -pop ,driven by .Z.O's charismatic vocals, driving bass lines and percussion and just keep getting better in their live shows.In this set as they stormed through songs from the new album'Blue Day Dreaming' like 'In Spring' and 'Pseudomorph 'alongside old favourites like 'Noise Hit World' it was pop perfection and ecstasy for Hong Kong indie fans.
Beijing band Hedgehog Tour '09

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Saturday, March 28, 2009

Beijing Band Retros Tour '09






http://newindiemusichongkong.com/

Beijing may have more and better bands than Hong Kong because of the comparative sizes of the two cities but it was still a great chance for local indie fans to enjoy and compare the performances of top Beijing band Retros and local indie band The Yours.Both bands have a liking for the darker side of indie but Retros have a more post-punk Gang of Four sound and The Yours are firmly in the shoegaze style of bands like The Telescopes and My Bloody Valentine.In support were The S.I.G.I.T. an Indonesian metal band playing an impressive set with lots of influences from classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. The band are just back from a US tour ,playing in California and LA and having made a strong impression on their debut at the now renowned SXSW music festival.They rocked out the packed venue with a metalcore wig-out on songs like 'Horse' ,'No Hook' and 'Alright'.
The SIGIT live @ ReTROS Tour '09


http://myspace.com/thesigit
The Yours , one of Hong Kong's best and edgiest young bands with a debut album that gained them recognition and praise in indie publications like Drowned in Sound ,their set moved the mood of the evening to a sombre shade of dark with songs like 'Hate You Hate Me'and 'Killer Killed.'This band started out with lots of shoegaze influences but now have a harder sound that's more like a mix between shoegaze,post-punk early Velvet Underground .Their moody noise ,with disaffected vocals and stabbing guitars from Jack and Nic and driving beats from Azia and Ho is the perfect soundtrack for rebellious indie fans.
The Yours live @ Fringe Club ReTROS Tour '09

http://myspace.com/theyours
Rebuilding The Rights Of Statues (Re-Tros) from Beijing see themselves as a return to the basic values from the bygone post-punk era. Hua Dong (Vox & Guitars) credits bands like Bauhaus, Joy Division, Television, and Pere Ubu among his greatest influences and this is in evidence most clearly on songs like 'Bela Lugosi's Back.' Lead vocalist Dong 's menacing,agitated style is perfectly suited to the doomy,dystopian lyrics about modern fractured life in songs like 'Surrender','My Great Location'and 'Boys in Cage' .Dong's vocals with Min's harmonies manage to make the sound both threateniing and aethereal while the songs are filled with addictive hooks and driving,heavy beats from Hui on drums.If Joy Division were reformed in 21st Century Beijing,this how they might sound.Nihilistic post-punk at its best.
ReTROS Tour '09 Hong Kong 'Girl Bye Bye'



Re-Tros has just released their debut full length album Watch Out! The Climate Has Changed Fat Mum Rises…with additional percussion and strings .

http://myspace.com/rebuildingtherightsofstatues
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