Kings of Convenience (Norwegian Wowed )!

Nordic duo Kings of Convenience were in town for 1 night to wow a select audience at a sell out show at Hong Kong's HITEC with a bunch of songs about love and longing, relationships and creativity.Nordic melancholy and the hyperactive Hong Kong spirit may seem like an odd mix but it really combusted in this show.When we turned up on the night about 2 hours early there was already a long line of fans with tickets waiting in line
Hailed as amabassadors of The New Folk, the band had summed up their music creed in the album title 'Quiet is the New Loud' and in fact their playing style is so quiet at times that they requested photographers to minimise the clicking of their cameras in the early part of the show (although typical of this lens mad city some of us couldn't resist taking one or two pix).
Playing material from all 3 albums, the band quickly established an awesome rapport with the crowd, especially when Erlend discovered that Hong Kong fans really knew all the KOC songs by heart and could sing along at will.The ensuing band / audience singalong had all the warmth of a huge house party rather than a concert.
The duo held us spellbound with their delicately beautiful melodies, intricate guitar harmonies, some lovely keyboard and a playful sense of not taking themselves too seriously, typified by Erlend's geeky but fun dance moves in 'Just Want to Dance With You'. The band's formula may appear simple but the rhythms move intricately and efforlessly between pop, bossa nova and folk.

CityU Band Soc-SONIC BLOOM!!!!


In this annual show of City University Hong Kong at The Hangout we had a crazy evening of reggae, postrock, mathrock and the highly indefinable sweet sounds of Chochukmo.
Crazy Lion opened the show @ The Hangout with their reggae beat which soon had heads nodding and bodies moving to their infectious dub-heavy sounds.

Crazy Lion @ Sonic Bloom


Vocalist Mouse was more like a friendly lion as the band recreated the infectious, melodic sounds of a musical genre that originated in DJ sound systems and ska influenced interpretations of R & B and was popularised in the west by legends like Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff and by record labels like Trojan and Island.The packed hall was soon grooving to their sweet Jamaican-flavoured rhythms.
Wangwen live @ Sonic Bloom in Hong Kong

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Wangwen took us to a more introspective, post-rock space with beautiful, soaring melodies reminiscent of Explosions in the Sky and Mono.This is the band's 3rd visit to Hong Kong recently and for anyone who doesn't believe that post rock bands can rock hard, you must see this band.

                                   



Chochukmo can turn any show into a party and with seemingly effortless ease they charmed the mainly student audience with songs from their recently released 'The King Has Lost His Pink'. They played a jazzy, latin-tinged indie rock set full of leftfield melodies, jangly guitars and Jan's delicate yet passionate vocals on songs like the slightly retro 'Tell Her (Laura I Love Her) the infectious-and-should-be-released-as-a-single' Head to Toe 'and the darkly humorous' Something Special 'and' Number One '.
Te live @ Sonic Bloom


I think something may have been lost in translation in the facebook description stating that Te would make our 'blood boil'. I guess they meant something like 'induce euphoria, ecstasy and warm waves of love between band and audience.' Those of us who only knew about the band by listening to their albums and read descriptions like 'celebral band' may have been expecting an outfit in the style of Japanese bands like Mono or Toe who seem to ooze music from their every nerve cell and  almost discorporate into the music.
Te are consummate musicians too but also had the greatest audience interaction of any band in the show.I was just annoyed that I missed the bassist's stage jump especially as he landed right in front of me !(OK I was too busy changing batteries for my camera but I did  help him back on stage).
Te live @ The Hangout Hong Kong


If That Is What Is Being

Hong Kong bands-Elf Fatima

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In advance of the Mono show I got a chance to ask Paul and Eddie, guitarists in Elf Fatima a few questions and was quite surprised by some of their answers about the music they like and the post rock scene in Hong Kong.
First was Eddie Hui, ..

What are your main musical influences or what bands were you listening to when you formed Elf Fatima?

In the beginning, we were influenced by different genres like psychedelicspace-rock, post-punk, trip-hop, dark pop, shoegaze, noisenik and even some doom metal / gothic metal!

We listened to the music of Pink Floyd, Massive Attack, Portishead, Joy Division, Spiritualised, The Verve, Death in Vegas, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Garbage, Cardigans, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride.

What's the best gig Elf Fatima have played?

Maybe it was with Mogwai in 2004 ...

Best gig you've seen?

Must be Mono 10th Anniversary live with an orchestra in Shibuya O-EAST, Tokyo.That 's the first time I've seen a band crossover with an orchestra live and I was very impressed.

You've appeared with Mogwai and Mono.Any other artist you'd love to play with?

What if Godspeed You! Black Emperor were live in Hong Kong? Ha Ha! Impossible!

Any favourite post rock bands?

So many, Mono GY! BE, World's End Girlfriend, Envy, Mogwai

Best and worst things about the post rock scene in Hong Kong?

It's like a coin with two sides.There are not many bands so we are quite distinctive. On the other hand it's a real disadvantage that the scene is so small

Any plans or shows to watch out for this year?

We really hope to release our 3rd album in 2010!





Paul Chung

What albums have you bought recently?

 World's End Girlfriend-OST


Matryoshka-Zatracenie


Mono-Hymn to the Immortal Wind


Mensheng-Twisted Sight


Chochukmo-The King lost His Pink


Casino Demon-Teenage


Lite-Phantasia


Dreamend-The Long Forgotten Friend (Japanese edition)


Bang Gang-Ghosts From the Past


Triple Smash-When the Light Goes

What other stuff are you listening to at the moment?

Chopin, Do Say Make Think, Envy, Kashiwa Daisuke Kashiwa Daisuke (seems will come to HK
soon : D) ... ...



Musical influences / what artists, bands, styles were you into when you formed Elf Fatima?

Oh, lots of stuff, melodic songs and not just post rock

What's the best gig you've played?

Wang Wen + Elf fatima + Zhaozhe-3 Post-rock bands @ Guangzhou and Hong Kong (2008)


Steve Vai-Hitec (2004), Mogwai-Hitec (2004) Wonderful white noise!

Favourite Hong Kong venue?

No idea, all the stages are too small, maybe the Fringe club because the sound is so good.

You've appeared with Mogwai and Mono.Any other bands you'd like to share a stage with?

Envy (Japan). I like heavy music!

Any favourite postrock bands / musicians?

Jian Tak Building, Kim Tak Building, No One Remains Virgin, Fragile, Downer ...

Best / And worst things about the Hong Kong (post) rock scene)?

Best Things - everybody can play good music ....


Worst Things - not too much people spend money / time to attend post-rock concert, even oversea's famous bands!

Any plans or shows coming up next year?

Release new album 2010!!!



Elf Fatima are supporting  Secret Machines on 17th March @ Grappa's Hong Kong. 

For lots of info on these bands, downloads etc visit thesirenssound

Mono 10th Anniversary Tour in Hong Kong

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Why do Hong Kong indie fans love post rock so much? Is it the emotion and the complexity?Does the music give us some kind of personal space in a frantic,overpopulated city devoted to technology?
Or are music fans and bands here just  a lot more experimental and eclectic in their tastes than we realise?
Mono from Japan have achieved iconic status in the post rock genre and were appearing live in the city.
In support were Elf Fatima, local post rock heroes whom I first heard of when I asked a highly knowledgeable local band member 'Who's your favourite Hong Kong band?'.
'Elf Fatima' was his reply and ever since then I've tried to check out shows from this band who seem to be the band of choice for supporting Postrock monsters like Mogwai and Mono ..

First on the bill were Ghanzhou outfit Zhazhou (aka The Swamp). The band use traditional Chinese instruments as well as electric guitars, giving them a sound somewhere between Beijing bands Lonely China Day and The Gar with quqin player and guitarist at times going onto his knees to play in real rock hero style.Some beautifully structured songs synthesising traditional and modern.An awesome opening set from this band with lots of energy and brimming with musical ideas.The band have been around since 1993 so can clainm to have been at the forefront of China's experimental musical scene.

Elf Fatima play post rock that's heavy in the style of Explosions in the Sky with some of the same complexity but with a rockier edge and a slow building psychedelic groove that erupts into an explosion of sound.The band begin their set with the melancholy 'Michelle the Cellist ', Eddie and Paul's guitars gliding elegantly over the melody on top of the percussion before turning up the volume controls for the rest of the set which they bring to a gloriously cataclysmic conclusion with' I See the Light 'Before the Planet Explodes / .
Setlist
1. Michelle the Cellist
2. Battle of Sunset
3. Walk away from the dark cave
4.I see the light before the planet explodes

Such a small venue is really perfect for the sound of Mono In the quiet parts, every note rings out crystal clear on songs like 'Ashes in the Snow'and for the climaxes we were almost deafened by the waves of feedback saturated power chords. The standout for me was the finale with a near 15 minute version of 'Everlasting Light' building slowly to a blizzard of guitar and percussion for the finale.
Hymn To The Immortal Wind seems like a more cinematic progression from 'You Are There' and of the 3 bands playing tonight Mono seem like the most classically influenced in their sound.

Not just a bandshow: we have been to post rock heaven.

The King Has Lost his Pink-Chochukmo release party

Life in Hong Kong is often stressful and demanding but help is at hand in the shape of one of the city's best young bands Chochukmo.
2009 has been a great year to be a follower of the indie music scene in Hong Kong and on any list of the best upcoming bands Chochukmo would be right up there near the top even at 'Number One'. Just ask Timeout Hong Kong who voted the band as winners of the 'We'll Make Your Album' competition.
It seems just like yesterday when the band won that competition (actually it's about a month ago) and now here already was their new album being unveiled (along with naked portaits of the band) at its release party. So is it and are they really that good?
Ok, as a fan I'm very biased but yes, the band and the album are definitely worth checking out.
Anyone who's followed the band over the last year will not be surprised to find that, as a debut, it's damn good, full of great songs and musical invention.
They kicked off the show with the album's quirky but likable opener 'Child Heights' before launching into the opening bars of' Tell Her (Laura I love Her) 'to raucous cheering from the audience followed by' Number One 'and incendiary versions of' Let Her Go 'and '1, 2,3,4'.
All too soon the band were playing the opening bars of 'Head To Toe' and the release party was over.
The show was also a tribute to the creative energy and love of indie that exists in the hearts of bands and fans all over Hong Kong.After the show Jan Chan Shui-Wing thanked us all for supporting the band, urging everyone to follow their example and do something creative to liven up this dull city.
Chochukmo 'Head To Toe' @ The King Has Lost His Pink

'The King has Lost His Pink' is in record stores now.

Los Campesinos at Clockenflap

Hong Kong indie music fans were out in force on Saturday to see the most ambitious show of 2009 so far with local rising stars Good Fellas and Chochukmo, fan favourites False Alarm and the awesomely talented UK band Los Campesinos.Just add a nice outdoor location with warm weather and sea breezes, film shows, graffiti artists, and a bouncy castle for lots of fun for all ages .....(with lots more on the Sunday which i missed but check out http://www.musixtation.com/ for more info).

I just got there in time to see an energetic set from Good Fellas, one of Hong Kong 's promising young bands playing a set of Britpop-influenced songs.This band have been getting better each time I've seen them and this was their tightest set yet with rocking versions of 'Ride With Me' and ' Nothing About My Way '. With Egg from The Train alongside Po Kei on vocals and Angus from Born To Hula they're now one of Hong Kong's best Britpop style bands and well worth checking out...

http://www.myspace.com/hkgoodfellas

I first saw Joshua Wong, the lead vocalist and songwriter of Noughts and Exxes in January in one of the best attended shows I've seen for his former band Whence He Came and his band were on fire at that show.. He has moved away from the more up-tempo sound of his previous band to something more complex and darker but the great vocals , well written songs and passion are still evident.

http://www.myspace.com/noughtsandexes
Having recently seen the turnout for the 10th Anniversary show of False Alarm it's clear that this band have a big local following.They and Harbour Records were right in the vanguard of today's alternative Hong Kong scene and their energetic, garage-punk set gave us some reasons why they have lasted so long and are still going strong with songs like 'Heavenly' and ' Give Me More. '

http://www.myspace.com/falsealarm.hk
Chochukmo were winners of the recent Time Out Hong Kong 'We'll Make Your Album competition.Wthin the space of their first song they'd won over all of the crowd who weren't fans already with their quirky melodies,jangly guitars and Jan's delicate but passionate vocals.on songs like 'Head To Toe','Carolyn' and the darkly humorous 'Number One.'The band play jangly,latin,jazzy electro-pop.


Pet Conspiracy deliver moody but upbeat Beijing style garage synth rock in the style of Queen Sea Big Shark .The band members have impressive backgrounds in music and media and they created an energetic, dark, sexy, downbeat sound with Helen Feng (lead vocals) transporting the audience to new levels of electro-clash ecstasy. If you missed the excitement of their live show then you should get a copy of their album in White Noise Records

Alexis Taylor DJ set was next up (a bit of an anti-climax after the audience expectations based on albums like 'The Warning' and 'Made in the Dark').

Los Campesinos.This set was the highlight of the show and possibly the whole of 2009 in Hong Kong.The band are talented, write great songs (with crazy but oddly appropriate titles like "Ha Ha We destroyed the hopes and Dreams of a Generation of Faux-Romantics', are generally lauded as one of the most promising of the current contenders and have a sound that's unique among today's indie clone bands with its mix of elation and melancholy of elation and melancholy.

The moment the band launched into 'You'll Need Those Fingers For Crossing', the crowd went wild and just got wilder as the set progressed to an awesome climax in 'You! Me! Dancing! "

A Timeout Hong Kong writer stated recently that this is a highly entrepreneurial city even in musical terms.Yet another characteristic is the city's ability to appreciate and play music that is a little more challenging than that created by platinum-selling indie megabands .

Note for the organisers of Clockenflap.Please bring all these bands back soon!I'm sure that fans will turn out in numbers for big shows with Greenday and the Killers in January but events like Clockenflap display an appetite for indie music that's a a bit more individual and less market driven than the world tours of rock megastars.

Do You Like Rock Music?

What a great combination for an alternative music band show.
The Yours ,a local outfit whose heavy,alienated sound is a bit like Spacemen 3 jamming with the Telescopes and British Sea Power ,whose mood can shift from the darkly uplifting,anthemic 'Waving Flags' on 'Do You Like Rock Music?' to the melancholy 'No Man is an Archipeligo' on' Man of Aran'and whose preoccupations range from subatomic particles ('Atom') to the environment (LIghts Out For Darker Slies').
Grappa's Hong Kong was packed to witness this gig set up by Justin Sweeting and the People's Party.Local heroes The Yours opened with their dark ,shoegazy sound and lots of new songs to be featured on their soon to be released album.Like the main band they have lots of passion for rock music although their style can be a little harder to get into and they seem to enjoy creating a moody,alienated sound which defies labels..Listening to their song 'Tasteless' ,you might well hear echoes of My Bloody Valentine but there's a lot of other things in the mix.To their credit ,they are one of the Hong Kong bands who have already created interest in publications like Drowned in Sound for their debut EP.
http://myspace.com/theyours

British Sea Power began their set in a fairly low-key way before climbing the heights with songs taken mainly from 'Do You Like Rock Music' apart from the anthemic 'Please Stand Up', the cinematic 'The Great Skua' and fan favourites 'Carrion' and 'Remember Me' but the band demonstrated that you can be a good indie band if you write good songs and a great indie band if you just defy genres like indie,rock,britpop,and experimental,mix them all together and see what happens.

The band have been described as eccentric live performers but the lead vocalist Scott is more like a performance artist than a rock star as he windmills his arms,crowd surfs and encourages the band and audience to come together and to revel in the unique musical experience that is a British Sea Power gig.Unforgettable.

By the time of the encore,he's invited the support band on stage to jam,bodysurf and have some fun with the band,the audience,everyone.I think the last song was 'A Wooden Horse' but I'm not sure,such was the mayhem created by one of indie's best live bands.

http://myspace.com/britishseapower

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.