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The Clockenflap Files
2009-11-19 1:37PM / 標準BLOG
The Clockenflap Files
A HK point of view
Clockenflap event is a two-day music and visual arts outdoor festival in Hong Kong. I was lucky enough to get some free passes from Choochootv to go to the event and talk to some of the people involved with this awesome festival. I had a great time looking at the various forms of art, watching the local and international bands play and I enjoyed speaking one-on-one with the artists.
On the first day I got to talk to some of my favourite Hong Kong indie bands; Good Fellas and Chochukmo, giving the story a real local point of view. The performances of both these bands were fantastic and they really did a good job of warming the crowd up before the international acts hit the stage. During... and after that, I talked with the crowd about the event and spent the rest of the day enjoying the music and talking with the artists.
They really are GOOD FELLAS
I took a look at Eco Village and spoke to the director of Eco-vision. I talked to the artists who belong to the group S.T.A.R.T (Street-Art) and watched them while they were in action. Unfortunately, these clips were cut for the first day highlights and will be put on in later Clockenflap updates on Choochootv. Otherwise, if we put all of the stuff in there you would be too overwhelmed with information.
So, take a look at the video below which will show you some of the highlights of
Clockenflap: Day 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beGD_cTX3UI
The Choochootv crew left the scene around 6pm because of the difficulties interviewing people in the dark. But, I stayed around and listened to some of the international acts. For me, Los Campesinos was definitely a highlight for the day for me. I had never heard of them before, so they were a pleasant surprise. The band on before them were quite good. They were from China and really blew me away with their first few songs, but I can't remember their name. Could have been the alcohol that had done that. Did you see them? Tell me, what is their name!
I drank all day Saturday and was really drunk by the end of it, meaning that day two of the festival I came back and had one hell of a hangover. It was harder trying to talk to some of the artists while my head was pounding. Day Two was especially hard as many of the artists themselves were hung-over too and drinking again for a second day.
Pretending to be passed out! (Yes... pretending!)
You can really tell from my interview with the graffiti artists that everyone was abit worse for wear. I really had a hard time talking to these guys because they didn’t want me to call their art… ART. So, as you can see in the conversation I was trying to figure out what they wanted to call it, and in the end they just called it decoration. So, it’s not graffiti, not art, not street art… just decoration… right!?
I got to talk to the guys from Poubelle International who are another one of my local favourites. To make the sound fuller they added some brass instruments and got a lending hand from Shaun from the David Bowie Knives. These add-ons were simple there to play three notes, but they played them really well. I also got the pleasure to speak with the organisers of clockenflap, and by the end of the conversation they knew who I was and what band I played for... trying desperately to cement a spot for FBI for next year's show.
Take a look at some of the action from
Clockenflap: Day 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBaSPXMo16Y&feature=related
If you like what you saw, please go to www.choochootv.com and check out more of their Clockenflap files and other channels which include:
ArtAttack, HK Live, Band Cult, Bob-Kay Pedia and more...!!!
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Up close and personal with Masta Mic and The Justice Family
2009-11-11 2:04PM / 標準BLOG
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Third Underground Review!!!
2009-10-03 9:57PM / 標準BLOG
It wasn't so long ago I was writing a blog about doing a review for Underground 84... so I didn't expect to be writing another review for the Underground so soon. But, I got such a good response from Chris that she wanted me back straight away...
Just one thing I would like to clarify before I go any further... Chris reminded me that The Underground does give free beer to the band members who play that night (and the reviewer!), so I shouldn't whinge just because I don't drink beer. It's just not unlimited amount of beer and doesn't cater for me, a non beer drinker. So I wasn't trying to diss The Underground in any way in my previous blog. It's hard for me as I have loyalties to both of these great band events.
The stage is set
You know I have always had good things to say about the Underground as they have given myself and F.B.I. many opportunities. So sorry Chris, I am not trying to say that HK Live! is better. It's important that you have some competition, right? It keeps the Hong Kong music scene healthy. I think the Underground is a great platform for new and existing bands to show off their stuff to the Hong Kong audience.
Calvin and Heather take up Chris' duties
Back to U85... it was on the 19th of September at the Melting Pot and included 5 great bands: Kris & Ben Said, Supper Moment, Brothers of Roadkill, One Last Fall, and In Love & Pain.
I was not feeling the best that night as I was suffering from bronchitis and really shouldn't have been drinking or even out that night. But, what can I do? Chris was out of town supervising the Global Battle of the Bands in Shanghai and was relying on me, plus I was at a bar and couldn't help but indulge myself with a few sneaky drinks.
I can't help indulge myself with a few drinks with my new buddy Andy (Sweeney Todd!!!)
It turned out to be an awesome night. I got to see my co-star from Sweeney Todd strut her stuff on-stage for the first time with 'Kris and Ben' said. And I was totally blown away by her performance. She has an awesome voice and is really talented, not to mention beautiful. Another highlight of the night for me was watching 'Brothers of Roadkill' who are very exciting blues trio. I loved their performance so much and looking forward to seeing them again. The other bands were great too and did a really good job of keeping me entertained for the whole night.
So, I am going to give you a little taster of what I wrote for their reviews... but if you want to read the whole thing you will need to click this link to go to the Underground website here: http://www.undergroundhk.com/v2/?p=585
Kris & Ben said: http://www.alivenotdead.com/kristinalao
"I had already listened to their last song of the night, ‘Machine Gun’, via Kristina’s alivenotdead website. The chorus and song lyrics are quite simple, but very effective. In my mind I got images much alike to the music video of ‘Zombie’ by ‘The Cranberries’. I could just imagine a war going on, dirty faces of kids and people running around in despair. All of this was going on while the story of two lovers was being told; amidst the confusion and chaos of the war. In this song I found myself drawn to the front of the crowd to support her and to enjoy the music."
Supper Moment: http://www.alivenotdead.com/suppermoment
"After the short and quick opener the band played their song, ‘Last Supper’, which sounds like it has religious connotations to it. I wouldn’t know as I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but the tone of his voice made me feel quite content and relaxed. I felt like the music video would be something like two people who really liked each other, constantly looking each other’s way and smiling shyly. I felt like the guy wants the girl but doesn’t know how to express his feelings to her. I really liked this song because of the imagery it gave me, even though it might not be the intended message."
Brothers of Roadkill: (get on alivenotdead guys!!!)
"With a name like ‘Brothers of Roadkill’ I expected to be blown away by some kind of heavy metal type of music. But was I so wrong! In their bio they claim to be the most exciting band to come out of Hong Kong of late, so I was a little put off before I even started writing my notes for the review. It annoys me when bands talk themselves up so much, especially before I ever heard of them. This was their debut at The Underground and I found out they have had only had a few shows prior to that. But the trio lived up to their bio in the fact that their first song kicked ass. It was so funky! I loved it immediately. All of the guys are Chinese but their style was so Motown."
One Last Fall: http://www.alivenotdead.com/onelastfall
"By the third song I started to think that I have heard these guys before. Not realising at that stage that I have had the pleasure of sharing the stage with them. No wonder I thought I had heard it before… dur. They had definitely improved as musicians since the last time I had saw them. Their next song, ‘Pointless’, wasn’t so pointless after all. It was a slower song than the rest and relied heavily on Sheila’s melodic vocals. I liked how the guitar sounded when the song picked up the pace."
In Love & Pain: http://www.alivenotdead.com/inloveandpain
"I can’t give you a play by play account of their set because it kind of just flew by without me realizing it. I should have gone back so much earlier to write some more notes about them, but before I knew it they were announcing that it was their last song. I didn’t even notice that they had put in a cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Give it to Me’. Their set was intense and they never let down until the end of the show. This was really a great way to finish the night off."
If you want to read the whole review go here: http://www.undergroundhk.com/v2/?p=585
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The rollercoaster of emotions-no pictures/just words
2009-09-10 4:24PM / 標準BLOG
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I review Underground 84
2009-08-29 12:50PM / 標準BLOG
This was my second attempt at reviewing an Underground show. There were six bands playing at the LKF Beer Bar this night: Logo, Pleasure Garden, Dear Jane, Tai Tai Alibi, Velvette Vendetta and Lazy Susans. Funnily enough there were two bands that I had written reviews for in my first attempt. They were Logo and Tai Tai Alibi. So, I felt more pressure to write something different then in my first attempt. I also had the pleasure of interviewing Dear Jane for Choochootv's HK Live channel and was really looking forward to seeing them live, as I missed the HK Live show as I was in Australia at the time.
I had a really good time at the show and instead of just sitting down and taking notes for the whole night, I decided to get into the action and join the people on the dancefloor. You can see me in some of the pictures jumping around crazily to Dear Jane and Velvette Vendetta.
I try to write as many notes about the band as I can while I watch their performance. Though I am just a singer and can't really comment well on how the musicians play their instruments, I still give it a try.
The difference between my review and other reviews on the website they you may see is that... no.1 My reviews tend to be alot longer and no.2 My reviews tend to be alot more personal as I express my deep thoughts and feelings. Going back to the length of the review, as the lead singer for a band, I also appreciate it when the reviewer writes a longer review about our band. When the review is too short I think to myself, what... is that it? My reviews are more personal because that is the way I like to express myself. I guess it is just my unique style of writing. Hopefully it draws people in and makes them want to read it.
So, I made my notes from the show, physically and mentally exhausting myself. I didn't get time to write the review until later on in the week as I was so busy. I was a little scared that I wouldn't be able to write a good review as the memories of the night were slowly fading away. Also, I thought that I would only be able to give a brief summary of each band, instead of going into so much detail. I didn't think I had enough notes to write an essay.
But that is what it ended up being, almost an essay. It took me four hours to write the reviews for six bands, and by the time I got to the last band I was really stuffed. So, I sent the reviews to Chris late Wednesday night so that she could put it on the website the next day. That was what she was going to do, but it turned out that she liked them so much she put them on the website that night, straight after reading them.
I have been asked to review the next Underground and I am considering it as we speak. Though I am a little hesistant because September is going to be a busy month for me already. But, I enjoy being busy... keeps me sane.
Anyway, I would really like you to go to the underground website and check out the reviews. I will leave you now with a sample of my review for each band.
Logo: (not yet on alivenotdead)
"The great thing about this band is that their songs create a lot of imagery. For example, in their song called ‘Non-stop Paradise’ I could imagine being on a deserted island with the soundtrack in the background. The scene plays out with myself and my loved one having fun on the beach, surrounded by palm trees, white sand and clear blue water. The song ended with chimes, as if we were waking up from a dream and being brought back to reality. "
Pleasure Garden: http://www.alivenotdead.com/PleasureGarden
"They started off sounding very punky. Haley’s voice was not too strong, but maybe that is because the microphone wasn’t turned up loud enough. I could see her pointing her finger in the air to notify the sound guy to turn her up. But, he either didn’t see her or ignored her requests. Anyway, I thought that she had plenty of potential."
Dear Jane: http://www.alivenotdead.com/dearjane
"Their fifth song was supposed to be their last, it was yet again another quick paced catchy song. I couldn’t resist it any longer, I had to get up and dance along to it. So, I made my way to the middle of the crowd and within seconds of me bopping up and down, the people around me began to catch the fever too. All of a sudden there was pushing and shoving (the good type) and we had our own little moshpit in the centre of the dance floor. Dear Jane continued to work up the crowd and they responded by jumping around crazily. Check the photos for proof. The song ended and the crowd cheered for more, insisting that they play one more song."
Tai Tai Alibi: http://www.alivenotdead.com/taitaialibi
"Tai Tai Alibi is a band that never disappoints. I have seen them live more than a few times and what sticks into my head is that these guys never let down. They are always on top of their game and tonight wasn’t anything different. They started their set and showed us again why they are one of the best bands in Hong Kong. And as always, I was mesmerized by Tim’s voice."
Velvette Vendetta: http://www.alivenotdead.com/velvettevendett
"I was enjoying the music so much. These guys are really entertaining to watch an they always put on a great show. I was half waiting for them to start destroying the stage like I have seen them do in the past. I have seen Jacky jump atop the drums and start head banging until he tipped the drums over. What a sight. So, I was kind of hoping for a repeat. Wouldn’t that be cool to write about. But, I doubt these drums would be able to handle his weight, they would probably just crumble and Jacky would be in a lot of trouble. So the shenanigans never transpired, maybe they weren’t drunk enough. Get them some more piss I thought."
Lazy Susans: http://www.alivenotdead.com/LazySusans
"Their 3rd song, ‘Steel Wall’, was off the Underground Compilation CD no. 1, which is quite funny. Not funny haha. But, it is also another weird coincidence that 3 bands this night had songs off the first compilation. I have listened to this song a lot at home and I still can’t get past the lyrics, “let me do what I long to do with you…” haha. It doesn’t leave much to the imagination. I really like the way the guitars sound in this song and I think the vocals are quite cute and sweet."
To see the whole review please go to the underground website: http://www.undergroundhk.com/v2/?p=577
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- Hi, I am the vocalist of F.B.I...
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