Underground 61 show featured Harry Hula,Spodac,Tai Tai Alibi,Spodac,and an epic Battle of the Bands between Ignite the Hope and Innisfallen.Who was best?
Harry Hula is the singer /songwriter of the better known local trio Born to Hula.I enjoyed the set but it's difficult not to compare this folk rock set to his more uptempo incarnation as the frontman for BTH.The songs are reflective,introspective and more Nick Drake than Nick Cave. I think the material just needs a lighter touch in song structure.Still a great set despite some sound difficulties at Club Cixi.My favourite song?'Satellites'.For fans who want to see Harry in a more punky mode watch out for gigs by Born To Hula.
Spodac tried to fool us in their intro into thinking that they play some kind of gentle ,jangly indiepop but their sound is really more like the Foo Fighters or Stone Temple Pilots,classic rock played at volume.The band blasted their way through a hard rock set which included crowd favourites 'Gravity','Scaffold' 'Madam I'm Adam','Breathtaker' and 'WTF?".
So what is a Tai Tai Alibi?Apparently it's a blues-based Hong Kong indie band with some good songs and an excellent lead guitarist that seemed to go down well with the local crowd,although the sound was a little too generic to make a great impact.
Headlining were Ignite the Hope and Innisfallen.Both bands have deservedly large fanbases in Hong Kong on the strength of their material and live performances.They've both managed to create their own unique sound and style.Ignite the Hope began their set with just Nicky on vocals with guitar accompaniment before building the song with crashing drums ,bass and guitar into an exhilirating post punk cacophony that blew away the audience.The band have great audience rapport and it didn't take long for the fans to start cheering and moshing in front of the stage.It's great to see local bands like this who keep alive the DIY spirit of punk and take music to the fans.Plus they also have great song titles like 'We Thrive on Your Nonsense'! but 'Stab Me Alive' was my favourite!
After their drummer had recovered from his guest vocals on ITH's final song Innnisfallen played a set interspersed with new songs and lots of favourites from their excellent debut 'REALlusion'.They kicked off their set gently with Eric on keyboards with a new song with a retro feel but their next song was a rocking version of 'Hours of Rain',then another new song with a Radioheadish feel ,and a great version of 'Beautiful Soul','No Reply'and 'Sounds Behind the Wall',before rocking Club Cixi with a high energy version of 'Butterfly Effect'.This band just keeps getting better and it's great to see that they're already trying out new material for their next album.So who is really best live,Ignite or Innisfallen?Go and see them,together if you can and make up your mind.
