Underground 20

03-02-06

Kung Hei Fat Choy to all our Underground friends!
Thanks to EDGE and ASAHI for supporting original local music!
May we have many more.
love Chris B xx

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Empty Tomb
Our first ever Christian rock band at Underground, played a pleasant medium-pace soft rock with lots of dreamy keyboards (very 1970s meets Chris De Burgh). Track 3 is a debut song (“just written today”) called “The Day is Coming”, a paean to peace, prosperity and (no) pollution. Track 4 sees Empty Tomb rocking out the most although Track 5 sees them play with gusto that at moments is reminsicent of early-U2. Hints of the Christian leanings of the band heard intermittently, this band is fun to hear and to watch. Overall musicianship is high and this band deserves to play on more stages.
Nick Lovatt

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Over A Dogma
Good funky world fusion from Over A Dogma. Closer to Nude in spirit and style of strummage + sort of call and response on vocals. Track 3 sounds like Chris Rea goes on the road to Morocco with fluid guitar work. Track 4 sees them starting off in a slow reggae style then moving into a bassy jazzy funk – cheers of approval from the crowd as the bass player dances on and off stage. Dancing breaks out in the audience and lead vocalist Hamada gets the crowd to sing along in mumbo-jumbo (or was it Moroccan?). Quite clearly this line up with congas and a bouncing bass player works for Over A Dogma. Love world music? You’ll love Over A Dogma.
Nick Lovatt

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Xenic
The “Motorhead” section of the show tonight as their first song “We are Xenic” puts everyone into a head-banging mood. Track 2 is reminiscent of Black Sabbath with some wicked guitar work in there. For track 3 Xenic slows down and sound like “X” meets “Franz Ferdinand” Whilst on track 4 the guitar sounds that Xenic are making sound like a penny slide whistle. It appears that the boys from Soler are fans of Xenic as they were spotted in the audience. Xenic have perfected that Nirvana/Pixies quiet/loud/quiet progression. Pure bliss. Come back to Underground soon….
Nick Lovatt

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Garoupa
There’s a heady rush of expectation as Garoupa take to the stage. Garoupa have that psychedelia sound in a peculiar English way. From one song by Garoupa which sounds like an early Pretty Things at their most whimsical to “Where’s Daddy Gone” refrain which haunts me for inexplicable reasons… The audience are up and dancing. This is hard for me to write now as I’m up and having a good time carried away by the music and the brilliant atmosphere. Their encore had beautiful Hendrix wahwah (Midnight Lamp) meets Beatles (Come Together) and yes we begged for even more.
Nick Lovatt

A big hands up to the sound & lighting crew of Alexis & Steph! You did great guys!

Above photos © Copyright 2006 by Willem Van Der Merwe

Poster by Mike Davis

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