A great night with plenty of girls on stage wielding guitars and clearly proud to be musicians! Thanks so much to the bands, Orange Peel (especially Carr), Sophie & Angus for helping to make it run so smoothly. Thanks to Singha beer! Huge thanks to the audience who turned up to check out this showcase. See you all at the next one in May 2016!
love Chris B xx
非常前精彩嘅一個晚上！有好多女仔樂手為大家獻技，佢地嘅音樂令大家都聽出耳油！好感謝所有樂隊，Orange Peel (由其丫Carr) Sophie 同Angus令整個活動流程十分流暢！當然唔少得 Singha Beer 對我地嘅支持！重有各位參加嘅朋友有你地活動先會成功！希望5月再見！
love Chris B xx
This was the first Underground Girls with Guitars show in more than a year. Which is a shame, as girls are good, and guitars are good, and together they’re great (OK I’m generalising, but yeah). So why the delay? Not enough girls with guitars in HK? There’s plenty of girls, I’ve seen them on the street, and there’s loads of guitars. We just need to get them together. Start a campaign or something?
Anyway, there was a decent crowd at OP, and an interesting and varied line-up, with singer/songwriter Sidick Lam kicking things off, followed by Teenage Girls (who are not teenagers, although two of the three are girls), and heavy rock babes Dovey headlining.
– Dan Creffield
Sidick Lam
1. 我爸的筆 (cover)
2. 充電寶被拐走了
3. 關於生活
4. 人們都是迷迷茫茫的走到這裡
5. 我家不是停機坪
Cutting a small, unassuming figure in her long plaid shorts and white sneakers, Sidick Lam and her rhythm sidekick sitting on one of those box/seat/drum things might just have just walked up the road from busking outside Star Ferry. Not that that’s a bad thing, lots of people were discovered busking, like Axl Rose. Or did I make that up? But I digress.
Clutching a tiny guitar that she could have just purchased from Toys ‘R’ Us, Sidick launched into a song that (I think) she said was a Taiwanese cover called ‘My Father’s Pen’. But (incest alert) I don’t think I was the only one who misheard the title.
Petite as it was, however, her guitar produced a beautiful, rich sound which Sidick really made the most of, playing with fluency and panache. And unassuming as she was, she sang beautifully, with a sweet, clear voice.
“The next song is called ‘About Life’,” she announced at one stage. “It’s err, about life.” Thanks for the heads up, Sidick.
And while she’s probably not in line for a Grammy any time soon, her songs were cheerful, upbeat, and totally charming. There were one or two more melancholy moments but cartoony joy was the order of the day. I can imagine the video, with birds and butterflies alighting on her hand Disney style.
One track was called ‘Fong Fei Gei’, which literally means leaving on an airplane, but in local slang means being stood up. Cantonese – go figure.
It wasn’t all strummy chords either, she worked well rhythmically with box boy, adding some pleasing syncopation. So far, so Hello Kitty meets indie princess. But in a good way. Especially for the last track, where she used a kazoo, to buzzy, slightly alarming effect. Overall an accomplished performer with a bit of x-factor about her.
– Dan Creffield
隨人流續漸增加，充斥著香港和外國觀眾的場地，以史迪林打頭陣為音樂會展開熱鬧氣氛。史迪林有一位主唱和一位木箱鼓手，史迪林這趣怪名字有廣東話直譯英文叫作SidickLam，令人好奇名字的由來。未演出前，對主唱的第一印象就是個清新文藝女生，年紀輕輕，穿著蓬鬆衣服和背著一個小斜背包，身高不太高，卻又背著跟身體比例不對稱的木結他表演，還會配以kazoo表演，這樣一點點的衝突感更為有趣；木箱鼓手則是個看上去平凡，跟時下年輕人無異的男生，但平凡的外表跟身懷著流暢和跟主唱很合得來的節奏感又形成一個反比，而史迪林充斥著的種種反差卻令成員二人在音樂上有很好的化學反應，繼而令作為觀眾的自己感到與其有「聯繫」，這就是音樂感染到人的地方。
當晚樂隊有五首歌曲表演，當中有一首cover song 和其餘的自創曲， 語言 以廣東話和普通話為主，廣東話歌詞都是十分地道的口語，相信令香港聽眾十分有共鳴；普通話方面，口音和曲風都是感覺偏向台灣式的。而歌詞用語方面，其中的自創曲中用主唱自身故事作背景而引發創作靈感，因為故事是講作到大陸旅遊，所以歌詞則用了普通話用詞，如「充電寶」，另外的創作主題亦是環繞著生活的，如生活壓力，有時還配上「盞鬼」歌詞，可見樂隊自身的創作風格。而主唱本身也有一把較甜美的聲音，令人較易聯想到台灣創作歌手魏如萱 呢～
– Phyllis Lau
Teenage girls
1. On Your Sleeve
2. Stay Forever
3. Cancer
4. Morning News
5. Comet
6. End of the Day
7. Johnston
8. PS Eggs Rule
9. Red Rover
10. Jamie
A three-piece consisting of singer/guitarist, bass player and (boy) drummer, Teenage Girls offer an attractive alt rock/indie sound. Driven by Elaine’s rasping Telecaster, Marie’s melodic bass and sexy boots (well the boots made more of a visual than musical contribution but certainly added to the overall vibe) and drummer Bren’s excellent drumming and improbably tight control of his lanky limbs, the chemistry between the three was clearly discernable.
Influenced by 90s girl-fronted US acts such as The Breeders, Throwing Muses, Belly, Veruca Salt at al, the overall sound was rock-angsty, in sharp contrast to the light-heartedness of the band’s in-between banter, which was occasionally hilarious.
Elaine has a nice but not big voice (probably matching Elaine herself who seems super nice but tiny) and could have done with more vocal support from Marie, whose harmonies really added another dimension when she did come in.
Standout tracks were Cancer, Red Rover (which according to Elaine’s very (too!) detailed explanation was based on some weird game she used to play in Canada), new track End of the Day (which Elaine said she’d been trying to get together for years) and for me the best of the bunch Johnston Road, which had real depth and sounds like a bit of a classic.
“Thanks for supporting original music in Hong Kong!” Elaine finished with. No, thank YOU, Teenage Girls! (the band I mean).
– Dan Creffield
當晚第二隊則是風格很不一的 Teenage Girls， 名字聽起來好像是甜美的女生彈奏著結他， 結果出現在眼前的是很酷帥的短髮女生主唱兼結他手！身邊還有低音結他手和鼓手。表演英文歌曲的這隊的節奏十分強而有力，同時，鼓手表演卻鬆容不迫，另外兩位表現也很放鬆，尤其是主唱和結他手，演出時賣力之餘身體跟著音樂擺動，感覺就是音樂與其人融為一體，相信這種格外自如的groove是跟自己創作有關，自創的自己就是最熟悉不過了。
同時，也有跟觀眾有一些互動，如在第九首“Red Rover”演出前跟不知道的觀眾解釋“Red Rover”是個怎麼樣的遊戲和以它作歌曲創作主題。第三首“Cancer”則是覺得當晚 Teenage Girls表演中的signature，節奏強勁但主唱有把令人感到心情舒暢的聲線，所謂的“soothing voice”，這節奏和聲線的組合感覺不算是突兀，而且表演有層次感，由一開始較慢板的節奏繼而推進至副歌中的演唱出的「釋放」，這確是個人很喜歡的一首。
– Phyllis Lau
Dovey
1. Loyal to Ourselves
2. 留影
3. 逆草同根
4. 後知後覺
5. 花影重來
With regulation heavy rock attire, packing some serious sonic firepower and not cracking a smile, the five members of Dovey looked like they meant business from the get-go. And wow, did they. A huge, buzz saw twin-guitar attack from six-string sirens Ami and Kay and soaring, impassioned vocal from cute bob-haired Sogun made for a massive sound which alternatively pulverised and beguiled a transfixed audience into submission.
Not to be left out, bass player Ting was great, funking and twanging to hold the bottom end together while drummer Renee was also a total star, belying her demure appearance by rocking like a drumming dervish. She also looked like she had just walked off the set of a TVB historical drama. Yum.
After singing the first track partially in English, Sogun announced (in Cantonese) – “we are from Hong Kong, now we sing in Cantonese!” to great applause. To be honest they could have been singing in Serbo-Croat – the language of rock is universal, kids.
Effortlessly maintaining the drama, this was a really excellent performance from an experienced band with more than 100 gigs under their studded musical belts. My only criticism was that with just five tracks, it felt like a short set. Just as I was getting into it! But you know what they say – leave ‘em wanting more. And I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in the audience who could have done with another couple of Dovey doses (does that work?).
A classic Hong Kong rock sound, combined with great looks and strong commercial appeal made Dovey the act of the night for me. Lovey Dovey!
– Dan Creffield
到最後的Dovey，真的是「彈結他的女生」樂隊呢！有三位結他手；一位主唱和一位鼓手。主唱介紹樂隊時說還是自己親自設計樂隊CD封面的。成立數年，經過不同的成員變動，形成現在的 Dovey，還是希望把樂隊音樂延續，光聽著覺得這很值等鼓勵。
主唱聲音很有能量，有實感的嗓音同時又有氣音的運用，聲音的變化收放自如，有時候歌曲開始時主唱在用好像喃喃自語的方式演唱，到中段再慢慢的爆發起來。聽著聽著覺得好像歌詞有種憤世嫉俗的感覺，但也許這不是樂隊想傳達的感覺，負能量不一定是充斥著的。雖談不上是很歡樂的調子，但可能是想表達在不如意、不理想的生長、生活環境中如何求存的掙扎；釋放自己，歌曲的主題也跟「自由」相關，創作風格和表達都很自我，而有意思的創作很值得和再慢慢細聽。 偶爾有 Girls with Guitars 的主題也很不錯， 讓人多了 解和認識會創作；會唱歌；會彈結他的女生！
– Phyllis Lau
Photos by Angus Leung.
由Angus Leung攝影。
Poster by Sally Chan.
海報由Sally Chan.
