Live Review from Wild Boar Music Festival 野豬音樂節:
1. 六呎之下
2. 落花
3. 毋忘我
4. 一瞬
5. CAN U HEAR US
Headliner act and prominent HK Metal act Ni Liu 逆流 preps the crowd with a lengthy intro to 六呎之下, with guitars blasting as the song goes into full swing.
The man with a voice as fierce as a lion Kit Lo jumps up and steps up to the monitor, pouring out emotional gutterals while Hala has full focus on his guitar work. Towards the end, Kit gets everyone to calm down in a quiet section, singing his heart out before the band explodes with a final emotional chorus.
After a few introductory words, they start their next song 落花 with a beautiful ambiance, the song is quite well known and everyone is nodding their head along to the soft intro. After a few delicate licks from Hala’s lead guitar the band explodes into a sea of intensity, powerful throngs booming across the lawn, with Kit’s piercing vocals ripping through the air. Soul wrenching singing rings out in the chorus followed by an intense break, with drummer Sann laying down a thick buildup to the iconic ending chorus that everyone knows and gets people singing along. Next up is the song 毋忘我, a song with a slower and softer verse, Kit’s once again heart wrenching vocals in the chorus followed by intense, gut wrenching screams and dragged out lyrics at the end. The emotional part of their set isn’t over yet as they lead into another heartstrings tugging song 一瞬, Kit singing and screaming his heart out at the climax of the song, the audience is captivated by the intense power of the song that seems to wash over them as they sit back in their deck chairs.
Finally, the band gives us a memorable end with a more recent song CAN YOU HEAR US, the verse sounding angry and energetic, and yet again some emotional choruses that get people throwing their hands up. After a djenty breakdown, Kit unleashes another heartwrenching chorus with blistering screams before leaving the crowd in awe as the band builds up to a strong finish.
– Sherman Leung
Live review from Heavy #14:
1. Intro
2. 皇
3. 留離破
4. 六呎之下
5. 落花
6. 殘樓
There are some that would argue local metal king’s 逆流 NiLiu deserved a headline billing at a Heavy show, but the rockers threw themselves into the second slot with the same indefatigable attitude that has earned them 6,000 Facebook fans. Considered by many to be one of the city’s top metal acts, the formidable band usually rehearses and performs live around the punk hub of Kwun Tong. At their first Underground show, they brought a delicious sense of evil to a busy LKF gig, and their no-mess approach made everyone in the room tune in and headbang.
After an eerie electronic opening track, NiLiu blasted into 皇, a simple song of dark, low rhythms and bass-heavy drumming. Singer Kit Lo’s vocals alternated between impressively operatic melodies and sinister growls, with the occasional gurgling rooster crow thrown in to keep things mean-sounding.
King and Hala’s guitars creaked and groaned for 留離破, an incensed metalcore breakdown recalling Killswitch Engage, before the band’s piece-de-resistance – the eight minute-long 落花 brought fierce growling, powerful vocal hooks and distorted guitarwork, culminating in a raw, bellowed refrain. Speedy, snare-driven rhythms and dramatic, swooping guitar landscapes of 殘樓 closed the set with Kit’s voice ragged and doom-filled. A brutal, break-neck, fist-pumping finale from the night’s heaviest act.
– El Jay
