Live review from Girls with Guitars #5:
Setlist:
1. Billions
2. Houseborken
3. QC Girls
4. Boys Who Like Boys
5. Natives to Noise
6. Gucci Gang
7. Dek-a-doodle Dandy
8. Balls [Encore]
Wow. Just, wow.
I knew that these girls were good coming into the show, but I had no idea that I should’ve expected them to be as hard-rockin’, in-your-face punky and fun as they were. They’ve got the speed and hard-hitting quality of 1st wave British punk (which retained its rock ‘n’ roll roots) and tunes composed like a mix of the B-52’s and Devo. In short, they’re just the kind of band that’s super fun to listen to live. They sound very different from the way they did on their album – they’re much harder and more “rock” – and that’s terrific. The tones they used on the night were much fatter, along with a proper bass guitar which combined to make the sound much thicker, and its impact more immediate. That, and their KICK-ASS drummer Ristalle – my favourite kind of punk dummer – who plays surf-rock beats with love (much like a certain Bill Stevenson). Singer Katwo has an immense stage presence (helped miles along by her empirically awesome moves) and a playful, youthful voice to complement that. And guitarist Kris has a style that’s a cool composite of punk, rock ‘n’ roll and light metal, reminiscent of Steve Turner of Mudhoney. But, she also has a Freddie Stone-like ability to introduce nimble fills and teasing riffs that round out the songs well.
They began with Billions, which was almost like a slower, lighter version of a Plasmatics song. Houseborken was a perfect example of Kris’ riffing ability that I’d mentioned, which made the song almost like a duet between lead guitars and vocals. Boys Who… was about being a beard (look it up) expressed in a gambolling, NOFX-like sarcastic style (except sexier). Gucci Gang was much more in the Sex Pistols’ vein – poppy and innocent on the surface, but with an undertow of sarcasm that bites at you when you notice it. Dek-a-doodle Dandy has a chorus that’s addictive despite any language barrier – you can just hear yourself screaming along “adik *mumble*…adik *mumble-mumble*”. I know I was. They were called back for an encore by the crowd even before they really started moving off, and thank God – Balls was a wonderful chaser for the set past. With its hints at funk and 70s pop, it filled out their repertoire well, while still being something you could move to. If this is a sign of things to come, then bring on the sound, girls. They’re uber-confident and their execution of songs that were “ready to wear” (their words) is panache-ful – I can’t wait to see which direction they’ll move in with their next album!
— Shashwati
壓軸出場的是專程從菲律賓來港演出的全女子樂隊Duster，是一隊Punk的樂隊，成員有主音Katwo Librando、和音及結他手Kris Dancel、低音結他手Myrene Academia及鼓手Ristalle Bautista。她們當晚除了為觀眾帶來多首英文作品如“Housebroken”、 “QC Girls” 及“Boys Who Like Boys”等外，更有以她們母語創作的作品“Gucci Gang”及 “Dek-a-doodle Dandy”。雖然聽不懂歌詞，但仍然令觀眾聽得相當投入，全無語言的障礙，真的是音樂無彊界。其中一首歌“Gucci Gang”很有趣，當中含有不雅用語，但主音Katwo及和唱的Kris以帶點歡樂的聲音叫喊，有點戲謔的成份。主音Katwo的歌聲很有力量，Punk的那種狂野及豪邁完全表露無遺。
當晚在Backstage的小小空間裡，站滿了眾多觀眾，雖然可能有點擠擁，而且兩個多小時的音樂會可能會使人站得有點累，但當晚音樂會的熱烈氣氛及音樂所牽引觀眾的高漲情緒，卻是怎樣再擠擁再累都是值得的，這就是Live演出的感染力，也就是欣賞好音樂的意義所在。
– 依花
