UNDERGROUND 31 - Susan Convention, Innisfallen, slash!SAKURA!slash, Spermatic Chord & Shepherds the Weak

Underground 31
11 August 2006
(Susan Convention, Innisfallen, slash!SAKURA!slash, Spermatic Chord & Shepherds the Weak)
EDGE
Wyndham Street, Central

WOW! A FANTASTIC show!
Thanks so much to slash! for celebrating his birthday at Underground! We wish you many more years of creativity! HUGE thanks to the Underground team who made the event run smoothly - thanks to the EDGE (especially Steph!) for great sound and lights show AND most especially to the audience - you guys really KNOW how to ROCK! :)
love Chris B xx

Susan Convention

Mmm these boys seem cool....nice hair, nice clothes...and those guitars look well expensive! THE SUSAN CONVENTION came to town and brought with them lots of friends (fans?) which certainly created a buzz. My mate said they were a great mixture of raw attitude and gritty rock. Shitty rock more like. Sorry, but when I go to the Underground I expect to hear original music, not 6 cover versions, no matter how well played. Chris B said they had promised to play originals. SUSAN!!!! You are naughty. The pity is that this band has the potential to be awesome, if they could be bothered to write some songs. Until they do that, I don't think somehow they will be appearing at the U again. Good name though.
William Sickey

As soon as I stepped into the club and heard them playing, I immediately felt unshaven. they are a great mix of raw attitude, confidence, and gritty rock. Thoroughly enjoyable, they are an excellent specimen of pop-rock. they're not exactly original, but their mohawked style oozes from the lead guitar. Even the slower songs keep your interest, as they're very well performed.
Wally Amos

Innisfallen
oooh MORE handsome guys! Innisfallen have evolved since I last saw them, I think I might prefer their previous more Brit-pop style than the indie rock I am watching tonight. I do like the stage theatrics and the lead vocalist's intensity. Wonder what they'll evolve into?
Rosie Chan

slash!SAKURA!slash
Certainly one of the better solo acoustic acts I've heard, but it remains just that. His vocals are insistent and almost begging, but with a pretty good overall sound. I prefer speed metal, but if you're into solo acoustic singers, he'll give you a great performance. Vocals are pretty versatile, ranging from soft to screaming. He tries at times to make up for the lack of percussion in his guitar playing, with mixed results. One of the songs added drums and bass, that was WEIRD. It remained acoustic solo at the core, which is an unusual combination. He didn't take full advantage of the additional sound, each doing paint-by-numbers and playing their own cookie-cutter roles, but it was something different. Another song added another acoustic, which added another dimension to the otherwise bare music. I liked the creativity the second guitar brought.
Wally Amos

Spermatic Chord
Restless rage permeates their strange sound. Imagine the most messed up metal you can, and throw in every strange sound you've ever heard a human or animal make, and you're close. They are a sure-fire cure for sanity. They're amazingly coherent, but at the same time indescribably weird and heavy. They make a turtle want to climb out of its shell and fly away. They call themselves "disgusting and messy", and i certainly agree. it's just messed up beyond all recognition.
Wally Amos

Shepherds the Weak
The suspense hung thick in the air, you just got the distinct feeling that something big was about to happen. And, it did. They burst into some of the heaviest mosh metal I've ever heard, and the crowd simply went berserk. Explosively violent, they blasted forward with the intensity of a freight train, laying waste to everything in their path. The audience was beating the crap out of each other and loving every moment of it. The dance floor was a body surfer's Hawaii, you couldn't keep a beer upright there if your life depended on it. This was absolutely the most spectacular live performance i've ever seen. Shepherds the Weak is one of my top favorite "HK Underground" bands, simply because of their unparalleled intensity. Their technical skill made them even more amazing.
Wally Amos