THE P.N.S. have been around for a long time now, but conversely not many of us will have seen them since their heyday in 1993/4. The band split in 1995 after drummer Hopkins and keyboard player Spooner went back to the UK. In 2003 they reformed, and here they are headlining the opening night of the Underground. A good bet by the organisers, as come rain or shine, the lads usually take a following with them. They’re here in spades tonight. The lads also appear to have been quite prolific since the last time I saw them, with a clutch of new songs, including Gizza Ciggy, and the wonderful Pervert In Disguise, guitarist Delfino doing his best Edge impersonation.
From a joke band when they first started off all those years ago, the PNS now really rock, although keeping their satirical side alive through Peart’s lyrics. Sir Miles wasn’t singing tonight, which is always a pity, but Peart coped admirably with his own songs. Campbell was superb on the bass, Delfino excelled on guitar before his meanderings led him a little astray, and drummer Matt Coleman kept them going. They finished with a clutch of golden greats, namely Cockney Wanker, Tiananmen Square, I Wanna Have Sex. The PNS may not be teenagers anymore, but they certainly wanna be, and maybe that’s what it’s all about. A class act, and enjoyed by their legion of fans tonight.
Don Smith
What can one say about Audiotraffic? The lads strolled on stage in their nonchalant way, having a hard act to follow, as PNS had created mayhem. But these boys are class. Although not having many songs (seemed to me about 5 or 6?) ,they were super-tight. The band’s main asset (according to my girlfriend) is the lead singer Adrian De Silva, who apparently is to die for. Other girls in the audience clearly agreed. He does have a great voice, I must say. The music reminds me a bit of Radiohead at their best, guitar-orientated rock but cleverly written with no horrible really long guitar solos to spoil the songs. The crowd loved them, and the shy de Silva bowed his head in acknowledgment. As well as the divine Adrian, they comprise Masaki on drums, Woo Joo Lee on bass, and Don Cruz on guitar. All these lads need is a break and they could be huge. See their excellent site at Audiotraffic.net
Don Smith
AIRTUB are Kenny Ngai (vocals and guitar), Derek To (guitar), Edwin Cheung (bass) and David Mak (drums). They played Underground 1 and were up against the formidable Audiotraffic and PNS and came off very well. A melodic mixture of aggressive punk and pop, some of heir songs are already classic.. The band admit they owe a debt of gratitude to HK legendary rockers BEYOND, and that influence can be heard in some of their earlier music..The band debuted at Rock On 2001 and have since performed in high profile gigs like the Global Chinese Rock Concert, Wanchai Live VII and a recent fund-raising concert for Amnesty International. They’ve also recorded a ballad for the soundtrack of Moonlight Express starring Leslie Cheung and the feature song fors and tones are more flexible than in their native language.It has been said that AirTub are inaccessible. These people must be living in space. AirTub…start to pogo!
Alex Yip
AirTub’s website
