We had a cancellation (Audiotraffic) and then a surprise act from Uruguay (Orange) that made this Underground a very international theme night. Great night. Thank you to everyone!
love Chris B xx

Wolfling (Amsterdam 阿姆斯特丹)
Surprising the audience with a strong Irish accent, Wolfling played an interesting solo set. Playing a Mandoloncello (a large 10 string European lute), he growled, sang, went quiet, got loud during his songs. The audience (myself included) were appreciative of his talents, many decidely holding their breaths in the quieter moments, as if waiting for the wolf to appear. Wolfling semed to be enjoying himself and hope that he will come back to The Underground again next time he visits HK.
Mark Emerson

Homeless Alien
This band cites Radiohead as an influence and true to their words Radiohead is a guiding hand in their song craftmenship as well as their vocals. The musicians are very competent and the songs get your feet tapping. Guy (both singer and bassist) has a gentle confidence that is endearing to the audience – his falsetto is quite amazing and sung well. Homeless Alien are a good band to watch and I think possibly an album by Homeless Alien would be a very enjoyable experience too.
Mark Emerson

The Ember
Four girls who define themselves as an “indie rock/emo” band who honestly dont realise their forte is their hardcore riffs and attitude. Little Keavy (she is indeed small but demands attention with her stage presence) does a great job with singing and screaming and being totally passionate about their lyrics and their music. The new addition of Crystal on bass adds a touch of professionalism to the girls. They had some great moments of really gelling together and defining ‘girl power’ in music. I was delighted that the audience was indeed clapping loud and hard for them.
Mark Emerson

TheLoveSong
Despite the fact that Ephraim (guitarist) was on crutches, this band gallantly took the stage for a set of thumping, energetic and loud songs. Ben (on vocals & guitar) screams, shouts and sings his way through the songs that is so captivating. Suhail (drummer) is absolutely fantastic with a unique drumming style that so makes the sound of TheLoveSong. Nic absolutely cements the tightness of this band with his bass riffs. The audience were slinging suggestions such as “they remind me of Fugazi” yet I think they have a clearly defined style and melody of their own. Hong Kong, you must be very proud to be home to TheLoveSong – certainly one of it’s best bands, musically and lyrically.
Mark Emerson

Eccentric
What a delight this band was to watch. Kiki on vocals can sing and enjoys having the audience eat out of her hands. Tight pop rock is what this band plays. Toe-tapping melodies and pleasing vocals. Gould the drummer has that uni-sex look that certainly titilated certain members of the male audience. I would say this band are the surprise of the evening for me, I was not expecting them to be this good. I will definitely go to see Eccentric play again.
Mark Emerson

 

Orange (Uruguay 烏拉圭)
Apparently they only confirmed their appearance the day before, with advanced warning, this band could have easily filled up Les Visages to its seams. The band’s promo said their music was like Arctic Monkeys, but really they are way better than the Arctic Monkeys. It’s uncanny when a singer with a strong Spanish accent whilst speaking to the audience starts singing and sounds like he’s from north of England, they did have hints of Oasis in them but you know what? They sound BETTER than Oasis too. Catchy tunes, strong beautiful voices and exciting changes in the songs kept the audience cheering. I would recommend you check out their myspace page and see what you missed! Orange, we would welcome you back to HK with open arms.
Mark Emerson

Above photos © Copyright 2007 by Yan
Poster by Dave Burdick