What a success! The first Girls with Guitars show. Four bands with lots of passion! Thanks so much to ROCKSCHOOL for hosting this event and allowing us to bow down to the females who wield guitars in this town. We’re going to make sure we do it again really soon!! Thanks to everyone who came!!
love Chris B xx

pUrpLe fRuit

This night’s Underground promises to be interesting, as it’s the very first in the “Girls with Guitars” series of gigs. The only requirement for any band to play is to have at least one female member performing either bass or guitar!
The first in the lineup is a band called “pUrpLe fRuit” – formed in the summer of 2009. The band is made up of Bonnie & Sammy on Guitar and Janice on vocals.
An interesting trio, as their aim is to explore the acoustic sound with experimentation.
It became evident that their exploration involved the use of additional electronics, from a vocal processor of some kind in the first number, to a type of pre-set harmony to partner with Janice’s vocals in the second. I was quite impressed with their male guitarist’s rap in the third number.
Overall, their music this evening is acoustic latino-style-Cantopop chill, with a dash of electronics.
Musically, their ideas are unique, but I can’t help but feel they need to play more gigs and perfect their performance. A promising band, my favourite bits of their songs are their experimental parts. A good warm up to the rest of the night.

Click here to watch pUrpLe fRuit playing their original song: That’s My Way to Love You!

Joves

Dovey

The next band is called “Dovey”. An all-girl band consisting of Ami & Kay on guitars, Ting on Bass, and Sogun on lead vocals. Their original drummer Mamui was taken over by a male friend of theirs whose name I didn’t quite catch…
I have to say, their first number, although an excellent song, sounded very disjointed, but that’s understandable, it’s the warm up song.
And after the second & third number, I felt like more rehearsal time was in order as, again, they sounded quite disjointed and lacked cohesion. I like their guitar riffs and the melodies of their music, but they’re out of sync at times, which is quite distracting. I wonder if it’s to do with the new drummer??
Don’t get me wrong, I really like their music. Their fifth song is an English one which my Scottish friend “K” says is “reminiscent of THE SLITS in the 80’s but with more guitars, and more rockier than the reggae stuff THE SLITS used to play.” So there.
Dovey is a band with a large sound that rocked the house! I guess I’m just a perfectionist. I think they can do even better!

Click here to watch Dovey playing their original song: Mulan 花木蘭!

Joves

Hungry Ghosts

Next on the lineup is “Hungry Ghosts”. Band members are Mike on drums, Luke & Paul on guitars, and Tiff Laue on bass.
I do enjoy watching “Hungry Ghosts” perform live. Their powerful performances to every song brings out the passion for their music that can be lacking in some bands.
I would describe their music as Pop Rock with a quite a few chord changes and melodies, my Scottish friend “K” seems to think there’s way too much of it. Didn’t they say the same thing about Mozart’s music?
Tiff Laue plays an intro to their fourth song which is an instrumental piece that’s atmospheric and emotional. Well played.
A combination of excellent riffs and a tightness to their performance, “Hungry Ghosts” is, in my opinion, one of the best indie bands in Hong Kong.

Click here to watch Hungry Ghost playing their original song: You & Me!

Joves

Hard Candy

The final band in the lineup is “Hard Candy”. Their current band members are Yanyan & JT on guitar & vocals, Renee Ko on drums & vocals, Jody on synth keyboard, and Tony on bass.
Another excellent indie band. I still recall when my brother called me up a couple of years ago and asked if I’d seen “Hard Candy” as he was blown away by their performance at the time.
Tonight’s no different.
As a band, “Hard Candy” brings out the fun in Hard Rock, Ska,, Punk, etc.
Their first number sounded like a Ska mixed with 80s techno-rock piece. Which got quite a few people jumpin’ off their seats to the beat.
From then on, the rest of their songs continued to keep the crowd moving. I was impressed by their music and thought it was a fantastic end to the night. My friend “A” wasn’t. He believed they lacked the technical brilliance of “Hungry Ghosts.” To each his own, I guess.
All in all, a very good night of entertainment, and an impressive showcase of local talent, with the femmes on guitars! Can’t wait for the next one!

Click here to watch Hard Candy playing their original song: 962!
Joves

photos © Copyright 2010 by Marcus Johnson

poster by ANGUS LEUNG