Live review from 22nd Anniversary Festival Day 2:
微光
汽化
餘溫
Walking In The Rain
即興之鬼
Purple rain (cover)
The first time I saw Hey Joe Trio they played an awesome blues set which
managed to impress several seasoned blues musicians. Fast forward lord
knows how many years and the band has evolved. The set definitely kicked
off with a bang with the hard hitting Glimmer (微光), a high energy track
in the funk/r&b tradition which, without a doubt, got the audience’s
attention. The next 3 tracks, yet to be released at the time Vapour
(氣化), 餘溫 and one of their earlier works, Walking in the Rain, dialled
things down a little, being more of a smooth R&B style, finishing the
set another new song 即興之鬼 and a cover of Purple Rain.
Having watched the band from its early days, I had no doubt over their
technical skills – all instruments were spot on delivered tightly and,
more importantly, expressively delivered. The songs were very nicely
arranged, and very well balanced. However, most of, if not all of their
works involves some singing in the head voice range, and Joe did
occasionally miss the top notes ever so slightly in places, something
that he needs to work on moving forward.
All in all a highly enjoyable set both musically and technically – the
trio has been around for a while and have come a long way, and I have no
doubt that the trio will continue to go places.
-Hazel-Rah
Live Review from The Underground Festival @ Fanzone
1. Foxey Lady
2. 三
3. 干物女
4. 頭髮亂了
5. Voodoo Chile
6. 三分鐘熱度
The first thing I was struck by was how incredibly young they are; these boys are 19 & 20 years old. And at times, it shows, too; compared to the veterans of Helter Skelter that played right before them, Hey Joe Trio was noticeably a lot less self-conscious of their stage presence. But one thing was certain: they didn’t care how they looked – and in a good way too. They were fully engrossed in playing their music, and you could just tell how much they were enjoying it. This pure dedication to the music was not lost on the audience, who could be heard murmuring their appreciation, when not commenting on how cute they were. Music wise, though Hey Joe Trio also played ‘blues/funk’, the sound was less of the classic blues in Helter Skelter and more Jimi-Hendrix hard rock style. The lead vocals could get a bit screechy and raw at times, though you could tell that he was blessed with a pleasant voice; with a bit of polishing of technique it could very well be a huge asset to himself and the band. At the instrumental bits though, you close your eyes and sway along with the music, you almost can’t tell that they’re this age: they have mad guitar skills, and together with solid bass and drums, the three produce a sound that is very, very solid. 三, 頭髮亂了, and Voodoo Chile are all testimonies of their fingering and shredding talents, and 三 (Three) in particular – a song which embedded both their band composition (three people, a trio) and the Chinese idiom of 三人行,必有我師 – featured an amazing guitar solo. The third song, 干物女, is said (according to the band during a little backstage interview I did with them) to mean ‘an introvert and untidy girl’, though the actual lyrics were lost on me (I blame my poor Chinese). The cover of 頭髮亂了 by Jacky Cheung was a nice metal twist on a Cantopop-ish tune that again showcased the band’s guitar skills. The last song, 三分鐘熱度, deserves a mention for its industrial-rock sounding bridge and a beautifully mellow vocal finish on the words “告一段落”. These boys get a major kudos for the talents they possess at this age (and for sharing the stage with music jedi masters twice this number), and they’re definitely a shining beacon to watch out for in the Hong Kong music scene in the coming years.
– Karen Cheung
