Live Review from Underground Kowloon #1
Setlist:
- In My Dreams
- Because You Called
- Song of Songs
- I Miss You
- Live Inside
- Turning
My favourite thing about their set was that the songs really embodied a belief that I have long held (and ripped off from RHCP, Edward Elgar, and God knows how many other people) that music is everywhere – the musicians are just the incidental antennae that transmit it to us. They had the kind of organic melodies that felt like they had taken the best parts of the atmosphere in the room that night and put them into song. Drummer Jon’s lively fills and the notably smooth lines by bassist Samuel formed a strong frame upon which singer/guitarist Solomon could wind his tapestry of calm, breezy melodies and earnest lyrics. His voice is a very malleable one, that moves gently, and is like a less nasal version of Joey Basha’s (of local freaky-folks Milkteeth) pipes. Their sound has much in the vein of the By the Way-era Chili Peppers, and despite its carefree nature, there were some moments of a true earthy beauty, which the gently swaying crowd seemed to perceive as well.
Because You Called had a unique balance of comfortably familiar acoustic warmth and engaging novelty. They do have a tendency to stray into sounding loungey at points, getting too caught up in mid-tempos and –tones, as in Song of Songs, but this didn’t happen too often, and was usually compensated for by the ever-present compellingly understated emotion. Live Inside was texturally different, with greater use of the relatively dissonant 7th chords, and this proved to be quite engaging, along with a very well-controlled change of pace towards the end. Turning was a lively finisher, groovy and energetic, creating intrigue in every verse by using an ascending melody (a method also used by rockers Hungry Ghosts) which would put a wide smile on anyone’s face. It was almost a pity when they finished with a warm flourish of guitar because, with the maltose-like sweetness of the songs they’d made the chilly weather outside seem less hostile.
— Shashwati
