Live Review from True to This:
1. Sister
2. One O’Clock
3. Summer
4. Number One
5. Alcohol
6. King of My World
7. Love aint red
Encore: Goodnight
當晚壓軸的是Chochukmo,相隔七年後第六次踏上The Underground 的舞台,的確讓人期待。
和ToNick一樣,蒲吧對於Chochukmo來說一點都不陌生,因此在這場地表演駕輕就熟。他們先以"sister"開頭,緊接之後的"one o’clock",兩首都是觀眾熟悉的歌曲和編排,因此一開始他們便能進入狀態,氣氛非常高漲。這一次唱了最近不常在live唱的"alcohol and cigarette",一首筆者超喜歡的歌!接下來也是今年的"the King of the world",竭斯底里的演出讓全場的情緒都推到最高,mosh的mosh,跳的跳。而一向不encore的Chochukmo竟然在這一場encore,以"good night"作一個完滿的結束,為觀眾留下美好的夜晚,是underground的榮幸吧!
總的來說,筆者相當喜歡Chochukmo當晚的setlist,他們的表演也只有三個字形容: 好X正!
– Sidick Lam
The infamous ChoChukMo gave the True to This a hell of a show – that iconic fringe introducing the stage as the crowd claps along to ‘Sister’, the band decked out in Volcom apparel with the singer in a Volcom T-Shirt and the guitarist in a Volcom Hoodie (perfect for a chilly venue). The band skillfully conducts the crowd’s clapping technique as they guide the crowd to clap faster and slower for different sections of the song. Jan’s musical-style singing induces lots of hands in the air as they lead on to the second song ‘One O’clock’, this time the crowd swinging their hands in rhythm to the seemingly musical-inspired band. A few verses in and he starts to rap, turning the venue into a hip-hop show, before plunging back into the song. By the third song ‘Number One’, the hand-in-air action still hasn’t stopped, this time with added jumping to go along with the upbeat rhythm. With a slow interlude in the song, the crowd swayed to and fro to the music, leading to an intricate guitar solo, with dramatic laughs and lots of alto singing. A wide range of influences is showcased in the song ‘Alcohol’; a good song to go with “drinking and cigarettes”, the interesting song structure gave the feel of a jazz bar, with sleazy feeling in the singing style and lyrics. The sixth song ‘King of My World’ had a bit more of an angry sound to it, whilst still keeping the band’s musical style and sounding a bit like Mars Volta, featuring catchy hooks, and getting big cheers from the crowd, the singer’s tongue sticks out for the majority of the song giving them a wild appearance. Huge cheers from the crowd come as they interlude with the singer talking about their experiences with The Underground, a few plugs for Volcom, and a big thank you for a crowd and leads them into ‘Love Aint Red’, the crowd going wild for the chorus as Jan sings with a very strong voice. Of course, the band has to come back with their most well known song for their encore, the hit ‘Goodnight’ with the crowd chanting along to “Goodnight” (A fitting song for the end of the night), their avid fans jumping about and a multitude of hands and phones up in the air, whilst the guitarist taps away relentlessly for bridges and solos. ChoChukMo definitely ended the night memorably, providing a spot on tight performance that penetrated the hearts of the audience.
– Sherman Leung
Live Review from Underground 71:
Chochokmo were undeniably super. Hailed by some (who know about these things) as the best band in Hong Kong, Chochokmo brought unabashed star quality to the Underground. True front-man presence with voice, guitar and poses to match. Every musician confident and tight, and I suspect they all have matching tattoos.
Two major thumbs up from me: first, I couldn’t think of a single other band with whom to compare them. Second, I could imagine listening for double the 30 minute set they played and not get bored.
It didn’t matter that one or two of their numbers seemed a little short of a melody, or indeed a point. Even these non-songs had more interest than the manic beat changes of some of their predecessors.
The last two songs of an outstanding set were twin high points. The penultimate song was completely together, with each musician feeding off his/her bandmates while all supporting Jan. By the last, called Strawberry, the whole band were clearly having fun ¨C what a friendly place the Underground is!
Paul M
Click here to watch ChoChukMo playing their original song: Head To Toe!
Letter from Chochukmo about CD Launch Party A:
“Asahi became a part of my music career just like the underground and chris B. there are great bands playing but i just cant take my eyes off that rock milf chris b. i must control myself, she is a “mom” and a “hot mom”, those are my favourite google keywords” – Jan Curious
“My dad rocks! It’s my first time seeing my dad dance, and I would proudly say, he definitely ruled the dance floor! The party was awesome, and we all enjoyed ourselves so much. Three cheers to the Underground, for producing such a cool compilation CD for some indie sound in the city. I love the record, I truly do.” – Mike Orange
“What a great party which created a chance for me to date a girl, and we stayed together inside from beginning till the end, and she enjoyed the music a lot. All of my friends are happy with the $150 deal, they think it’s so worthy! My friend Cliff said he should be the luckiest person for the night. He’s right when Chris B announced his name at the lucky draw session, but too bad he left just minutes before the lucky draw.” – Les Hunter
“This show means a lot to me as I am not just being a part of the band, but also the underground and the CD, it had been more than 3 years that I am with underground, I really feel proud of this as I know this is really hard to keep a local band business in Hong Kong, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop. As Same as for Chochukmo, we went through the up and down, and the current chochukmo is definitely an “UP” for me, this show is the third show we have for the current line up, and I feel like that this is just a beginning of something better, and this feeling of motivation really make me feeling alive.” – Yanyan Something
“Thanks Underground for releasing this Compilation CD which provided the bands an opportunity of showing what the bands have been working hard for. This is such an encouragement for the local bands to have their music published, and to be listened by more and more people.” – Kitty Trouble
Live Review from Underground 55:
ChoChukMo are a fun band and I liked them. It’s your three guitar and drum line up and they were dressed in coordinating hot pink shirts for the guys and a bright pink skirt for their female guitarist. Hairdos and ties were also matching with the rest of the look. Visuals aside they play well together and have established a comfortable rapport between themselves, their instruments and their music. They also have fun on the stage. You can hear their Franz Ferdinand influenced music in their earlier numbers of their set but they’re more than that. They can be louder, have a 80’s feel to them at other times, and their first self-penned number “Strawberry” went down well, even though they professed to having not practiced for a long while. It’s probably true as one of their members couldn’t remember which song was next at one point. They were pretty darn good already so I’ll just have to imagine what they’re like when they really get into it. Definitely worth checking the next time they play.
Chris in Hong Kong at Underground 55
Live Review from Underground 43:
a jazzy peppy sort of hard rock, songs are short and concentrated. influenced by the more daring 70s “oldies” but totally their own style. each song is a mini-epic step into a grand high-speed rebellion against drudgery. even their slow songs are a half-speed version of something much faster. any uncertainties are quickly drowned out by their deep vigor and positivity. very hard rock, but a very happy type. Love the stage clothes!
Amos
Live Review from Underground 19:
Singer announces that “He really likes Mental Vehicle – best band in HK”. A 4 piece with a female bassist. 80’s punk-pop-rock style hinting of Moden English/Vapours and the soundtrack to “Not Another Teen Movie” filtered through a haze of Blink182 cum Offspring/Anthrax – great drum/bass combo. With songs titled such as “What the fuck..?”, this band is BETTER (to me) than Franz Ferdinand (who just seem to write jarring ugly tunes). During the catchy song “Caroline” there’s heavy moshing and crowd surfing happening. ChoChukMo have the live appeal of The Outlaws (check out the song “High Tides & Green Grass”) and also REO Speedwagon before they went power ballad.
Awarded: “Most Cool Pop Punk Band of Underground 19”
Nick Lovatt