Good Fellas

Live review from 20th Anniversary Festival Day 2 星期六

Nothing about my way
Hey you
Be with me
Take me back
Tonight tonight
Move on

It was a happy crowd that greeted indie rockers Good Fellas on their Saturday night set at The Underground 20 Year Anniversary Festival. Their relationship with Chris B dates as far back as Underground 71 in 2008, when the reviewer praised their “attitude and talent”. Sixteen years later and that description still applies. The room quickly filled to the sound of the tight and dynamic Nothing About My Way, with guitarist Angus, bassist Egg and drummer Jim led by the infectious energy and joyful charisma of frontman Keith.

Mid-00s indie rock is kept alive in Hong Kong, with influence from The Strokes, The Libertines and The Cribs heard throughout all Good Fellas’ songs, but especially on Move On, which employed an earworm “woahh” chorus that had everyone itching to dig out their skinny jeans and trilby. The band overcame some technical issues to perform Hey You, which combined snappy drums with angular, ascending guitar and a catchy, chantable chorus, while Be With Me, a set mainstay, twinned poignant lyrics with softly strummed acoustic guitar and made for a nice breather before the finale.

New song Tonight Tonight featured a line specifically written for the occasion, which touched Chris B, while closer Move On was a crazy bop from start to finish, with tonnes of energy and blasting bass. Their name was apt: Good Fellas were the perfect party band, bringing good vibes and tunes crowd members were humming long after the show.
– El Jay


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Live Review from Sub Terra #1:
1. Hey You
2. Move On
3. Nothing About My Way
4. Be With Me

Sporting bucket hats, Goodfellas began their short set with ‘Hey You’, a rough and ready blues rock number which ended up with singer/guitarist Po Kei jumping off stage and rolling around on the floor. The song had a sticky guitar and bass pattern which was intended to be a hook, but ended up sounding like a sinister carousel from a Scooby Doo cartoon, and wained on the ears relatively quickly. 

Move On’ was a hybrid of The Vaccines and Jet, with muddy guitars from Po Kei and Angus, racing tempos, and predictable bass lines by Egg. ‘Nothing About My Way’ felt like a more developed song, with ever-changing drum patterns by Jim and an aggressive vibe from the band, likening them to Test Icicles.

Closer ‘Be With Me’ was far less aggressive, and certainly missed Po Kei’s wails in the vain of Pelle Almqvist of The Hives, which were prominent in the previous three songs. It did however satisfy the raucous crowd towards the end, with chant-a-long ‘Woahs’, and the microphone being passed around the room. 

All in all, this was relatively nondescript garage rock, but their brutish performance and cranked up Orange amps were enough to make their set exciting and entertaining to watch, even if the songs themselves didn’t linger in the memory. 
– Chris Gillett

Good Fellas出道的時候,已算是香港幾支地下樂隊合成的supergroup,曾在皇后大道中H&M的櫥窗前向路上的行人表演。而筆者當時還是中學生,錯過了那個年代的樂壇,只能靠六、七年前上載的Youtube影片回味。

Sub Terra #1當晚,是一場暌違多年的重聚表演。這隊四人組合主打極簡主義的龐克音樂:歌詞易上口,結他和貝士彈著一模一樣的chords,地上也只看見單單一個distortion結他踏板。然而,他們活力充沛,超越了一般龐克樂隊演出時的氣氛,差不多達到The Who等殿堂級樂隊的標準。唱最後一首歌「Be With Me」時,出盡了所有絕招:包括脫衣、吶喊、甚至在人群不多的情況下stage dive!到了最後,雖然只唱了四首歌,但全場觀眾已通通被洗腦。
– Elson Tong


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Message from Good Fellas about CD3 Release Party A:

Never lose this feeling oh yeah, never get tired of singing oh yeah! – this is the first line of our song “Nothing about my way”, and I want to dedicate this to everyone who organise the show, play the show, and attend the show. It is not necessary only about singing, but it is all about your mentality, to support art and creativity in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is famous for unbalance growth of economic development and creativity, fuck it, lets change it.
Keep believing!
Po Kei – GOOD FELLAS

All of you support make us stand firmer, higher, and cooler than before.
Jim – GOOD FELLAS

I think I have shoot almost everyone of you in Underground shows, so let the best moments be remembered!
Angus – GOOD FELLAS

U91124.jpgLive Review from Underground 91:
This is going to be the shortest review in the history of The Underground.
If you are not dancing, nor head-banging, nor foot tapping with these Good Fellas, that is YOUR PROBLEM, not theirs, they are just THAT good! Period. =).
Marvin – In Love And Pain!

Click here to watch Good Fellas playing their original song: MOVE ON!

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Live Review from Underground 71:
I’m not sure that Goodfellas qualify as a Supergroup. Perhaps Reallygoodgroup might be more accurate. Reallygoodwithpotentialtogetbettergroup would be better still, although clearly rather silly. Comprised of former members of established HK bands the three-piece certainly has potential to be more than the sum of its parts.

After the complexity and confusion of Blaster, the high-energy “1-2-3-4″ intro to the first song signaled a welcome back to basics, with simple drum, bass and guitar providing a surprisingly full sound.

Bassist Egg and guitarist Po Kei shared lead vocals. For me, Egg has clearly the stronger and more distinctive style which had the effect of showing up Po Kei’s less powerful voice as, well, less powerful. They worked brilliantly together on a couple of songs though, including a cover of the Cribs “Hey Scenesters” (yes, I had to Google it) and the last song, “Be with me”.

Together for just two months so far, Goodfellas have ample attitude and talent. I’d like to see them again. Around February.
Paul M

Click here to watch Good Fellas’ debut song: Be With Me!

Good Fellas say “Never lose this feeling oh yeah, Never get tired of singing oh yeah!”

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