KOLOR

IMG_0645.JPG Live review from The Underground “Back to its Roots” Festival Part 2:

1. 天地會
2. 蛇吞象
3. 時差
4. 大吟釀
5. 了不起
6. 追求

開場前,Kolor四子似乎已在嘉年華場內的攤位遊戲玩了一會。阿昇拿出了隻鴨子公仔拋了下台給觀眾,羅斌又派了游戲的代幣給前排觀眾,令觀眾未開場先興奮。

Kolor的現場演出看過都幾次了,開首曲《天地會》是必唱的歌曲。突然回想起,2012年時《天地會》的MV是用Kolor四子參加梁振英下台大遊行作背影而拍攝。今天,在龍和道旁舉辦的AIA冬日嘉年華再次聽到這首歌,特別是唱到「制度壓迫,一朝過期」時,心中突然實在的一沈。發現自己沒有了之前聽這首熱血歌曲時的亢奮。不是Kolor的演繹不好,而是這制度壓迫,近年愈來愈不似有過期的一天了…

第二首歌曲是批評炒賣風氣的《蛇吞象》。當羅斌Solo時,Sammy竟用頭頂向羅斌背後,僅站在台邊的羅斌差點就飛了出台,場面非常惹笑。

第三首是中慢版的情歌《時差》,又是必唱的作品。當Sammy說要唱時《時差》時,台下有觀眾已準備電話的背燈慢慢揮動。自己每次都會全首跟著一跟唱,今次當然都不會例外,可惜台前不太多觀眾一起歌,差了點大合唱時候的過引的氣氛。

第四首《大吟釀》是他們最新的歌曲。在唱之前Sammy為歌曲稍作介紹。《大吟釀》表達了他們玩音樂多年後發現自己的音樂和心態都有醇化。由淡然的結他前奏慢慢漸進到游激昂的結尾,Sammy放輕了的聲線配上回音音效,跟酒後醉意漸濃的迷糊感覺非常相像。

之後玩的是初期的作品《了不起》,power pop的曲風又一次帶起了觀眾的情緒。台上他們亦玩得興起。當Sammy站在台前時,今次調轉角色,羅斌從後推Sammy,Sammy要邊彈邊紮穩馬步,才不致於飛出台前。最後encore了《追求》,尾段Sammy教觀眾大合唱,但可能是節奏太長的關係,觀眾們都不太跟得上。雖然結尾未算完美,但今晚Kolor的演出絕對高水準。
– Dicky Kwong

It’s a peculiar quirk of Canto bands to punctuate a set list with lengthy speeches musing upon life’s trials, discussing the band’s musical journey, and thanking everyone under the sun. The carnival was the fourth Underground outing for long time supporters Kolor, so needless to say the speeches ran on.

At face value, the HK rockers appeared to be trying a little too hard to rebel – smoking where it was forbidden; lead singer Sammy wearing a T shirt that reads “Diu” (fuck, in Cantonese) when asked not to swear; and adopting swaggering power stances while locked in metal riffing. It was a tacky, 1980s brand of rock ‘n’ roll … and the crowd ate out of their hands.

Guitars snarled to life like Harleys from the first song 天地會 and barely let up throughout the set, which was soaked in west coast, classic rock optimism. Kolor’s show was full of theatrical bravado – think Airborne, Bon Jovi , Imagine Dragons and Beyond all rolled into emphatic ballads picking from the great buffet of rock, with high-pitched arpeggiation, muscular drumming, and questionable singing.

It was a fun and energetic set, performed by a popular local group that’s adept at connecting with fans, and also touchingly grateful for every break they get. The set – and Back to the Roots Festival – closed on a high with the pop punk 了不起, and the echoes of a crowd singing “na na na na” all the way home.

Their goals? Write new songs; they’ve an album out in June.
– El Jay


IMG_3771.JPGLive review from Voices Concert:

Kolor oozes professionalism. From the moment they got on stage, they entertained the audience with a 4 song set of slick, well arranged Canto light rock. All the four songs were “singles” from the past albums/EPs and thus were all well known to the crowd and that was quite clear. As always, Kolor had a great stage presence and engaged the early afternoon crowd right from the start. All in all, a great start to the rainy afternoon.

— Thlayli

Live review from Underground 105:

IMG_1032wtmk.jpgSetlist:

1.天地會
2.賭博默示錄
3.時差
4.愚公
5.地圖
6.了不起 (Encore)

In a strange way, many of the salient musical features I saw in Wonder Garl, I saw in Kolor too, but scaled way up. Returning to the Underground after three long years, they epitomised the slick professional quality of a band that’s as popular as they are. They were nattily turned out, had an absorbing stage presence and singer Sammy really had the banter skills down too. Musically, they are a palette of pop-influenced, radio-friendly sounds that touch bases as diverse as Cantopop, bubblegum pop and light metal. Now, are they musically “interesting” as bands making more risky, strange and out-there music than them? According to this listener- no. However, they do not pretend or claim to be ‘avant-garde’ or hipster-worthy either, so I can’t have a problem with them. They know what they want to play and their objective as a band is to please their audience, which is something they do remarkably well. It’s little wonder that I’ve seen bands react with hints of admiration when KOLOR is mentioned – and the cheer that went up when they took the stage wasn’t a surprise either.

Like Wonder Garl 神奇膠, they sounded very polished and the tones were slick, but to a far greater degree. They were visibly controlled on stage and clearly knew what they were doing. They too changed styles from song to song, but more obviously so; the jump from radio soft rock to different shades of metal made between the first two songs, for instance. However, the general tendency of the guitarist was to play with a mixture of the sort of almost-emotional metal that Steve Vai plays and the tone of a Noughties guitarist, sounding like a less hyper Ray Toro (My Chemical Romance), highlighted particularly in the glam-ish 賭博默示錄, or the remarkably sweet fills he did in 地圖.Their drummer was excellent throughout, keeping them anchored with a solid Noughties rock beat in every song, and even double bass when the song called for it, such as in the Arabic-tinted 愚公.

Their singer, however, was slightly unusual, in that he actually had some rasp in his voice, and didn’t quite seem to favour the high notes; not a whole lot, but enough to make it significant among local bands. He also had the ability not to ham in ballad-ish songs (時差), which is a welcome departure from most singers (not just here).

They must be complimented, too, for clearly having put some time and effort into arranging their songs, for they were uniformly engaging to listen to, without dragging on the attention. It certainly didn’t on the audience’s that night – the encore was inevitable, and the catchy, light rock of 了不起 was a good closer. While not the sort of band I’d usually have chosen to watch, I’m glad I did because all in all, they were tight, interesting and engaging, and I can see why they are popular.

— Shashwati Kala

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Live Review from Underground 86:

I must confess I never heard of KOLOR before that evening when I first saw them play. I had read their impressive profile and was really looking forward to see them perform. I was far from being disappointed! KOLOR is the kind of group which can definitely make it to the top, not only because of the coherence of their music, but also because they have the rock’n roll attitude only very few genuinely have. The room they performed in was packed with their loyal following, so it was a halfway win, but still they gave their very best and I am sure it’s what they do no matter the size of the venue. As soon as the first note hit, everybody was on their feet and it was like if an electroshock was sent into the audience. Each member of the band is having its own persona, but instead of overshadowing one another, this panorama of styles and attitudes complement one another perfectly, and reflects into their performance as well. The music was electric and contagious, and the display of energy rarely seen on the HK stages. With Sammy So as Lead Vocals, the show was not only musical but also very visual, especially when guitars were slammed on the floor and mike stand thrown in the crowd. Kolor is one of the most promising band of the HK underground scene and is definitely worth seeing live.
Carolyne B.

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