Live review from FWD Mellow Yellow Music Festival
1. Walk the Walk
2. Boys and Girls
3. Waking Up
4. Fly Me Out of Here
5. Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics cover)
6. Best Part (cover)
7. Para salud (LMF cover)
It felt truly special to be among the crowd at Mellow Yellow, watching headline act R.O.O.T beneath a summer night’s skyline. Fronted by Jan Curious, of Chochukmo fame, the band was as slick and well-rehearsed as you might expect from one of Hong Kong’s brightest indie stars.
With a jazz-inflected, expansive sound, the band mixed originals, such as the rockier Walk the Walk, with a host of well-chosen covers, including the Eurythmics’ classic Sweet Dreams, which came draped in mystique with a superb guitar solo. One of the city’s most capable showmen, Curious held the crowd in the palm of his hand, dancing among rays of light one minute before squatting at the front of the stage to heighten the intimacy the next. Pairing neo-jazz vibes with a chill 90s flavour, the band showed all the flair and charisma of a performer like Jamiroquai.
The band tipped their hat to fellow Hongkongers LMF on Para Salud, which paired the rapped section with snapping snares and a repeated piano motif. Attempts at call and response melodies with the audience were met with varying degrees of success, but the crowd stayed enraptured throughout the set. With superb musicianship that made for gorgeously textured, nuanced soundscapes, there was nothing not to love about Root. Here’s hoping there’ll be plenty more opportunities to catch their shows in the near future.
– El Jay
