Bands put crowd on cloud nine
BEYOND, Tai Chi and Tat Ming Pair would be glad to see that the band trend they started in the late '80s did not entirely bow to the gimmicks of Canto-pop in the '90s.
Nine new generation bands showed up in 'U-Sound' - a fund-raising concert organised by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, City University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University - and gave the 500-strong audience a screaming good time at Sheung Wan Civic Centre Theatre.
The proceeds went to the Society for the Welfare of the Autistic Person.
'U-Sound' stands for 'university sound' in connection with 'band sound', the term that music critics use to describe the music of local bands.
Among the performing bands were new sensations Zen (Warner Music) and Black and Blue (Music Communication's DIY), gothic punk rock group Virus (DIY) and several others formed by university students.
It is hard, if not impossible, to sum up the various brands of music which surfaced that evening, but the word 'blasting' would give one a hint.
The five-member Virus, who donned tight pants and loose shirts with floppy hairstyles, marked the first highlight of the gig in between two towering loudspeakers by the wings of the stage.
Their psychedelic rock - a brand of dark heavy metal which originated in Britain - stunned the audience. One member of the audience actually jumped on stage, grabbed the microphone and shouted: 'Virus is damn good!'.
The band's guitarists, Season Lee and Don So, and bassist Leung Kwok-ching were attention-grabbers.
Their perfect co-ordination gave the theatre a touch of mysterious, gothic rock.
Although the underground band Heresy, formed mainly by undergraduates, had to use a drum machine [which outputs programmed drum beats] as a substitute for their absent drummer, frontman Hoy ming's coarse yet powerful vocals came to its rescue.
As amateurs, the guitarists certainly thrilled rock and heavy metal fans.
The clean-cut Black and Blue - formed by guitarist/vocalist Charles Chan Wai-kai, vocalist Candy Lo How-yum, guitarist Fung Ka-kin, drummer Ho Ngan-fung and bassist Chu Yat-wang - later took centre stage.
They changed the heavy metal atmosphere to refreshing British pop rock, with emphasis in their lyrics about the Generation X.
Donned in Levis' with rolled-up hems, well-ironed checked shirts and well-trimmed hair, the band performed new songs from their album Hope in Just One Day .
Candy's voice charmed and soothed the audience after a heavy rock session.
Perhaps, their second song Dreams can sum up the ideals of new generation bands. Maybe one day their dreams will come true.
