'The first thing that hits you about Never N is their energy and punch,' says 48th Street Chicago Blues bar owner, bluesman and band mentor Tommy Chung. 'You know you're not listening to just another heavy metal/rock band.'
That's for sure. Not only are Never N a band whose singer (Jason Tam Yan-kit) and drummer (Hubert So Wung-ngai) are more bashful than the string section (guitarist Ben Chan Kwok-wah and bassist Alfred Au Hok-lam), they've also found a novel way of solving the age-old problem of rehearsal space: by building their own.
'It took us one-and-a-half years to build it,' says Chan of the 4,500sqft loft that's part Friends (think couches and consoles) and part Buffy (black bricks and chandeliers). Still, the hard work paid off, providing the four-piece with living space, a recording studio - and a name.
'We spent every day clearing all the bricks and sand,' says Chan, 'until one of my friends said, 'It just never ends'.'
After two years together and a succession of drummers, Never N are starting to expand their set list to include acts a little more diverse than Metallica, Aerosmith and Skid Row.
'We're based in rock, but right now we're trying blues and a little bit of funk,' says So. 'With distortion,' adds Chan.
They're also working on their own material. 'Everybody's trying to write something,' says Au, 'but we're still waiting for the results.' The band have come a long way since their first gig in July 2003. 'The first time I saw them play, they still had all the hallmarks of an amateur band,' says Chung. 'They were nervous and unsure of what they were doing. They played with gusto, but there were quite a few problems.'
