She's not wearing shoes, but it may be the last thing on your mind as G Tsui Nga-tsz tears across the stage, throwing up her arms and staring at the audience. She's intimidating - and this is refreshing at a time when female-fronted hardcore and metal bands have become less of a novelty and more of a not-so-minor threat to the tough-guy mentality of old. Tsui's band, Engrave Thy Heart, have set up camp at a crossroads, with a piercing metal sound and a no-nonsense message that screams hardcore. Although half of the members are barely 18, the Hong Kong locals' sound is far from naive. Two years in the scene and lacking a full album, Engrave Thy Heart still stand out. Tin- can recording aside, Tsui's brutal voice comes through loud and clear in their show- case song Predicament. From guttural growling that has people double-checking her gender to high screaming that's right on, her voice has a range sorely lacking in many of the genre's bands. The group's message aligns with that of some other local underground bands concerned about social issues. Their lyrics take on subjects from pollution to world trade, with room for personal philosophy promoting old-school necessities such as respect and unity. 'Relating our songs with social issues is a way of acting out, and we liberate ourselves by acting on our beliefs,' says Tsui, 18. 'What society faces is what we face. We can't possibly ignore it - if we do, then we're escaping, and we chose the positive way, which is to speak out and deal with it.' The band also includes personal emotion absent from groups with overbearing political agendas. 'When we go to work or college, when we read a newspaper or a book, when we hear someone else's opinions or when we experience something unnecessary - anything can be our inspiration,' Tsui says. 'For ETH, composing a song, writing lyrics, putting on a performance is all about releasing ourselves.' Engrave Thy Heart set out in 2004 to be an all-female hardcore band, but soon abandoned that idea, losing a few members and morphing into its current 50/50 lineup: guitarist Leung Ting-fung, bassist Silver Kwok Chi-wai, drummer Leung Wing-sum and Tsui on vocals. In Hong Kong's fairly young underground scene, the group's makeup has been both a blessing and black eye. 'At our first show, people had strange looks on their faces,' Tsui says. 'They were more surprised at seeing female members in a hardcore band than enjoying the music.' Engrave Thy Heart have paved the way for others to follow. 'Now, there are more girls who mosh, there are more girls joining hardcore/metal/punk bands,' Tsui says. 'Hong Kong is probably the best scene I've ever seen in terms of having females involved, compared with other countries. In Hong Kong, anyone is welcomed to the pit.' Before they release an album with fledgling indie label Start from Scratch next year, Engrave Thy Heart are appearing at the City U Annual Band Society Performance at the end of the month with other top local groups, including Shepherds the Weak, Die in Velvet and the Academy. For a double dose of Tsui's explosive stage act, stick around for hardcore vets King Ly Chee, with whom she'll also sing - and scream. 'Screaming, especially for hardcore music, requires more emotion than technique because you're singing how you feel from your heart to your tongue,' Tsui says. 'With too much technique, the music would become too systematic and it's not what hardcore music is about.' City U Band Society Performance, with Engrave Thy Heart, King Ly Chee, the Academy, Kolor, Tie- Shu-Lan, 218, Attention to Piss, Blackwine, Zoundz, Python, Karat, Los En found, Shepherds the Weak, Die in Velvet and Unjustified Yoke, Oct 29, 2pm-11pm, Multi Purpose Room ABC, City University, Kowloon Tong, HK$60 (members of City U Band Society), HK$70, HK$80 (door). Inquiries: 9277 2039, 6091 0231
