After a couple of singles, local band Streets of Rage have released their debut EP Raw Dog.
The five-song collection is a mix of cynical and optimistic tunes about life in the 2020’s from five dudes who as they describe themselves on Facebook have “No agenda, no negativity, no hate, just a bunch of dudes who love making heavy music”.
Grab a copy on Bandcamp streetsofragehk.bandcamp.com
King Lychee, Protoss神族, Fight Club
Date: 8pm, 29 January, 2022
Venue: The Aftermath
Tickets: $250
King Ly Chee 荔枝王, Parallel Horizons, Sexy Hammer
Date: 8pm, 27 December, 2021
Venue: Cultkey
Tickets: $380
The Wanch team announced on their website and Facebook page today that the popular live music venue will reopen in early 2022. The new location will be just along the street from its previous incarnation at 90-92 Jaffe Road in what was previously Uptown 90. That’s opposite Joe Bananas.
Here is the post:
“Hi Everyone,
It has been challenging times since the pandemic hit worldwide in 2020. Times have been difficult for individuals, businesses, and the arts. It was a difficult decision to suspend operation of The Wanch back in August 2020, but a necessary one. At that time we made a promise to Hong Kong and the music community to reopen The Wanch when the time was right.
Well that time has come as on Dec. 1st we take possession of the venue that will become the new home of The Wanch at 90-92 Jaffe Rd, 1st Floor Henan Building (Formerly Uptown 90). Renovation starts the same day and we are targeting to open the doors with our first show sometime in Feb. 2022.
We will keep you all updated on the progress of the renovation with weekly pictures & videos on our website, Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter. We look forward to rocking Hong Kong once again and joining all the other music venues that have been keeping live music alive. We look forward to being part of Hong Kong’s music scene & community once again.
Take care & watch for our updates.”
Many of Hong Kong’s musical legends created marvellous memories in the old location. Let’s hope the new Wanch inspires a new generation to create and inspire the beauty and sensuous pleasure that is ‘live music’.
The Wanch
1/F Henan Building (Formerly Uptown 90)
90-92 Jaffe Road
Wanchai
New band Takokat have released their debut j-rock-influenced single Requiem.
Requim was written by TingB with lyrics by Ash; produced and arranged by Takokat and To Lee.
Takokat are:
Vocal: Ash
Guitar: TingB
Guitar: Long
Bass: Duff
Drums: Howie
Several of Takokat’s members used to be in the heavy metal band Deep Inside who played many gigs around town from 2012-2019. Reminisce on youtube/DeepInsideHK
Virgin Vacation, an instrumental quartet that blend math rock, improvisation jazz, krautrock and electronic beats, have released their eponymous debut EP on cassette, vinyl and digital formats – available from Bandcamp
The EP kicks off with a sound collage of a woman’s voice dispassionately recounting events related to the Hong Kong protests—before being crowded out by multiple copies of itself and a rising drone, reflecting the overwhelming news cycle in the city.
Independent comic book artist Lai Tat Tat Wing illustrates provides the EP’s cover art.
Track listing
Side A
1. Acid Rain
2. 5 Step
All Songs Written & Arranged by 假日貞操 Virgin Vacation
Bandcamp: virginvacation.bandcamp.com
Hong Kong based band Fardhell Muchell have released their second album Opinions Matter, Brains Shatter.
Fardhell Muchell is the current mutation of a crazy rock band founded in Shanghai in 2014 by a group of Italian expats initially named Bordhell. After several transformations and new members Bordhell became the Müchell in 2016 which is the Hong Kong version of the original band. In 2020 they evolved into their current form Fardhell Muchell!
Here’s how the band describes the album: “As well as it was for the first album, the title Opinions Matter, Brains Shatter is not a mere title taken from a song in it, but the password to unlock the hidden message of each song.
The opening track Rollerblades seems to teach us that the threats are often well visible and obvious, even in the most innocuous things and aspects of our life. Of course, we don’t like to read, so we realized that we are screwed when it’s too late.
What’s worse than taking advantage of someone who can’t fight back Rotten Hearts is dedicated to all those bastards who do that for a job. A whistleblower said that this song is dedicated to insurance and telephone companies, banks and vigili urbani.
Will be 2021 the year remembered as the dawn after the long night?…Or the only one to wake up at the sunrise will be Godzilla? This thought must have generated some 21 Anxiety. Surely the light at the end of the tunnel is represented by the massive vaccine campaign that just started.
Lack of Humanity should put you in the right mood for a self-vaccination session in the parking lot of the local train station.
Katsu Anares is the hero nobody needs, but he is always there for us! Constantly in the wrong place, always at the wrong time. Spoiler alert, he doesn’t wear a cape… nor a mask.
It’s well known that every single snowflake is different to one another, you’ll never find two identical Snowflakes … but what happens when they pile together? would you be able to tell the difference anymore?”
SoundCloudBandCampYouTubeThe David Bowie Knives have finally released album number two Milking It which you can purchase on Bandcamp. Their first Weapons of Mass Seduction was released way back in 2013.
The band self-describe their music as “Aural Sex” and have this to say about their new release…
“The long-awaited, difficult second album. 30 mins of spine-tingling, jaw-dropping, belt loosening tunes that accurately depict our thoughts and feelings of 2020. Please enjoy responsibly.”
Bandcamp: https://thedavidbowieknives.bandcamp.com
