by Dinosaur Journal · in Live Report & Photography

photographs: LINK

在80年代 post-punk 先驅 Peter Hook（ Joy Division / New Order）的來港兩天後，倫敦的新一代 post-punk 樂團 White Lies 亦空降香港，展示他們廣受好評的音樂，當中包括專輯 To Lose My Life… 的代表作。該專輯在2009年推出時拿下英國大碟榜第一位。至今在音樂史上它仍然是唯一取得此佳績的首張專輯。

如果你覺得這次演出作為 Big TV 巡演的其中一站，White Lies 只會純粹為新作 Big TV 作宣傳，那你就大錯特錯了。他們在整個音樂會表演了16首歌，包括不同的時期的名曲 ，當然少不了在首張專輯發行前已取得名氣的 “Death”、”Unfinished Business” 和 “To Lose My Life”。這個 post-punk 三人組在演出時會額外加入兩名巡迴成員，分別負責鍵盤/合成器和的結他。那絕對是如虎添翼之舉，有助提升現整體場表演的效果。事實上，他們的現埸演出比他 們的錄音更令人振奮，尤其在突出 White Lies 的跳脫節拍與他們陽光的外表，有着非凡的感染力。

雖然 White Lies 在他們的職業生涯中只發行了三張專輯，他們已經擁有足夠代表作，可以在表演新材料之間保持觀眾的熱情。過於明亮的燈光似乎與 White Lies 所表達的黑暗和哥特式信息不配合。作為英國的大型演唱會常客，這個火熱的倫敦搖滾樂隊並沒有失去他們的專業態度，在地球的另一面，面對一群少觀眾仍在整個 演唱會中保持着開朗的笑容。

2 days after the 80′s post-punk pioneer Peter Hook’s (Joy Division / New Order) performance in Hong Kong, London’s new post-punk generation White Lies took over the city with their critically-acclaimed music, including numerous hits from To Lose My Life…, which scored no.1 on UK Albums Chart in 2009. It’s still the only debut album in the music history which landed straight at no.1 on the same chart.

If you think this stop as part of the Big TV Tour will purely be a promotional concert for their new album Big TV, then you’re absolutely wrong. In the 16-song set, White Lies perfectly slotted in their anthems from different eras, including their pre-debut anthems “Death”, “Unfinished Business” and “To Lose My Life”. The post-punk trio were joined by two touring members on stage for keyboard and additional guitar. And that certainly helped generating a much better outcome in live performance. Indeed, their live sounded way more uplifting and sensational than their recordings, especially in highlighting the danceable beats with their quite sunny appearance.

I close my eyes as my hands shake And when I see a new day Who’s driving this anyway I picture my own grave, ’cause fear’s got a hold on me

- Death / White Lies -

Even though White Lies have only released three albums in their career, they have produced enough anthems to keep the hype up between the new materials. The overly-illuminated stage seemed to be mismatched with the darkness and underlying gothic message. Being a stadium act in UK, the London rockers didn’t lose their professional attitude in front of a small crowd in the Far East and still kept their cheerful smiles on throughout the whole concert.

by Dinosaur Journal – in Live Report & Photography

photographs: LINK

好音樂永遠不會過時，今晚你比任何人也更清楚。Peter Hook 作為傳期後朋克樂隊 Joy Division 和 New Order 的貝斯手，於3月31日與他的樂隊 The Light 來港表演，作為2014年的 Celebration Tour 其中一站。Peter Hook & The Light 在每次巡演會從 Joy Division 和 New Order 出版的專輯中選擇兩張作演出曲目。這一次，他們選擇了 Unknown Pleasure 和 Closer 這兩張定義的後朋克聲音的專輯。

筆者在 2013 年看過 Peter Hook & The Light 在美國的演出，我可以肯定，香港的觀眾反應熱烈得多，尤其是舞蹈動作和大合唱，美國實在是及不上的。或許這與香港作為前英國殖民地領土有關，這無疑再次展 現了英國音樂給我們帶來的巨大影響。相信 Hooky 也深知自己在這裡非常受歡迎，並提議拍攝一張他拿著曼徹斯特夜時報 (Manchester Night Times) 的全埸大合照，之後他更把相片上傳到自己的 Twitter。

既然這巡演被打造為“慶祝之旅” ，你可能不會對歌單有太多的期望，因為連續把兩張專輯足以相等一個演唱會的時間。怎料 Hooky 竟以 Substance 大碟中的 Atmosphere 揭開敊幕，緊隨其後有 An Ideal For Living 的 No Love Lost。80年代初合成器仍是一種創新的技術，電子元素是最時尚的聲音；除非你是在那個年代成長的，否則你會在表演中埸感到氣氛下降。

話雖如此，筆者對 Hooky 一口氣完成一個150分鐘的演出而不作任何中埸休息十分佩服！而且，較成熟的觀眾群對 Peter Hook & The Light 的”兩張專輯” 表演公式絕對受落。在現場聽到這些 Post-punk 經典專輯完全把他們帶回到 80年代的黃金時期。(除了當年 Joy Division 音樂中 Ian Curtis 的標誌性聲音和戲劇性的合成器原素變成了現在 Peter Hook 沙啞的歌聲和偏重的低音取代。) 老實說，可能由於這種差別，這次演唱會給我點看 “翻唱樂隊表演” 的感覺。當然，大家還希望他在現場會彈奏多一點，而不是完全交托他的兒子兼樂隊成員 Jack Bates 負責吧。

Peter Hook & The Light 最後以 “Transmission”, “Love Will Tear Us Apart” 和 “Ceremony”結束演出，再一次帶我們乘坐時光機上回到80年代 –那種熟悉的聲音，舞蹈和黑暗中的浪漫 ……

Good music never gets old and tonight you know better than anyone else. Peter Hook, bassist of the legendary post-punk band Joy Division and New Order, came to Hong Kong with his band The Light on 31 March for their celebration tour 2014. In different legs of the tour, Peter Hook & The Light will select two albums from the Joy Division and New Order eras to play in full. This time, they picked Unknown Pleasure and Closer, the albums that defined the sound of post-punk.

As someone who had seen Hooky’s band playing in US before their show in Hong Kong, I could tell you we got a much better crowd here. All the dance moves and especially the singalong could not be seen in the States. Probably it has to deal with the undoubtedly influence of British music to us in this former British colonized territory; even Hooky himself KNOWS he’s very welcomed here and suggested to take a crowd picture with him holding a Manchester Night Times which was later uploaded to his Twitter.

Being promoted as a “Celebration Tour”, you might think there’s not much surprise to expect from the setlist since playing two album consecutively would probably be enough to fill a concert. And.. surprise! Hooky kicked off the show with “Atmosphere” which appeared on another album “Substance” and “No Love Lost” off “An Ideal for Living”. Unless you were actually grew up in the early 80′s when synthesizers were an innovative technique and electronic elements was the hippest sound by that time, you would find the gig losing its hype in the middle.

Having said that, this 2-album-set formula definitely worked for the older generation audience ’cause listening to all these classic albums entirely in live probably took them back to their golden days, except the signature sound from Ian Curtis’ vocal and the dramatic mix of the synthesizer were now replaced by Peter Hook’s husky voice and a much greater emphasis on the bass. To be honest, this concert at some point gave me a sense of “cover band show” due to that discrepancy. Still, this writer does have all the respect for Hooky to complete a 150-minute set without a break! Of course everybody still hoped he’d play his bass a little more instead of letting his son and bandmate Jack Bates to take his spot.

Hooky eventually wrapped up the show with massive hits “Transmission”, “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and “Ceremony” which once again took us a ride on the time machine back to the 80′s – the sound, the dance and the romance of darkness.

by Dinosaur Journal in Live Report & Photography

photographs: LINK

好音樂永遠不會過時，今晚你比任何人也更清楚。Peter Hook 作為傳期後朋克樂隊 Joy Division 和 New Order 的貝斯手，於3月31日與他的樂隊 The Light 來港表演，作為2014年的 Celebration Tour 其中一站。Peter Hook & The Light 在每次巡演會從 Joy Division 和 New Order 出版的專輯中選擇兩張作演出曲目。這一次，他們選擇了 Unknown Pleasure 和 Closer 這兩張定義的後朋克聲音的專輯。

筆者在 2013 年看過 Peter Hook & The Light 在美國的演出，我可以肯定，香港的觀眾反應熱烈得多，尤其是舞蹈動作和大合唱，美國實在是及不上的。或許這與香港作為前英國殖民地領土有關，這無疑再次展 現了英國音樂給我們帶來的巨大影響。相信 Hooky 也深知自己在這裡非常受歡迎，並提議拍攝一張他拿著曼徹斯特夜時報 (Manchester Night Times) 的全埸大合照，之後他更把相片上傳到自己的 Twitter。

既然這巡演被打造為“慶祝之旅” ，你可能不會對歌單有太多的期望，因為連續把兩張專輯足以相等一個演唱會的時間。怎料 Hooky 竟以 Substance 大碟中的 Atmosphere 揭開敊幕，緊隨其後有 An Ideal For Living 的 No Love Lost。80年代初合成器仍是一種創新的技術，電子元素是最時尚的聲音；除非你是在那個年代成長的，否則你會在表演中埸感到氣氛下降。

話雖如此，筆者對 Hooky 一口氣完成一個150分鐘的演出而不作任何中埸休息十分佩服！而且，較成熟的觀眾群對 Peter Hook & The Light 的”兩張專輯” 表演公式絕對受落。在現場聽到這些 Post-punk 經典專輯完全把他們帶回到 80年代的黃金時期。(除了當年 Joy Division 音樂中 Ian Curtis 的標誌性聲音和戲劇性的合成器原素變成了現在 Peter Hook 沙啞的歌聲和偏重的低音取代。) 老實說，可能由於這種差別，這次演唱會給我點看 “翻唱樂隊表演” 的感覺。當然，大家還希望他在現場會彈奏多一點，而不是完全交托他的兒子兼樂隊成員 Jack Bates 負責吧。

Peter Hook & The Light 最後以 “Transmission”, “Love Will Tear Us Apart” 和 “Ceremony”結束演出，再一次帶我們乘坐時光機上回到80年代 –那種熟悉的聲音，舞蹈和黑暗中的浪漫 ……

Good music never gets old and tonight you know better than anyone else. Peter Hook, bassist of the legendary post-punk band Joy Division and New Order, came to Hong Kong with his band The Light on 31 March for their celebration tour 2014. In different legs of the tour, Peter Hook & The Light will select two albums from the Joy Division and New Order eras to play in full. This time, they picked Unknown Pleasure and Closer, the albums that defined the sound of post-punk.

As someone who had seen Hooky’s band playing in US before their show in Hong Kong, I could tell you we got a much better crowd here. All the dance moves and especially the singalong could not be seen in the States. Probably it has to deal with the undoubtedly influence of British music to us in this former British colonized territory; even Hooky himself KNOWS he’s very welcomed here and suggested to take a crowd picture with him holding a Manchester Night Times which was later uploaded to his Twitter.

Being promoted as a “Celebration Tour”, you might think there’s not much surprise to expect from the setlist since playing two album consecutively would probably be enough to fill a concert. And.. surprise! Hooky kicked off the show with “Atmosphere” which appeared on another album “Substance” and “No Love Lost” off “An Ideal for Living”. Unless you were actually grew up in the early 80′s when synthesizers were an innovative technique and electronic elements was the hippest sound by that time, you would find the gig losing its hype in the middle.

Having said that, this 2-album-set formula definitely worked for the older generation audience ’cause listening to all these classic albums entirely in live probably took them back to their golden days, except the signature sound from Ian Curtis’ vocal and the dramatic mix of the synthesizer were now replaced by Peter Hook’s husky voice and a much greater emphasis on the bass. To be honest, this concert at some point gave me a sense of “cover band show” due to that discrepancy. Still, this writer does have all the respect for Hooky to complete a 150-minute set without a break! Of course everybody still hoped he’d play his bass a little more instead of letting his son and bandmate Jack Bates to take his spot.

Hooky eventually wrapped up the show with massive hits “Transmission”, “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and “Ceremony” which once again took us a ride on the time machine back to the 80′s – the sound, the dance and the romance of darkness.

by Dinosaur Workroom · in Live Report & Photography

photographs: LINK

旋律死亡金屬先驅 Dark Tranquillity 成軍25年首度來港，並於3月16日在 KITEC Music Zone 作現場演出。主唱 Mikael Stanne 與隊員共表演了19首歌曲，給我們帶來了一個致命而迷人的晚上。較年輕的樂迷可能不知道，Dark Tranquillity於1989年組成，是把死亡金屬和旋律元素融合的始祖。As I Lay Dying、Arch Enemy、Children of Bodom（順帶一提他們在五月也會來港）和 Shadows Fall 等著名樂團也是受這瑞典的搖滾樂隊所啟蒙的。
Niklas Sundin 快速的結他演奏與 Martin Henriksson 的和弦結他互相輝映，與 Mikael Stanne 的歌聲配合得天依無縫。鍵琴配樂更為歌曲帶來戲劇性的效果，大大提升了現場氣氛，整個演出就像一個哥特式的音樂劇。相信出席的觀眾會絕對認同！可是，現場 的燈光握殺了所有的想像空間。基本上，當 Mikael Stanne 在歌與歌之間和樂迷說話時，所有的燈光就全部亮起來，就像是完場似的。試問在演唱會中，有誰會在意看到站在你身旁的人!? 所有樂迷都只希望一睹他們崇拜的表演者吧! 當音樂再次響起時，光線便再次變暗，每個人都亦再進入 Tranquillity 的 Darkness 了。
然後，整個不明所以的光線調節又再重複。

台上怪異而夢幻的動畫無可致疑是一個完美的佈景板，也為演出帶來另類的感染力，簡直是一個純粹的享受。然而，那兩個放在屏幕前的照射燈，從開始到結束都把視頻阻擋著。這就像在電影院看戲時有兩個人站在你的座位
前 — 你只想把他幹掉。

除了這些場地問題，從整體音樂表現來判斷，整場演唱會就像是 Mikael Stanne 的獨立表演。他整晚在台上非常活躍，不斷與到場樂迷交流。有忠實追隨者帶來了巨型的瑞典國旗，而且成功把它遞到 Stanne 的手中。他看了非常興奮！可能是從來沒想過會在地球另一面接受到這樣的歡迎禮物吧。Niklas Sundin 穩健的結他獨奏肯定是當晚的另一大亮點。快速，準繩，精彩的獨奏是任何金屬音樂的基本要素，尤其在現場表演。這次演出集合了 Dark Tranquillity 不同年期的歌曲 – 像新曲 The Science of Noise，90年代推出的 Terminus，當然還包括代表 Misery’ Crown。

這次雖然沒有一大群充滿憤怒的觀眾，但 Dark Tranquillity 看似不太在乎。而小編可以說，以港幣 280元的票價，就可欣賞到這經驗豐富的金屬樂隊，絕對是超所值。
經驗、創新、才華、謙虛 – 都是作為成功樂手的首要條件。而 Dark Tranquillity 正是如此。

Melodic death metal pioneers Dark Tranquillity had given their first show in Hong Kong in their 25-year career. On 16 March, Mikael Stanne & co had brought us a beautiful ,deadly glamorous evening with their 19-song set. For those who don’t know, Dark Tranquillity began in 1989 and is one of the most representable acts in the genre of blending death metal with melodic elements. As I lay Dying, Arch Enemy, Shadows Fall and Children of Bodom (who will come to town in May as well) are amongst those bands that were inspired by these Swedish rockers.

———————————————————————————————-
Photo Recap – Dark Tranquillity – Live in Hong Kong
———————————————————————————————-

The fast riffing from guitarist Niklas Sundin overlays with Martin Henriksson’s harmonic guitar lines created a hard-soft dynamic for Mikael Stanne’s brutal growling and clean vocals. The dramatic effect of the keyboard sound lightened up the whole set in live, making it like a gothic musical opera. It was absolutely unescapable! Having said that, the lighting killed all the imagination every 5 minutes. Basically the general lighting was turned on between songs when Stanne was greeting his fans. This writers didn’t think it’s necessary at all. Who would want to glimpse the one standing next to you in a gig but the performers you adored on stage? When the music was on again, the light dimmed out and everybody was falling into the Tranquillity’s darkness again.

Then it repeated.

The quirky weirdness of the animated projection brought an infectious impact to the audience which was a perfect backdrop for Dark Tranquillity’s music. It was a pure enjoyment for your eyes and ears. Yet, thanks to the awkward light stands right in front of the screen, the video was obstructed from beginning to end. It’s like there were two guys standing in front of your seat in the cinema – you just want to knock them out.

Besides these technical aspects and by judging the performance musically, the whole concert was like a solo showcase of Mikael Stanne. He remained very active throughout the night. A diehard fan brought a huge Swedish national flag with him / her and successfully passed it to Stanne. He looked THRILLED! to receive such a warm welcoming gift in the far East. Niklas Sundin’s solid guitar solo certainly brought another highlight of the night. Fast, accurate and arresting solo is the essential element of ANY metal music, especially in live performance. It was breathtaking. The set was composed of a diverse mix of songs – new materials like The Science of Noise, older hits Terminus and of course the anthemic Misery’ Crown.

Though it was not a massive crowd full of furious audience, the guys seemed to enjoy the show pretty much. And this writer can say, a HKD $280 ticket is definitely a valuable price to see these experienced metallers for 120 minutes.

Talent, innovation, experience and humbleness make good musicians. And they have it all.

by Dinosaur Workroom · in Live Report & Photography

photograph: LINK

旋律死亡金屬先驅 Dark Tranquillity 成軍25年首度來港，並於3月16日在 KITEC Music Zone 作現場演出。主唱 Mikael Stanne 與隊員共表演了19首歌曲，給我們帶來了一個致命而迷人的晚上。較年輕的樂迷可能不知道，Dark Tranquillity於1989年組成，是把死亡金屬和旋律元素融合的始祖。As I Lay Dying、Arch Enemy、Children of Bodom（順帶一提他們在五月也會來港）和 Shadows Fall 等著名樂團也是受這瑞典的搖滾樂隊所啟蒙的。

Niklas Sundin 快速的結他演奏與 Martin Henriksson 的和弦結他互相輝映，與 Mikael Stanne 的歌聲配合得天依無縫。鍵琴配樂更為歌曲帶來戲劇性的效果，大大提升了現場氣氛，整個演出就像一個哥特式的音樂劇。相信出席的觀眾會絕對認同！可是，現場 的燈光握殺了所有的想像空間。基本上，當 Mikael Stanne 在歌與歌之間和樂迷說話時，所有的燈光就全部亮起來，就像是完場似的。試問在演唱會中，有誰會在意看到站在你身旁的人!? 所有樂迷都只希望一睹他們崇拜的表演者吧! 當音樂再次響起時，光線便再次變暗，每個人都亦再進入 Tranquillity 的 Darkness 了。
然後，整個不明所以的光線調節又再重複。

台上怪異而夢幻的動畫無可致疑是一個完美的佈景板，也為演出帶來另類的感染力，簡直是一個純粹的享受。然而，那兩個放在屏幕前的照射燈，從開始到結束都把視頻阻擋著。這就像在電影院看戲時有兩個人站在你的座位
前 — 你只想把他幹掉。

除了這些場地問題，從整體音樂表現來判斷，整場演唱會就像是 Mikael Stanne 的獨立表演。他整晚在台上非常活躍，不斷與到場樂迷交流。有忠實追隨者帶來了巨型的瑞典國旗，而且成功把它遞到 Stanne 的手中。他看了非常興奮！可能是從來沒想過會在地球另一面接受到這樣的歡迎禮物吧。Niklas Sundin 穩健的結他獨奏肯定是當晚的另一大亮點。快速，準繩，精彩的獨奏是任何金屬音樂的基本要素，尤其在現場表演。這次演出集合了 Dark Tranquillity 不同年期的歌曲 – 像新曲 The Science of Noise，90年代推出的 Terminus，當然還包括代表 Misery’ Crown。

這次雖然沒有一大群充滿憤怒的觀眾，但 Dark Tranquillity 看似不太在乎。而小編可以說，以港幣 280元的票價，就可欣賞到這經驗豐富的金屬樂隊，絕對是超所值。
經驗、創新、才華、謙虛 – 都是作為成功樂手的首要條件。而 Dark Tranquillity 正是如此。

Melodic death metal pioneers Dark Tranquillity had given their first show in Hong Kong in their 25-year career. On 16 March, Mikael Stanne & co had brought us a beautiful ,deadly glamorous evening with their 19-song set. For those who don’t know, Dark Tranquillity began in 1989 and is one of the most representable acts in the genre of blending death metal with melodic elements. As I lay Dying, Arch Enemy, Shadows Fall and Children of Bodom (who will come to town in May as well) are amongst those bands that were inspired by these Swedish rockers.

———————————————————————————————-
Photo Recap – Dark Tranquillity – Live in Hong Kong
———————————————————————————————-

The fast riffing from guitarist Niklas Sundin overlays with Martin Henriksson’s harmonic guitar lines created a hard-soft dynamic for Mikael Stanne’s brutal growling and clean vocals. The dramatic effect of the keyboard sound lightened up the whole set in live, making it like a gothic musical opera. It was absolutely unescapable! Having said that, the lighting killed all the imagination every 5 minutes. Basically the general lighting was turned on between songs when Stanne was greeting his fans. This writers didn’t think it’s necessary at all. Who would want to glimpse the one standing next to you in a gig but the performers you adored on stage? When the music was on again, the light dimmed out and everybody was falling into the Tranquillity’s darkness again.

Then it repeated.

The quirky weirdness of the animated projection brought an infectious impact to the audience which was a perfect backdrop for Dark Tranquillity’s music. It was a pure enjoyment for your eyes and ears. Yet, thanks to the awkward light stands right in front of the screen, the video was obstructed from beginning to end. It’s like there were two guys standing in front of your seat in the cinema – you just want to knock them out.

Besides these technical aspects and by judging the performance musically, the whole concert was like a solo showcase of Mikael Stanne. He remained very active throughout the night. A diehard fan brought a huge Swedish national flag with him / her and successfully passed it to Stanne. He looked THRILLED! to receive such a warm welcoming gift in the far East. Niklas Sundin’s solid guitar solo certainly brought another highlight of the night. Fast, accurate and arresting solo is the essential element of ANY metal music, especially in live performance. It was breathtaking. The set was composed of a diverse mix of songs – new materials like The Science of Noise, older hits Terminus and of course the anthemic Misery’ Crown.

Though it was not a massive crowd full of furious audience, the guys seemed to enjoy the show pretty much. And this writer can say, a HKD $280 ticket is definitely a valuable price to see these experienced metallers for 120 minutes.

Talent, innovation, experience and humbleness make good musicians. And they have it all.