YAMAHA Asian Beat Band Competition 2010 Hong Kong - FINAL
YAMAHA Asian Beat Band Competition 2010 returns for its 13th year! This year’s search to find the hottest amateur band in Hong Kong concluded with a final battle at Theatre, Sheung Wan Civic Centre on August 5th. With the support from guest band, Dear Jane, judges and a full house of audience, 16 bands that survived the elimination went head-to-head in this long-awaited battle. REFLY came away as the regional champion and will travel to Bangkok this November to represent Hong Kong at the Asian Grand Final 2010.
Champion: REFLY
A dynamic and charismatic team, which impressed the crowd with a funk, riff-oriented and danceable number, REFLY the champion is the gospeller of funk. To create their signature sound, the quartet combines percussion-style guitar playing, a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass with interlocking rhythms. On stage, the band bursts with energy, faith and a superior level of confidence, making it impossible to believe that they barely just celebrated their 180-day anniversary. Henry Fong, who’s in charge of the 6-string, comments: “Most of us have been jamming for a while, tried to mingle with different musicians thus hopping from one band to another. Through such experiences, we developed our musicianship and people skills. On a random occasion, our paths crossed and found that the four of us could actually work as a band!” With a new and stellar cast, the group began their new voyage of musical discovery and that is the concept, or the seed of inspiration behind the band.
Their vocalist, Nicola King, who shares the Best Vocalist title with the band RED’s Ray Chan, is a natural diva who belongs to the major-league. Still in her twenties, Miss King has been dedicating her time to hone her chops for almost a decade. She is a heavy-hitter, whose catchy, anthemic vocals and dance moves showed an emphatic oomph. Imagine Christina Aguilera’s undeniably powerful voice merged with A-Mei Chang’s great stage presence – and voila! Hong Kong’s next Rock and Roll mistress is born.
1st Runner-up: Sinfonia
At the prize presentation ceremony, 1st runner up Sinfonia was one of the bands that received compliments from Gary Chan, one of the judges. “The arrangement is good and they have the line-up required to build a full and solid sound.” The self-contained quintet was founded as a creative outlet for a group of musicians with varying musical preferences. Some prefer Punk, while others prefer Metal and Rock. But when these young fellas get together and work as a band, they share a common goal - to paint the imaginary canvas with a grand and luxurious sound that embodies the spirit of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
To win a lottery, all you need is luck. But to walk away with prizes in a contest as prestigious as Yamaha Asian Beat, Sinfonia proves that it wasn’t just luck but a combo of perspiration, and persistence. “This is our fifth entrance to the competition and we had four unsuccessful attempts in our history. We really thought we’d quit next year! That is why we are absolutely thrilled to find ourselves ending up in second place this year. I can’t be more grateful to my band mates and the organizing committee!” says Bon Yip. “This would definitely serve as a motivation to the band’s future composition”, added violinist Ka-Yan Sze.
2nd Runner-up: ParanoiD
Although Yamaha Asian Beat is a contest target on amateur musicians, visual-rock sensation ParanoiD is blurring the distinction between professional and amateur within their dedication and endeavors. Combining outlandish and gothic-looking costumes, extremely styled hair and feminine make-up, the group portrays a flamboyant and eccentric style that is both appealing and exciting. Just as mesmerizing as the way they dress, ParanoiD utilized processed guitars of post-punk to construct a sorrowful, lyrical sound-scape with a taste of literary romanticism.
Approaching fifth anniversary this year, the troupe has already composed 11 songs and successfully built a following. “We will keep working and will work even harder, because 11 songs is simply not sufficient for someone who would like to pursue a professional career in music. As a performer, you have to have many irons in the fire. You have to take care of your image, stage presence and so on. That is integral to us”, says frontman Gloomy. Speaking of goals and future plans, the band aspires to bring more decent surprises to the audiences and hopes to meet more people with music. It seems that what they need now is a bit more support from the local community, for they are ready and possess the qualities necessary to embark as one of the most successful bands in the current band circuit.
Individual Award Winners
Congratulations to Man-Yiu Tsang from Ufopia, who picked up the Best Guitarist statue, while teammate Samuel Wong, earned himself the Best Drummer title with a propelling groove and drumming acrobatics. Speaking of technical prowess, Best Bassist Fai Wong is a streetwise player who embraces a variety of musical styles. Ever feel confused with the definitions of thumping, slap’n’pop, ghost note and walking bass? Try catching him in Superimposed Tritonic Motifs’s upcoming performances and you will find the answer. Shifting our focus to the left hand side of the stage, Best Keyboard Player Wai-Kin Wong from Jukator is a complete musician, whose musical voice shines through in his keyboard playing and band leading. Throughout the band’s progressive-rock flavored composition, he is self-assured and knows where things need to be.
To get ready for the ultimate challenge against 11 regional representatives in Bangkok, REFLY will undergo a series of serious and intensive rehearsals from now on till November. It is time to lend your support to REFLY and show some love to real musicians from Hong Kong! To find out more about YAMAHA Asian Beat Grand Final, check out the official website: http://asianbeat-yamaha.typepad.com/
•Francis FU |
