Event Review
The Best of the Best -- Witnessed by a passionate crowd of approximately 1000, Broken Valentine from South Korea beat nine regional number ones and declared Grand Prize of "Yamaha Asian Beat Band Competition 2008-2009 Grand Final".
For the first time in the competition’s ten-year history, Hong Kong hosted the Grand Final with pride and hospitality in the Jockey Club Auditorium of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, welcoming our friends from Mainland China, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. A magnificent collection of Yamaha guitars, keyboards and drums was displayed at the venue’s entrance, transforming the elegant and luxurious hall into the Mecca for music maniacs. Perfecting the competition, internationally renowned drummer Sonny Emory was invited to fly all the way from the United States to perform on stage and be one of the judges for this annual music summit.
Champion Band Broken Valentine is seriously a force to be reckoned with. They have defined a new way to break the sound barrier with "Answer Me", a Korean Post Grunge and Alternative Rock number that brought the Best Composer Award. On top of the heavily distorted guitars and hurried pace, the five-some laid a straightforward melody to discard their discontent with hypocrites. Sung almost entirely in Korean, the group picked their song title as the hook, a clever decision that reinforces the message and motif of their song. The group won a wild outburst of applause, as their musicianship enabled them to play with perfect precision, keeping them cool without losing the inferno of their rage. At the prize-presentation ceremony, Broken Valentine burst into tears as they waved their national flag high in the air. It was a moment to remember, as the prize symbolized their passion towards music and love of their own nation.
Malaysian band ATASHINCHI probably had to request for extra luggage quota on their outbound flight. Walking away not only with Second Prize, Best Guitar, Best Bass and Best Drums titles were awarded to members of this irresistible act, a triumph of their ingenuity and skills. Shahfiq SHAHRUDIN is best at starting musical conversations with his red-hot guitar licks, while his young and talented band member Muhammad Gadaffi Khan ZUBIR AHMAD echoed with aggressive bass lines. ZUBIR AHMAD is a bass player of a rare kind who combines the strength of Billy Sheehan and musicianship of Marcus Miller. His slap and pop was flavorsome and clean, one would be stunned by how much this 18-year-old can do. Sitting behind the cymbals and tom-toms, working hard as everyone else was Sulaiman KADIR, who is affectionately referred as the cutest member by his teammates. Like magic, his sound is solid, bright and warm with an addictive nature. He has total comprehension of the role of a drummer, for he knows when he should be busy, and when he should hang and react to his teammates’ actions. Among all female participants in this year’s Grand Final, ATASHINCHI’s vocalist Farhana MOHAMAD is certainly one of the many heroines. Appearing on stage with a Japanese Gothic-Lolita attire, her voice has the best qualities of Maria Cordero and Chinese singer Han-Hong. Her bold and uninhibited performance was critical to the success of the band.
If you dig the culture of the late 70’s and 80’s, you will sure like Pancake 80, which cemented their Third Prize award with genuine Rock. Leading us through the tunnel of time, the velvet and shimmer of their soundscape differentiates the Filipino group from the rest. The guitarists’ music conversation was thoughtful and nostalgic, and their vocalist’s catchy harmonica solo injecting much character to their lively rendition. The generous dose of reverb blended their vocal works and instruments into a smooth mix, a work of art that makes one instantly recall Queen and Led Zeppelin.
The Grand Final was undoubtedly a fun yet physically demanding gig to attend because great acts emerged one after another. With music styles spanning from Rock to Latin to Nu-Metal, in just 90 minutes the audience can acquire a good idea of what’s hot in Asia’s music scene today.
Getting on to Hong Kong participants, perhaps simply “unique” doesn’t do Summer Junkie’s frontman Anthony BARRY justice. As the regional winner and Grand Final winner of the most-look-forwarded Best Vocal Award, Anthony outdid himself with cool confidence and his trademark, new-school vocal style that best represents the band’s care-free attitude. Featuring this year’s Best Keyboard Player Eun Taek KIM, Singaporean delegate Sixology reinforced their “live for today” lifestyle statement with a flamboyant performance that is highlighted by triple-layered vocals and Blues-influenced Rock. Just like Mainland China’s economy, Sucker is another young Chinese band that is ready to take off with their punk-influenced music with frenetic rhythm, while Mongolian powerhouse ZUGEER L decided to address the social issues thru their Nu-Metal offerings. Our friends from Mexico Shekina relished their opportunity to play for the Asian audience with an exotic and danceable tune that united strains of Rock, Salsa and Latin elements.
While finalists awaited anxiously for the results, winner of this year’s Tokyo Band Summit 2008 KAKERABANK captivated us with their refreshing acoustic Rock-Pop. Some people walk into a room and everybody turns to look, the acoustic duo’s utterly mature and comfortable performance surely falls into this category. Seasoned by elements of Folk, Hip-Hop and Rock, they maximized the exponential potentials of one guitar, two joyful voices and several percussive instruments, carving out a sonic texture and body that exceeded the integrity of a five-piece band. Hiromu ITO’s percussive accents gave the acoustic guitar the punch it needs, sharpening the attack of the riff at the same time. The high point of their performance was marked by the song called “Hana-Uta”, when guitarist-singer Motoya SAKURAI established an intimate connection with the audience by inviting everyone to sing along and clap as the music arrangement gets more ambitious towards the final measure.
Every year, Asian Beat Grand Finals invites top amateur musicians from Asia to unleash their talents and meet energetic and aspiring musicians who share the same passion and dedication. We would like to thank sincerely for all participants, and hope that they had a wonderful time in Hong Kong.
- Francis Fu -
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