| Gig Review |
| Hong Kong
Convention and Exhibition Centre September 28 |
| Click here for the pictures from the gig |
| Just
as Richard Oakes was grinding out an electrifying opening riff
and Brett Anderson prepared to belt out a track about "psychos
for sex and glue", a placard, as if on cue was projected
on to the two video screens beside the stage. "If you're
not feeling well, please go to your right-hand exit for help,"
it said - casuing much sneering and laguhter in the audience.
With the sparkling performance Suede put on it would take dire sickness pull fans away - indeed, even those who eventually ended up slouched in the medical pit were seen turning their heads towards the stage, unwilling to miss a second of the action. Credit must be given to the London quintet, for they were not playing in the best of circumtances. The concert verged on becoming a technical disaster - the acoustics were far from perfect, equipment malfunction abounded, and Anderson, who had to fix the wireless antenna stuck on his hip while singing was miffed enough to finally throw the apparatus side stage in mild disgust. All these, however, did not stop Suede from putting on perhaps the best gig Hong Kong has seen in the past few years - possibly outdoing their own two previous visits to Hong Kong. After running on stage to the strains of Rachmaninoff, the band pulled out all the stops. Anderson was clearly revelling in the hysterical response from the audience, hamming his act up with the air of a glam-rock icon and whipopiung the atmosphere up by pleading for singalongs and with confident yelps of "You love it!" His coleagues provided him with an astonishing musical backdrop. Oakes, for example, has transformed from smitten youngster of the last visit to a guitar god, killing once and for all many doubts about him not being on a par with his predecessor, Bernard Bulter. He provided moving piano accompaniment to the concert's climaning finale, the affecting The 2 of Us. Their ability to rock added a refreshing sheen to the mediocre Head Music, their must recent release. Their foray to these shores provided rare high-voltage excitement to local music lovers long starved of such electricity. |
| Click here for the pictures from the gig |
| Reviewed by Clarence Tsui, SCMP 30/9/99 |
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