Redemption

After last week's fiasco at MAO Live, I was pleasantly relieved to experience a modest return to form there last night.

Only three bands on, all reasonably good, the 'headliners' on last - and another strong turnout (though not quite so uncomfortably packed out as the the previous week).

Well, the advertised door fee of 30 RMB had been bumped up to 50 at the last moment (I'm such a tightwad, I resent the very idea of door fees; in the good old days - a few years ago! - you were seldom if ever asked to pay more than 25 or 30 RMB for a gig, and most of the smaller venues were completely free), but they were giving away a free CD of the main band, Queen Sea Big Shark.

I have to say, that was the one big disappointment of the evening - well, the band and their CD. I quite liked them when they first hit the scene a year or so ago, but..... they just haven't done anything to build on their initial promise. If anything, they've become rather less exciting; perhaps they've been playing the same material for too long, and have settled into a rut. Also, I think the 'promise' was mainly based on SEX: their lead singer, Fu Han, is a hot chick, but...... well her stage act has become progressively more muted and her clothes more dowdy..... and, with the element of lust removed, I am shocked to find they're actually rather a dull band. Am I really that superficial? Perhaps I am!

And they don't know how to do endings either. That's a big problem. Most of their songs just stop. Dead. Endings are important, people, even if it's just a big crash-bang on the drums. Give it a little more thought.

They have the beginnings of some good tunes, some poppy 80s synth figures, a little shimmer of surf guitar here and there - but it doesn't quite come together. The worst problem, I suppose, is that they endeavour to sing in English. Alas, Fu Han's English pronunciation is so indistinct that it's usually pretty difficult to tell whether she's supposed to be singing in English or Chinese (and, as I finally discover from reading the sleeve notes, the lyrics are mostly gibberish anyway). No, a bit of a mess, I'm afraid. Bring back the SEX!

At least the support bands, Candy Monster and Casino Demon, were good value. (Why do I feel that Gary must have picked their names for them?)