Monday, May 27, 2013

Psalm from the Icelanders

Sigur Ros @ AsiaWorld Expo, Hong Kong 21 May 2013

I did not cry like what I did 7 years ago. Maybe I was less sentimental now, I did not feel their overwhelming melancholic beauty like the last time. Instead, I felt the autumnal rhapsody, the festive firework, the dark glow, almost a celebration in secret. From the cool oceanic swim to the fire from within, those were the Icelandic psalms that never failed to cleanse the soul.

light bulbs universe
I have to memorize the moments, the lights and the shadows, the universe that hides within.

Monday, May 20, 2013

broken phrases

I went to bed with a headache. The humid sultry summer night. Another sleepless night. My head was so stuffy that my mind was so empty. My mind was so awakened that my heart was so confused. Disturbed by vague plans, fragments of memories, noise in my head, semi-imagination, semi-nightmares. A sick stomach, a sick head, trapped in the darkness, trapped in the heat, trapped in a city.



Monday, May 13, 2013

Run with the boys

Carl Barat, Gary Powell, Anthony Rossomando and Callum Ryan @ Hang Out, Hong Kong 10.05.2013

almost a dirty pretty thing
indie boys strip club (again)

Our arcadian love and passion last year was strong enough to bring the boys back to the town. Not an impromptu gig anymore, most of us the die-hard fans got the early-bird tickets in March and since then we anticipated the excitement that they would give us one more time. Carl and the boys were as energetic as before, always tried to dedicate his whole heart and soul to the crowd. However, it was my heart that was missing. Maybe I was too tired for a Friday night, or maybe much of the excitement last year was due to the surprise and impromptuness of the gig that I had to follow the news on facebook all the time, but I knew to a very large extend was that my heart was still under the spellbound of Blur which has cast on me since Monday (6 May 2013) that I could not immediately shift my attention to another event and band. See, I was always unfair to Mr Barat whom I have much respect and liking. I still enjoyed the gig (so Mr Barat don't be mad). There were some surprises in the setlist such as Blood Thirsty Bastards and Horrorshow and I wish I could be more familiar with some of his new songs like War of the Roses and Victory Gin beforehand that I could be more responsive. Of course I still jumped and shouted like crazy for the libertines songs, there is something that I will never give up.

cheap phone camera gives a strange effect
I forgot to bring camera (how could I!!!!) so I got to rely on my phone, all the photos seem a bit weird.

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

well, it really really really could happen

Oh this blog is turning to be my gig journal, seems like I will only update it after seeing a gig.

Blur @ AsiaWorld Expo, Hong Kong 6 May 2013

But I still can't find the right words to express my excitement, happiness and gratitude for Blur. Yes, I feel so grateful that they're back together again and more importantly, they came to my little melancholic hometown, a town that is full of frowns. Oh but today is different (maybe it's just for today). Even the long-disappearing sun turns up again, I feel so energetic, refreshing but also nostalgic. I miss that feeling, and know what exactly that feeling is. It was the time when I was still a student, time was abundant and passing very slow, when radio would play lovely britpop or grunge (or at least radio would play music, not talk-show) and when my hometown was still living under the union jack. Gibberish of an anglophile, sorry, but Blur is clearly the very quintessence of British band, and that is why they're lovely, you know what I mean.

The night was opened by Girls & Boys. The crowd was lifted instantly and you could tell that it must be an exciting night. Series of hits, of course. I lost my voice by screaming and singing all night long (how we like to sing along, although the words are wrong). Amongst the hyperness, I was struck by the sudden sadness of For Tomorrow and The Universal. (well, hyper and sad, if I was a bit bipolar?) The lyrics made me think of the powerlessness of my hometown and myself, some unlikely dreams, and how we lull ourselves. Well, but that night was my lucky night, sad no more, it's not "and it really, really, really could happen", it did really happen, Blur was in front of me! The finale, Song 2, my most favourite, was it too perfect to squeeze out my last drop of energy to jump and sing at the end?

milkbox giving to damon :) Milkbox gift!