Red Star Rising at The Cavern. 29-11-07 - by Nick the Bookman


"Woke up this morning, my dog was dead..." It's the 27th of November and Oscar (the wild one) has taken The Big Sleep. (Thanks for your help, Hans). He was poisoned, quite possibly Paraquat. You know, that same shit the U.S. fed/narcs used to spray on the Mexican marijuana fields back in the sleazy 70's? Bad enough to get tainted weed. Even worse to have a Disco soundtrack to "soothe" the suffering! The problem with Paraquat (as I understand it) is that it takes several days to manifest itself, which is way too late to do anything positive about a cure. Anyway, he's painfree and exercising in Elysium. Now, the trick is to get Double to answer to Single! But I digress (as does Life). Let's start again.

"Woke up this morning, my dog was dead..." I'm still feeling blue about Oscar, which should set me up for tonight's Very Important Gig with Red Star Rising at The Cavern. The band are planning to record the event for a live CD and a few surprises have been promised, so as The Ramones used to sing "Hey, ho, let's go"...

I think I've stumbled into a twisted version of Edgar Allan Poe's "Purloined Letter". I've asked several people where The Cavern is and basically, it's at the top of the 'Fong "near Al's Diner" so, naturally, I walk the long way round and past it twice before seeing Shayle gripping and grinning outside the entrance. It's like that episode with UK magician Darren Brown convincing a London cabbie he couldn't find that huge wheel near the Millennium Dome. Shayle says the "bar is open so get inside".

There aren't many people inside The Cavern - mostly an assortment of businessmen on a bender. The bar is free ("I'll have 2 bourbon and cokes") and I find a nice spot upfront to write all this gibberish. It's a cool venue with a long curved stage. The drums are on a platform mid-centre stage. Keyboards to the left and various amps etc strewn about. There are 2 pulsating plasma screens featuring the greatest visual hits of vintage Liquid Len lightshows. Looks way better than its celebrated Mersey predecessor which was normally a sweatbox covered in tasteful displays of fungus and mould.

Time for a big plug for Rob Porter and the rest of the Yellow Frog crew. Rob is videoing the event and the Y.F. are in charge of the concert recording. His camera is omnipresent all evening. Shayle has dragged some other people on stage. There's an attractive blonde in a very mini-black cocktail dress and a large Serth Efrican rugby fan who doesn't gloat too much about the recent RWC Final. I've also spotted Lamma heads, Ellie and Faith, Rick and Luisa, most of Shayle's extended family and beardy Brian, who's Dora's dad and a celebrated Man Utd fan.

Steve Cray, the RSR mainman, says there won't be an acoustic opening set tonight as there are time constraints. Pity. I was looking forward to hearing Davey Wan Cur weaving his melodic magic on fiddle. Perhaps another time. It's also the swansong for Hugh on drums. He, and Zoe who is here tonight, are Blighty-bound before the year's end. Steve has a new drummer waiting in the wings and the advance buzz was that there would be a ritual playoff and the Swapping Of The Sticks. We'll see if that happens. The good news is that John Palmer will guest the entire show and he's told me he's got a few little tricks up his guitar neck ready to bamboozle Steve. So, tonight's line up consists of Steve on guitars/leadvox. Alex on mighty rumble bass. Hugh on the thunder drums and John on extra rhythm guitar. The show should last about 90 minutes.

Shayle has finished introducing "the best blues-rock band in HK and possible East Asia" and Red Star Rising kick off with a spirited version of "Megaphone Man" Sounds like vintage ZZ Top, circa Rio Grande Mud-era and is way better than the version they stumbled through at Lamma's Fun Day. It segues nicely into a mid-tempo "Finishing Line" although Steve's vocals seem a bit restrained. The first hint of trouble comes in "When Worlds Collide" when what I think is a theremin buzz adding nicely to the vibe turns out to be unwanted and accidental feedback. The band turn everything off and the irritating drone is history.

The 4th song is "Footsteps, our first single" and elicits hearty approval from Shayle who is on fine form, bobbing around the dance floor and organising non-stop drinks from the bar. I notice that the other "Corporate Rock Whores" have all buggered off. They're probably engaging in an untramelled orgy of fetishistic name card swapping outside. Or not. Anyway, it's their loss. Shayle and I discuss the finer points of the next song which is "Red Claw" It's a new number with a melody line quite similar to Steppenwolf's cover of Hoyt Axton's "The Pusher". The bourbon and cokes are telling me there's some Hendrix "Watchtower" in there as well and who am I are to argue with such pedigree?

John shines with some exemplary and dainty picking during "The Man from Ma On Shan" and Shayle bounds on stage to introduce Makha as a guest
percussionist for the later stages of the set. He adds a scintillating Latino/Afro world beat touch of class to the proceedings and opens up new possibilities of interpretation to the tunes. Not quite Santana - more like Osibisa perhaps?

The time is running out and Shayle asks for 2 requests. They're "Escalator Girls" and "Shopping Malls" which are my personal Red Star Rising favourites and the tunes that give the band a chance to go all Grateful Dead if they so desire. Hugh and Alex indulge in a very enjoyable call-n-response drum/bass battle during "Girls" while jaws hit the floor in disbelief. Steve tells me they "won't do the 20-minute version" of "Malls" (as I requested after Lamma Fun Day) but the backwards guitar solo will be attempted. It is. Steve is playing with one hand while the other awaits his drink which I pass up to him mid-solo.

John has gone all Electric Prunes-meets-Ravi Shankar raga mad on second guitar and Makha is whacking his djembe like he means it. It's a lysergic litany and my personal highlight of the night. I think Steve actually played a better solo some months ago at The Wanch, but this collaborative effort is peerless. Bravo and triple Kool-Aids all round!

The final tune is where Steve brings "it all down now" with a mellow rendition of "Last Ferry to Lamma" (as a hint to the audience to get ready). There's a brief reprise of "Megaphone Man" which is Hugh's last song in Hong Kong, "although we'll be playing with him in Camden Town, London, next year" This is the time that the audience decides to start dancing. So Hugh gets to play "Footsteps" again as his last last song in Hong Kong. The new stickmeister will be Drummer Neil, but he was unable to get here tonight so no ceremonial hand-off took place. I'd say this show didn't quite scrape the stratosphere - more the lower troposphere - but there was enough worthy moments to ensure that the CD will be worth listening to. On the plus side, I know no where the Cavern is (oops, the bourbon and cokes are working after all!) Keep that Red Star Rising.

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