HK actor and singer Patrick Tang makes a fresh start in his career by forming a band named "SirV", which stands for "survive". The band's line up is as follows: Patrick on vocals, Choi Chi Hou and Michael on guitar, Wilson on drums, Henry on bass, and Nicholas on keys. Categorized as a rock band, SirV is the new band to look out for in 2012.
On July 27, 2012, SirV had their first gig at Citywalk's Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics. They performed two songs, their debut single "愛！愛？愛。愛/Love! Love? Love. Love" and "憤怒了/Angry", both great songs with differing sounds and tones that show their potential versatility as a band.
SirV first performed "愛！愛？愛。愛". It has the rock band sound, but what's different about it is the tone. Instead of being overly edgy, dark, or full of angst, it possesses a refreshingly upbeat and more friendly feel. I can't quite explain it, but its lighter yet still clearly rock vibe is a breath of fresh air. The song is catchy, fun, and both Patrick's vocals and the band sounds great. The sound fits Patrick well.
Next, they performed "憤怒了", their heavier rock song. This was definitely something I did not expect from Patrick. While I'm not sure if this is the sound that best fits him, he pulls it off, the song is still catchy, and I enjoyed seeing him rock out like that! He has the power in his voice for it. I'm anticipating the studio release of this song.
As always, Patrick performs well live. I love the enthusiasm and passion he shows when singing and performing live. He always looks like he's having so much fun! He looks even more full of energy with his band playing behind him. My only usual piece of constructive criticism for his live singing is to control his voice better, as his power and enthusiasm can make him belt more loudly than he should. However, I love his onstage presence. The audience looks like they enjoyed SirV's performance too!
Following their gig at the Citywalk Olympics Opening Ceremony, SirV released the studio version of their debut single "愛！愛？愛。愛". Listen to it here: http://youtu.be/4-hRkXXcn3w The song is also the theme song of the play Patrick is currently starring in, "神扒之間/Oh My Goddess!"
Overall
Despite having talent and being one of my favorite artists (you can say he's one of the underdogs I root for?), Patrick has never been given the recognition and success he deserves, whether due to bad luck, timing, or his lack of "star quality". As an actor, he was meet with lukewarm response though he delivered solidly (and fantastically as the comedic and cute "Tai Siu" in "7 Days in Life"). In recent years, he's failed to replicate the moderate success and popularity as a singer he had from his early days, likely due to lack of enough promotion by his record company.
With over 10 years of hard work and experience under his belt, Patrick deserves to have more than what he does now. Though not the best looking or charismatic, I've always had a soft spot for Patrick. He's talented, overlooked, and seems to be a very sweet and down to earth person, even having taken the time to reply to me on Weibo before.
SirV is already off to a phenomenal start, and I hope that with this fresh start in Patrick's career, he will finally get the recognition he deserves. Go SirV and Patrick! Conquer the HK music industry!
Support SirV:
Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/sirvband
Weibo: http://www.weibo.com/sirvband
Patrick's Weibo: http://www.weibo.com/n/%E9%84%A7%E5%81%A5%E6%B3%93
With Dear Jane, C Allstar and Mr. and now SirV it seems like hk bands are having a little comeback. I like 愛！愛？愛。愛 a lot, will def look out for more from SirV in the future.
ReplyDeleteT - Good to see you commenting again! Yeah, there's definitely a little comeback going on. This is great, as I love rock music. "愛！愛？愛。愛" is very catchy! It's been stuck in my head for weeks. Really looking forward to what else SirV has in store.
DeleteSpeaking of bands, have you heard anything about the new HK girl group Choco? Their recent MV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcpMfaqyCUw&feature=plcp
ReplyDeleteI think they're going for a rock vibe but it reminds me a little bit of kpop lol but it's still good to see a bit more variety in HK music scene and I think they've got a chance to build a fanbase since there's not many other bands like them in HK after all.
No I have not, thanks for telling me about them. I've been on the look out for different types of Cantonese music.
DeleteYeah, I think they're going for a pop rock vibe too but I agree that it reminds me of K-Pop. Not sound wise, but just their way of marketing/promotion and how it consists of young girls. You don't see K-Pop girl groups playing their own instruments or carrying a rock sound tho (not the mainstream/popular ones anyway). Maybe it's just me, but they seem a bit too girly for rock, haha. But they show promise, and I'll keep an eye out for them.