Mew - Hong Kong's Music Zone E-Max 18.09.17 Live Review
Mew, the Danish troupe not the Pokemon, have been around for over two decades now and have polished their live set to match their image. Tonight their set traverses the highs of their generally well-received career, splicing the heavier moments with their glossy pop in a truly satiating way. The quintet don't exactly exude fun on stage, but a Hong Kong audience ever hungry for live music laps up their unique visual backdrop and Jonas Bjerre's lemon-drop vocals nonetheless.
Bassist Johan Wohlert gets the crowd going in time to tracks like 'Introducing Palace Players' which sound much fuller and less disjointed live. Though they've often denied their 'prog rock' leanings, this aspect is crystallised live with the scuzziness of tracks like 'Snow Brigade', which build and build until you're enveloped in the cacophony. These are punctuated perfectly with the crisp angular pop they've turned to of late and even the raw rarity of B-side 'Start' makes the cut tonight. If Mew prove anything this evening, it's that they're much more than the sum of their parts and still one of Denmark's most reliable exports.
Mew are a moody bunch. Clad in black shirts and silence they let their technique do the talking for them. Angsty guitar driven track 'Apocalypso' bleeds into 'Saviours of Jazz Ballet', which explodes into fits of retro space-age opera before sudden chasms engulf the room.
Continue reading: Mew - Hong Kong's Music Zone E-Max 18.09.17 Live Review