Jiechi戒尺, Kṣitigarbha 地藏, Sunken Square 下沉广场 (NEO Bar 2020.01.09)
Swung by NEO Bar last Saturday for my weekly injection of down and dirty rock and roll as a chance to check out some of the new voices looking to stir up trouble in the next year. And from the sound of it, 2020 has created some truly mischievous characters and I couldn’t be happier.
Kicking off the night was the always enjoyable Kṣitigarbha, one of my favorite acts from last year. There’s such infectious alchemy to how the band plays off one another – something you can literally see across each of the members’ faces.
My first outing with Sunken Square, born out of the jumble and life-force of Neo Bar itself, and yeah, love the melodic tightness and their playful juggling of genres. While they never quite go off the deep end, they’re not afraid to drop in a quick grindcore sidebar or straddle a post punk riff. With an emphasis on their lyrics, they’re a band that may be rough around the edges but one whose conviction is there.
Speaking of conviction, I have no idea where Jiechi emerged from but damn are they a treat. A slightly deranged grunge-infused noise rock band that feels like an art school troupe gone AWOL, it’s both detached and utterly unhinged – a muddle of nerves turned into song. All I know is I need to catch these cats again.
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