Handsome Furs hit Vietnam
Thurs 10 Sept 2009 – HCMC – Vasco’s
Fri Sept 11 2009 – Hanoi – Gio Song Hong
It’s onwards and upwards for CAMA, with Canadian rockers Handsome Furs set to play Hanoi and HCMC on September 10 and 11.
The latest in a line-up of more than 35 acts to be brought to Vietnam by the Hanoi-based CAMA collective, Handsome Furs will hit HCMC to play Vasco’s on Thursday September 10, before heading to the capital to join home-grown Hanoi rockers Recycle and Vietnam’s own electronic wunderkind DJ Tri Minh for a night of truly international musical mayhem at Gio Song Hong on Friday September 11.
Get map and full details.
Power, Punk and Face Control: Handsome Furs hit Vietnam
Fresh from dates in Australia, New Zealand and China, Canadian synth-punk sensation Handsome Furs are set for a whirlwind stop in Vietnam for shows in Hanoi and HCMC on September 10 and 11.
It’s the first visit to Asia for the husband/wife duo Dan Boeckner (frontman of Canadian indie rockers Wolf Parade) and Alexei Perry, who have been taking the world by storm with their trademark blend of electro, punk and indie rock.
Signed to Seattle’s iconic Sub Pop label in 2006, the Furs released their debut album Plague Park in 2007 before setting off on the exhaustive tour of eastern Europe and the Baltic that would inspire 2009’s Face Control.
Influenced in particular by the band’s experiences in Russia, Face Control is by turns dark, explosive and uplifting, mixing raw guitar, broken beats and Boeckner’s distinctive vocals to create one of the essential albums of 2009.
Eastern European influences abound throughout Face Control, with even the album title a reference to the new practice of Russian bouncers turning customers away from venues, from restaurants to nightclubs, based on their physical appearance.
“I was denied entry into a lunch buffet in Moscow because I didn’t look good enough,” Boeckner says, “It was a regular steam table lunch buffet, and the bouncer was face controlling people.”
But eastern Europe held more revelations for Handsome Furs than just that they didn’t meet standards of bouncer chic.
“When we started doing shows outside of the regular European touring circuit, and I think the first of those would’ve been the Moscow show – we kind of realised with the small amount of equipment that we have, we can go to these places and people will actually see the show” Boekner told Australia’s thevine.com.au recently.
“You know we’ll have as many people there as say in Berlin or wherever. Basically because of the internet. It doesn’t really matter if you’ve got distribution in those countries any more, if you get there physically people will come to the show.”
It’s a philosophy that has served the band well so far and one that spells good things for their upcoming Hanoi and HCMC shows.
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“One of the best bands around right now.” (culturebully.com)
“Boeckner injects the album with a paranoid, cerebral vibe … This is dance pop for nerds, in the best sense possible.” (rollingstone.com)
“In those guitars and synths there’s the hum of a city, the space between stars, all the intensity of a steady, unbroken gaze – this is one band best seen and heard LIVE.” (undertheradar.co.nz)
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C.A.M.A. is a collective of like-minded individuals based in Hanoi bringing independent music to Vietnam for the good of all. C.A.M.A. has been active in Hanoi since 2005 and has played a central role in bringing over 20 bands and DJs to Hanoi.
