On The Scene: Dos Kolegas 03-04-2012

In all honesty, this was the last place I wanted to be tonight. After spending a good hour trying to rally friends to go to Yugong Yishan, as well as indulging in Heaven’s wide-range selection of heavy heavy beers, I found myself heading to the one place I knew I would feel at home – Dos Kolegas – you sassy bitch you.  What did I get in return – well some hard blues courtesy of Wu & The Side Effects and tough as nails grunge from Nucleus, that’s what.

I’m really starting to be taken by Wu & The Side Effects – maybe it was the Duvel running through my blood, but they really sell the driven-down, rum-soaked, ram-shacked night on the town blues sound well. It oozes with charisma and cigarette smoke weariness. And Wu’s voice is really like that all the time – I think the man learned English watching 1950s noirs growing up.

There is a part of me that wants to see him unhinge some more, cause it’s there for sure – just look at that sparkle in those eyes – that’s lunacy trying to break free. Nevertheless, Wu & The Side Effects is a band with an undeniable pulse; let’s hope they keep those red blood cells going.

Holy testicle Tuesday – I forgot how straight up badass Nucleus was. Last time I saw them was over a year ago, and geez it’s been too long. Though obviously influenced by Nirvana and the grunge sound of the early 90s, these guys make it their own – they’re the real deal. Li Xia is a force of nature on stage – every gesture, every high note, every time he hunches over like a zombie, or sways side to side with his guitar like he (or it) is on tourettes, he’s in it, one hundred and ten fucking percent.

I was almost compelled to leave immediately out of fear that my girlfriend would be fantasizing about Li Xia for the rest of the night; he was Steve McQueening all over the place. Their sound is heavy and dirty, and more importantly well groomed – it feels authentic.

Screw metal bands, if there is one band I don’t want to bump into alone in the street late at night, it’s these three – especially bassist Gui Xian – he looks like he could do some serious damage. They looked like they have been to hell and back, and have confined those experiences in their music. Ferocious indeed.

To another night on the town with Ningxia’s finest. Check below for more videos and soundbites of Nucleus. Enjoy!!