words chris rees

I met Killer Soap late one night just before they headed off to play a gig. They have been together for coming on five years now, but everything is still fresh, with Rocky, the lead singer, spitting out lyrics like it was his last day on earth. Success with audiences has met with an equal measure of success in competitions, the band currently slated for the HK final of the World Battle of the Bands – they are among five bands locally that will play off to represent the HKSAR in the world final. Yet here the five band members are, three of them university students, clearly pressed to a tight schedule but polite as can be as we sit around a table tucked away in the corner of their campus.

What does ‘Killer Soap’ mean?4
Rocky: ‘Killer Soap’ is Cantonese. In Cantonese it means ‘vital weapon’, the ‘final weapon’. The same sound translated into English is Killer Soap.

How did you guys get together?
Rocky: We were secondary school classmates. I met Chung when I was 13 and I know Kevin through mountain biking [laughs].
ManMan: We played some small competitions [not together] and met there.
Rocky: We just asked around for some talent!

Do you find that people are treating you differently?
Rocky: Yes. They talk to us differently. Before, when we played, getting into a venue, we were treated like little kids – now they welcome us. [all laugh]
Kevin: Except for my teachers: sometimes they say “Oh you work so slow, what do you spend your time doing?”

How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it?
Kevin: Oh that’s difficult. We’re not hardcore and we’re not metal, we’re not pop, we’re just…
Rocky: We just play what we like and when people ask us, I don’t know how to answer. Our style, we can’t find another band in HK that plays like us. I mean the style - not technical!

All right, so you play what you like – what do you like?
ManMan: Too much, too much. Um… Lost Prophets.
Rocky: 30 Seconds To Mars.
Tree: System Of A Down.
Kevin: Metallica.
Chung: I like the same.
ManMan: He likes Japanese bands.

Why do you play?
Rocky: I need to play because, when you’re doing it, your heart, your mind, is just in the stadium. I have a need to play with these guys, a thirsting.
ManMan: Sometimes we miss the show. I mean, we miss doing it, we miss the stage.
Rocky: We can express what we want to say, it is a proof of identity. Because I am the vocalist… I am me!

Where do you see yourselves a year from now?
Rocky: I don’t know, we have to see the results of World Battle of the Bands! [laughter]
Tell me a little bit about World Battle of the Bands.
Kevin: We are in the Hong Kong Final. Counting us, there are five bands left. And then if we get through that, we compete in the finals with other territorial representatives.

So being in the final five for Hong Kong – you could say you’re one of the best bands in the city?
[Laughter all around]
ManMan: No, maybe some bands didn’t join, or…
Rocky: We may not be the best but we’re unique.

Many young bands tend to play as individuals each doing their own thing. But after seeing your gig – you play as a band. Would you agree with that?
Kevin: Well, one year ago we did not play as a band.
ManMan: Five separate people. Different in our playing and the way we dress, just different from each other.

So what has changed between last year and now?
Kevin: Now we don’t have to think too much about each other when we play.
Chung: We have trust. Each member has a responsibility to each other member. I play drums and I have a responsibility to these four guys.

When is the next round of WBOB?
Rocky: Not confirmed yet.
Kevin: Around the 10th or 24th of November.
Best of luck with that.
Thank you.

KillerSoap’s will play at IMNet House on October 21. For details, call 2329 3216.