Rock show “Running from the flood” organized by the Department of Architecture, Hue University of Sciences |
According to Mr. Le Van Thanh Hung, lecturer at the Department of Architecture, Hue University of Sciences, "Rock is the music that almost anyone entering the field of Architecture is… passionate about". That is why Hue Faculty of Architecture was the starting point of Hue's first rock-loving "groups."
Mr. Nguyen Thai Son (born 1992), a rock lover and pioneer to of rock music during this period, recalls: "Those passionate about rock gathered together, passed each CD to others, and memorized each song in it by heart."
To have a "student rock band," they assigned each other, one learned to play drums, and some learned to play guitar, others learned to play bass... These first bands were small-scale, established to satisfy passion. They were able to play music among thousands of people, enjoying the excitement of the crowd chanting their names.
After a period of "storming", Rock Storm ended, Hue's rock culture also gradually sank. The old bands, after spending a period of passion, then stopped to focus on work; the new bands chose to play many different genres, no longer pure rock.
Mr. Thanh Hung commented: "Nowadays, young people are talented with better conditions than before, but they don't have a solid foundation due to the mixture of too many genres of music."
Rock band Brainwave at the “Rock in Hue” event |
As social networks develop, people can easily access their favorite music, the need to gather to listen to music or directly participate in music performances is less. This goes against rock culture, music that "gathers" in the bustle.
Mr. Thanh Hung shared, when listening to rock, you have to listen with a large number of people, and you have to attend live shows to see the spirit of rock.
During a rock show, when the musical atmosphere is high, the audience standing down the stage can still sing and dance together even though they don't know each other. The characteristic of the music is wild, and free, bringing explosion, enthusiasm, and spreading to everyone. The artist is like a conductor on stage, and the audience becomes a band… This is the connection of rock.
In recent years, rock music is gradually making a comeback. According to Mr. Thai Son, this is obvious, the rule "the movement subsides, the movement rises again" when the rock lover is still there. After settling down, some people return to invest in rock to relive the passion of their youth.
Rock show "Comeback Ancient Capital" is the first step marking the official return of rock to Hue. The two "hosts" Napalm and Cochinchine, the band Ca Hoi Hoang, the band Brainwave - the runner-up of the Vietnamese Rock program, and the legendary Buc Tuong, have set thousands of Hue audiences on fire.
After that, rock nights began to appear more often. Occasionally, there are concerts with considerable investment, such as Rock in Hue at Queen's Bar or the Rock show "Running from the Flood" of the Department of Architecture, Hue University of Science. In all these performances, the audience was always on fire.
The return of Rock to the Ancient Capital is what rock lovers feel.
During May, in Hue City, there is a rock music festival, called “Rock de Hue”, the event is carefully prepared with famous bands of the Ancient Capital such as: Napalm, Cochinchine, Free Birds.