Danceable, moshable, riff laden guitar songs and an outlandishly powerful stage show are what EES have been bringing to audiences all over the globe since 1999. Primarily influenced by Black Sabbath and, you suspect, more than one viewing of Spinal Tap, the band have been touring almost constantly since their inception, culminating in their Vietnam debut at CAMA’s Go!Go!Japan Festival last November.

They didn’t headline, but that’s a mistake the promoters won’t make again. Nobody wants to go on after EES, because nobody can do what EES do: quite simply the best live act CAMA have ever brought to Vietnam.

“Mixing dark fuzzy stoner rock riffs with classic rock sensibilities and addictive song-writing hooks, EES occupy the gaping void somewhere between Queens of the Stone Age, AC/DC and Black Sabbath.” Kerrang

According to the graffiti in D22, Beijing’s answer to CBGB’s, the Chinese love their mum’s, their country, and Carsick Cars.

It’s not hard to see why. Writing Pixie-esque noise-rock songs that never lose sight of a catchy musicality tends to make you a few fans. Which is why Carsick Cars are not only a mainstay of the Chinese punk rock scene, but have also toured America and Europe, playing festivals like Primavera, SXSW and All Tommorrow’s Parties.

Live, the act are a force to be reckoned with. Hook laden songs are wretched apart by white noise in a fashion that would please fans of Jesus and the Mary Chain, Suicide or The Velvet underground. Performances of subversive favourite Zhong Nan Hai – the name of both a cigarette brand and a metonym for the Chinese leadership – see the band bombarded by loose cigarettes from the crowd, in a ritual that perfectly represents how important this band are to alternative music in China.

Akil’s name is stamped into the history of Hip Hop for his part in making Jurassic 5 one of the best and most enduring successes of the genre. The group came straight out of left field with a sound nobody had experienced or expected and with lyrics that refreshingly defied the trend of gangsta posturing.

An MC, producer, songwriter, hip hop scholar and break dancer, Akil hasn’t stopped working since Jurassic 5 called it a day in 2007. The tight flow, uplifting lyrical content and flavourful harmony which made his name are very much in evidence during his live sets and have been married to a stage show refined by years of touring.

An integral part of that stage show is Akil’s collaboration with MC Hydrophonics. One of the brightest hip hop talents in Asia, Hydro has performed for 200,000 people at Thailand’s New Year Countdown party, worked with talent such as HRH Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya of Thailand and founded the 4Dub Crew.

Behind the beats will be turntable virtuoso Tech 12. With residencies spanning 3 countries and 6 cities, Tech 12 is undeniably one of the most in-demand DJs on the continent. His work alongside such lumineries as De La Soul, Public Enemy, Dilated Peoples, Grandmaster Flash, Massive Attack, Portishead and A-Trak make it clear why he’s not only Akil’s number one choice to be manning the decks but has also been chosen as CAMA Festival 6’s offical DJ, spinning tracks between acts all day long.

Distorted bass synths, aggressively heavy beats, punk-jazz noise guitars, light icy vocals: all the reasons why the Philippines’ only electronic duo have been compared to Daft Punk, Mew, and Bjork.

Onstage, musician Paulo Peralta’s energy and athleticism is perfectly balanced by ex-model Sarah Gaugler’s dramatic, doll-like poses. A visual representation of the way Peralta’s manic, driving electro-bass driven tracks carry the almost passively icy cool vocals. All the dancy punk experimentalism of a group like Crystal Castles, but visually much more appealing.

Poubelle international’s success stems from writing deceptively simple, addictive songs and delivering them loud enough to make boys tap their feet and girls shake their girly bits.

Having quickly taken over the Hong Kong indie scene, PB’s energetic riffs, a healthy dose of irony, and quirky, catchy lyrics have seen their reputation grow overseas. The opening track on their second album, The Hedonist has been screened in 36 countries on Channel V Asia and on MTV while gigs in the Philippines and at the Clockenflap Festival have seen them develop a reputation for tight and entertaining live shows. Catch them on the way up.

www.poubelleinternational.com

“It is great to watch a band who ooze such infectious enthusiasm on stage and throughout their whole set. Their songs capture their on stage energy being both upbeat as well as entertaining”

Heather Lowe, Underground HK review. 2010

“Their songs are three-minute vignettes of lust, trust and lies that rifle through your ears and then sod-off at pace, taking their hand-clapping, indie-rock vigour with them.”

Nick Webber, Hong Kong Time Out magazine, February 2009

“Poubelle — and their latest EP — have style and substance in equal measures”

Mary Agnew, South China Morning Post. CD Launch gig review.

Go Lim are quite simply one of the most exciting bands Vietnam has ever produced. An anomaly as big as the enigmatic city that spawned them, Go Lim have burst out of a Metal and male dominated scene to the delight of anyone who’s into fresh sounds, independent music and free expression.

While the rest of Hanoi’s bands take Aerosmith, Linkin Park and Metallica as their touch points, Go Lim are more likely to talk about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, experimental Vietnamese guitarist Nguyen Manh Hung and the influence of underground avant garde art studio Nha San. All of which shows in their off the wall take on indie rock. Skin headed front woman Nhi’s shaman-like performances of her own art poetry lyrics about such madcap topics as being a hungry cat (Meow) are an exhilarating break from insipid love ballads and odes to the countryside which have dominated Vietnamese music for far, far too long.

Hundreds of Hanoian kids, who had never heard of reggae before, can now be seen skanking with abandon as the group’s Nigerian frontman whips of his top and pogos around with the sweaty crowd. A fantastic live act, the band have recently released their first album “Are You Ready?” available at their live shows around Hanoi.

Their mix of reggae, afrobeat and Asian rhythms is a welcome addition to CAMA Festival 6.

Machete.sex.mix

Hardcore ballet giants, Machete.Sex.Mix believe in one thing – keeping it dirty. Combining diverse elements such as dubstep, hardcore, drum and bass and reggae with socio-political commentary, has allowed the band to make waves in the local scene.

Bone-crushing live performances, complete with mighty leaps from their larger than life frontman, have lead audiences to spiritual planes of both trauma and addiction. The band’s brand of sparse industrial electro is set to be unleashed on their debut EP hitting the ether in May 2012.