Press and Reviews
Time Out Magazine/Feb 17 2010
By: Mark Tjhung
Poubelle International – Indie Pop with swagger
The noise of the pub rings loud as Ben McCarthy puts down his beer and starts rubbing his impressively wiry moustache. “We’re trying to ignite the Hong Kong scene,” he says. Drummer Johan Persson fluidly carries on the sentence: “We want to provide something that’s completely new for the live scene.” These might seem like lofty ambitions, but it’s the kind of thing that’s within the grasp of one of our most promising bands.
In the last 18 months, Poubelle International has rocked, wailed, clapped, leaped and drunken-stumbled their way to being one of the city’s top live acts, also claiming a spot on our list of favourite Hong Kong indie tracks of last year with the irrepressibly catchy The Battle of Trafalgar Square. This fortnight they unleash their debut EP, and they plan to launch it with a ground-breaking show.
As the thoroughly hip Poubelle lads describe it, the EP is a reflection of the band’s progression over their 18-month in existence. All of the disc’s five songs were written with their original bassist David Ericsson, but the final version is a product of their growth as a band, including the influence of current bassist Dean Cameron, who joined just in time for last year’s performance at the Clockenflap festival. “Our CD is essentially a vehicle of progression for our band,” says McCarthy. And filled with Poubelle’s infectious three-minute ditties with the volume turned up to 11, the CD will undoubtedly be a vehicle for rocking as well.
But this Aussie-Kiwi-Swedish alliance are about more than just the tunes, and for the launch they’ve thoroughly disregarded the box, thinking well outside it both in ideas and artistic medium. “We want a new kind of event, mixing live artists with music, clubbing and everything,” says Persson about the gig, which will double as the first installment of Supersonic’s new live club night.
Art will also play a significantly sexy role. “When we play, we’re gonna have a massive canvas and live artists will paint as we’re playing – responding to the music, responding to the crowd, and reacting graphically,” says McCarthy. And true to the band’s global name, they’ll also project images of several artists from around the world undertaking similar artistic endeavours. McCarthy reiterates: “Our plan is to do something that Hong Kong’s never seen.” Sounds like they’re well on their way.
Listen to a sneak peak of Poubelle International’s new EP on the Time Out Podcast.
Review from Underground 89/Nov 28, 2009
By: Heather Lowe
This was Poubelle International’s fourth Underground and they didn’t disappoint. It is great to watch a band who ooze such infectious enthusiasm on stage and throughout there whole set. There songs capture there on stage energy being both upbeat as well as entertaining. I for one thoroughly enjoyed the set, it is very refreshing to watch a band that don’t take themselves too seriously. Having said that they clearly thrive off performing, with a successful measure of thought and playfulness put into each track. Bens interaction with the audience created a great atmosphere amongst the crowd and the chanting for an encore at the end perfectly captured the bands contagious appeal. As a side note, they also gave the money they made from playing to charity…isn’t that nice!
Review from Grappas Cellar, Supporting the The Young Knives/2 Feb 2009
By: newindiemusicinhongkong.blogspot.com
Multi-national band Poubelle International (Trashcan International), now resident in Hong Kong, kicked off the show with a tight,rocking set that livened up the audience before the main attraction, UK band Young Knives.
Time Out Magazine
By: Nick Webber
After a period of artistic stagnation and musical mimicry, some of our indie bands are starting to explore more expansive creative territory. Metal beasts DP – Dave Wong and Paul Maclean – embody this by being a two-man, bass-and-drums unit; El Destroyo introduced and popularised rockabilly to a city that knew nothing of the sort; and now the three-piece Poubelle International are stepping into the breach with a brand of quirky indie-rock that would have met with shrugged shoulders in our bars just a couple of years ago.
All three are appearing at Backstage on Saturday 7 for a night where guitar is king. Expect danceable, riff-obsessed fuzz-fun from a polygamist marriage between diverse genres : picture the Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner dressed as 1968 Elvis, stamping on a puppy. Troubling mental imagery aside, the very presence of this unlikely triumvirate indicates a positive change in Hong Kong’s relationship to indie music that looks beyond identikit cover bands and emo dirge.
Unlike DP and El Destroyo, though, this will be Poubelle International’s debut outing at Backstage. And, following their recent tour of the Philippines with Manila indie-pop favourites The Dorques, the band are now ready to unleash their play-it-loud, shake-your-ass music back into our venues.
The trio – Australian frontman Ben McCarthy and Swedes Johan Persson (drums) and David Ericsson (bass) – produce a muddy, agitated ragbag of vocals, drums and electric guitar. With lyrics that lurch from wit (“I guess nobody looks that hot when they’re eating a fast food meal”) to unabashed pop bleatings (“We’re still gonna party like it’s New Year”), there’s something about Poubelle International – or, for you translation fans, ‘Trash International’ – that should harry and hassle apathetic local shoegazers.
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. Throw in a dash of on-stage fruit-shakers and simulated sex acts and you’ve got yourself a winner. Grab yourself a mango-maraca and get dancing.
Review from Underground 73 at Club Cixi/Nov 28, 2008
By: Tim - Hong Kong Independent Music Blog
I would not like to be any band having to follow the set Transnoodleplayed. However Poubelle International were definitely up to that task, and boy did they bring their A game.
As PI were setting their levels, Chris B informs the eager audience that “the last time they played the UNDERGROUND, someone had sex on stage” Needless to say, if I had ears like a dog, they were stood at attention to that statement. LikeTransnoodle, PI had brought their gang of buddies and or fans out. Sound check done, vocalist steps to the mic and questions “Are you ready?” before exploding into their 6 song set. For you classification Nazis, I guess you could say PI play garage indie pop rock. I always say its important for a band to remember they are there to perform to the paying gig goer, and a performance was without a doubt what we got. The matching outfits of white t shirts with the numbers 1,2,3 on the trio was a great touch. They also all wore matching Buddy Holly, black rimmed specs. They also seemed to have mates wearing black t shirts with the number 4 on , playing things like tambourines and shakers.
PI have great dancy songs, where some even involve audience participation. In one song, the audience were asked “Who drinks Asahi?” to which the correct response was “I drink Asahi” (Heres me waving my fourth bottle in the air screaming F*** ya! Oops) Its obvious PI’s preparation for the gig was well thought. That or they are just that damned good.
Review from Underground 67/Sep 5, 2008
By: Erik Piece
Review I never make empty promises. The next evening after Underground I met them again at Fringe and said I’d write a good review for the guys (I seem to say it to every band). I did not miss any part of their gig except the guest tambourine player having his nipples licked by a hot Thai lady.
It’s their second time playing at the Underground (previous one please check Underground 59 review) and they clearly had gained some fame – check the crowd in front of the stage and the Underground chart. I wish Rockit was still organized in town, the group’s powerful rhythm session should make them all the way to any festival – they are garage-sounding – imagine the crowd jumping with the beats when the Subways are playing “Oh Yeah”. However, as a band with only one guitar, I would hope it would sound thicker – more driven and loud. Another reviewer Bun told me there aren’t many garage bands in town, Jesus, why not?
Let Poubelle International play a couple of more U gigs and people will start following them and play garage and turn away from “emo” – just like when they turned away from punk/hardcore.