When Anthony Wong signed at17 to his People Mountain People Sea label in 2002, the duo was just beginning to gain momentum in the local Hong Kong music scene. Fast forward to 2010 and at17 is one of the most recognizable and respected groups in Canto-pop. The singing/songwriting twosome has found success while staying true to their independent roots and avoiding the commercial traps of the industry. They produce some of the most refreshing music today so it was quite sad to hear they would be taking a break until 2012. But before they went their separate ways, Eman Lam and Ellen Joyce Loo gave their fans one last concert.

There was plenty to like about the concert since they had a good mix of everything. You want to hear some classic hits? They covered popular songs from past singing icons such as Sandy Lam (Sky Big Ground Big - Track 2), Faye Wong (The Last Blossom - Track 4), and Anita Mui (Evil Girl - Track 8). Eman hit all the difficult high notes in the 90s single from Lam without effort while the duo channeled the exceptional Wong in a mellowed version of her Mandarin rock track.

How about songs from current stars? The duo did their own take on singles from contemporaries such as Denise Ho (Hanabi - Track 1), Joey Yung (On The Treadmill - Track 9), and Fiona Sit (10 Years Later - Track 16). They started off the concert with the quirky, light-hearted track from Ho which got the crowd going, and ended it with the solemn breakup ballad from Sit.

Maybe you want to hear some of at17’s own songs? The girls sang two slow ballads from the last volume of their Over the Rainbow series of EPs, When The Last Apple Fell From the Big Tree (Track 12) and In Peace (Track 13). They even had room in their setlist for two English tracks as the duo sang a beautiful rendition of the Joan Osborne classic One Of Us and the lesser known Porcelain by British singer Julia Fordham.

One of the impressive feats of the concert is how at17 was able to reproduce the same pace and effects of the uptempo songs with just a guitar and simple backup band. A perfect example of this is with Sammi Cheng’s His And Hers (Track 7), originally a fast dance track with a rap verse. The pair seamlessly replaced the thumping electronic beats with rapid guitar strums and plucks, which surprisingly sounded completely in place. With this and most of the other songs in the show, they show just how good the original track was without all the unnecessary electronic additives.

In this concert series, at17 pushed the limit of what two truly talented musicians can do with just a guitar and their voices. For those who were fortunate enough to attend the live show, the record is a nice reminder of that wonderful evening. For those who missed it, the record shows how great the duo sounds live and gives you something to look forward to when they get back together in 2012.

by Leon Lee