The contemporary Hong Kong scene is a reflection of the Special Administrative Region’s history as well as its geographical location. With its powerful neighbour – mainland China – and distant yet influential Japan and South Korea, the former British colony has long absorbed energy and creativity from all directions.
Despite these jets of influence coming from the outside, Hong Kong gave birth to Cantopop, the popular music scene that emerged in the late 70s and brought Cantonese songs into vogue. The new genre borrowed from Mandopop or Mandarine pop, which originated in Shanghai, and soaked it in elements of British and American jazz, rock & roll and disco.
For a long time, the alternative music scene of Hong Kong was overshadowed by Cantopop, which became the major product of music export with chart-topping names such as Leslie Cheung, Priscilla Chan, Andy Lau and later Faye Wong. Nowadays, the genre is not limited to the mainstream and has been reinterpreted by a new generation of guitar bands. Local darlings My Little Airport (pictured above) define their music as Cantopop and although they’re often sung in Cantonese, their songs are go beyond straightforward radio-friendly heritage, blending influences from the wider world of indie pop as well as those closer to home. With lush arrangement, abundant synth parts and undulating melodies, they are closer to the dreampop and idiosyncratic indie scene of Dunedin than to the Cantopop genre. Yet this is not as twee as their western counterparts can be, with artists including My Little Airport attracting ire from the authorities for their politicised lyrics.
The Clockenflap Festival, named after its founder’s enthusiasm for German techno, recently showcased the best of this emerging scene, of which the following are some highlights.
N.Y.P.D. – ‘18座’ (‘18th Floor’)
Despite its obvious analogies (New York Police Department), the name of the five-piece collective from Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon, translates from Cantonese as “Drifters of South Asia”. It’s a perfect summary for the sound that seemingly floats between the roaring riffs of Foals and the Dunedin scene, minus jangling guitars. Their song ‘18th Floor’ is an ideal soundtrack to the city with the biggest concentration of skyscrapers in the world.
Bad Math – ‘Hourglass’
Bad Math are a five-piece band who create wistful indie songs with harmonic references to Slowdive and Cocteau Twins. The watercolour arrangement of ‘Hourglass’, from their 2021 album Missing Narrative, inevitably conjures up Hong Kong Island’s waterfront and Victoria Harbour veiled by a curtain of misty air. Just as much as the city’s awe-inspiring bird’s-eye views, the pensive harmonies of the album reflect their composition during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Science Noodles – ‘Kowloon Night’
Another collective whose name gives off nerdy lo-fi aesthetics is five-piece Science Noodles. Their sound, suffused with the South Pacific breeze, evokes school holidays during the summertime. The romantic atmosphere ties in with the story behind the band, initially a duo featuring Hong Kong-based vocal/guitarist Yuet and the Taiwanese singer Hung Ching. The two met virtually on Tinder and developed an artistic collaboration, sending ideas across the internet. This is perhaps why the lyrics, either deliberately naive or matter-of-fact, mimic how so many of us correspond on the dating app.
My Little Airport – ‘Edward, Had You Ever Thought That the End of the World Would Come on 20.9.01?’
Formed in 2001, the indie pop duo My Little Airport are one of the most beloved bands in Hong Kong and mainland China. The latter, however, officially banned the group after they supported the 2019 to 2020 protests in SAR. Though some of their songs are openly political, many channel charming naivety balancing between soundtracks to 90s computer games and French chanson. Their debut album The OK Thing To Do On Sunday Afternoon Is To Toddle In The Zoo addresses friends mentioned in the titles of songs such as ‘Edward, Had You Ever Thought That the End of the World Would Come on 20.9.01?’
Leah Dou – ‘CATS’
The adventurous music of songwriter and producer Leah Dou is elusive. Her genre-bending approach is summed up by the track ‘CATS’ from the artist’s 2020 album GSG Mixtape. The five-minute upbeat track starts with a muffled 8-bit, proceeds with psych-flavoured art pop and finishes on a hazy downtempo note. Nevertheless, Dou is often associated with the Cantopop revival. This is partly due to the musician’s background: her mother Faye Wong was acknowledged by Guinness World Records as the best-selling female Cantopop singer.
