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Former Hong Kong indie music venue TTN is back giving local rock and metal fans the live shows they want – just not at their own space

  • This Town Needs (TTN) is now a show organiser rather than venue host, arranging live rock and metal concerts in Hong Kong at places like Kitec
  • At its upcoming show on March 23 in Mong Kok, experimental alt-rock band Amazing Show will headline, supported by Hong Kong’s Nan Yang Pai Dui (NYPD)

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American metalcore band As I Lay Dying perform at This Town Needs (TTN), in Yau Tong, Hong Kong, on January 24, 2020. It was the last show at TTN before it was forced to close by the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Ashlyn Chak

From 2017 to 2020, This Town Needs (TTN) was a popular and much-respected live music venue for metal and alternative rock fans in Hong Kong.

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Then the coronavirus pandemic hit and, just like many small Hong Kong businesses, the industrial space in Yau Tong was forced to close down.

“It had always been difficult to find a venue that truly accommodated our need of putting on high-quality, well-rounded shows,” says TTN co-founder Steveo Hui. “Money, of course, was a real issue as well.”

“There were a lot of things on the technical side that we had to deal with,” adds fellow co-founder Joshua Chan. “Cost, laws, licences … our resources were limited [as an independent operation].”

TTN co-founders Joshua Chan (left) and Steveo Hui at their former venue in Yau Tong on June 6, 2018. Thai indie band Yellow Fang practise in the background. Photo: Jonathan Wong
TTN co-founders Joshua Chan (left) and Steveo Hui at their former venue in Yau Tong on June 6, 2018. Thai indie band Yellow Fang practise in the background. Photo: Jonathan Wong

As borders reopen after three years, TTN (formerly known as Hidden Agenda) can finally return to what it did best – only this time, in the role of show organiser rather than venue host.

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