Clockenflap locals: an insider’s guide to the hottest Hong Kong acts on stage this weekend
New Order and The Libertines are headlining this year’s festival, but there's plenty of Hong Kong talent that you should not miss. Edwin Lo, co-founder of online music magazine Bite Tone, lists his favourite local acts and why they're worth catching
Denise Ho (Saturday 8.30pm, Harbourflap Stage)
Perhaps one of the better known artists is HOCC or Denise Ho Wan-see, who will be making her Clockenflap debut on the main stage on Saturday night. The openly gay singer was active during the umbrella movement protests last year and lost some gigs on the mainland because of her political stance and her record label East Asia dropped her from their roster. That hasn’t stopped her, though – she’s simply moved to an independent label and continued to produce her music. "Her music hasn’t changed, though she should have more freedom now," Lo says. Nevertheless, the 38-year-old singer, has learned a few things from her mentor, the late Canto-pop queen Anita Mui Yuen-fong. "The way Denise markets herself is exciting,” Lo says, citing an example of when her tour went to Kwun Tong and invited indie bands to play with her, thus building her street cred.
Leah Dou (Saturday 7pm, Harbourflap Stage)
Another act worth checking out is Leah Dou Jingtong, who is making her Hong Kong debut at Clockenflap. Who is she, you ask? You might have heard of her mother, the Mando-pop star Faye Wong, who is reported to have rekindled her relationship with Nicholas Tse Ting-fung.
But we digress. Dou’s father Dou Wei is with the Beijing rocker group Black Panther, and Lo says he is known for his experimental music.
Leah Dou released her first album, an English indie pop-inspired collection of songs called Chimes, in Japan earlier this year. Apparently, it was Wong who suggested her daughter release it there because Japan was more amenable to indie pop.
