8 East Asian acts to catch at Clockenflap, from NewJeans producer 250 and Taiwanese rockers No Party for Cao Dong, to kooky Korean group ADG7, live at Hong Kong’s biggest music festival in December 2023

Nov 25 , 2023

Clockenflap December 2023 headliners (from left), Otoboke Beaver (Japan), Wang Wen (China) and ADG7 (South Korea). Photos: Handout

Highlights include Chinese rock legends Omnipotent Youth Society and the enigmatically named 250, who produced songs for K-pop idol groups NewJeans and NCT 127

More East Asian artists are taking up crucial headline slots at the music festival in its first iteration since its acquisition by Live Nation, facing off with the likes of Pulp and Joji

Remember when people called Clockenflap an “expat festival”? Not so many people are throwing that groundless slight at Hong Kong’s biggest, best musical happening any more.

Not since the festival made a triumphant return in March 2023, anyway. With a growing awareness of festival culture reverberating across social media, the event was fully embraced by boomer rockers and Gen Z fans alike, and sold out for the first time in the fest’s 15-year history. Soon after, it was announced that the brand had been acquired by global entertainment company Live Nation.

Perhaps not coincidentally, we’ve also seen more regional and local acts occupying headline slots on the bill – chiming with the growing (and long overdue) global recognition of Asian talent.

Now, we realise that might leave some jaded international listeners feeling a little lost – so to save you time and short cut all those industry plants, we speed-listened to (nearly) everything on the bill to present this guide to some of the regional acts you really might want to consider checking out.

Bombay Bicycle Club performing at Clockenflap festival in March – the first edition of the Hong Kong music festival in four and a half years. Photo: Handout

All of this is deeply subjective and far from complete. We’ve also avoided picking any Hong Kong acts – because there’s too much talent to fairly choose between. And there are, of course, international acts you shouldn’t miss (hot tip: this is your last chance to see D4vd and Tom Grennan before they explode – and Idles are dynamite live). But there are eight acts we’ll vouch for right here, right now.

1. Wang Wen 惘闻

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It’s worth knocking off work early on Friday night to catch the suitably foreboding sounds of Chinese post-rock titans Wang Wen. Formed in Dalian in 1999, the largely instrumental band captures the urban alienation of a transitional generation – caught between the rigorous rigidity of old China and the merry smartphone swiping, on-demand colour-bop of its emergent Gen Z. In other words, expect things to unfold slowly, moodily and with abundant sonic nuance.

For a rawer, more contemporary slab of the Beijing underground, run straight to catch Gong Gong Gong (工工工), a scuzzy, DIY Pitchfork-approved bass/guitar duo on the Tommy stage from 6.45pm.

Friday, 6pm on the Harbourflap stage

2. Idiotape

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Loud, tectonic and euphoric – Korean electro trio Idiotape channel the energy of dance music with the bite of rock ‘n’ roll. With live drums and percussion driving the swirling sonic mass of beeps, blips and drops, it’s a bright-coloured psychedelic pill which might make your festival peak early – and the only set during which any self-respecting hipster should take a blurry IG Story on the opening night’s closing stretch.