Hong Kong activist singer Denise Ho’s concert probed over noise concerns
- Cantopop star’s online performance at former Mount Zero Bookshop was halted twice on Sunday
Hong Kong police investigated an online concert by Cantopop singer and political activist Denise Ho Wan-see on Sunday after noise complaints, the force confirmed, with the show at a former bookshop twice halted while being live streamed.
Ho performed at the site of the former Mount Zero Bookshop on Tai Ping Shan Street in Sheung Wan on Sunday afternoon.
More than 10 police officers reportedly arrived at the premises at 6pm, an hour after the show started. They cordoned off the site and took down the identity card numbers of all staff and attendees.
A police spokesman confirmed a report was filed at 5.50pm on Sunday alleging that a concert held at the venue was creating too much noise.
“Officers arrived at the site to investigate the matter following the report, and suspected that an online concert was being held inside the aforementioned bookshop, possibly creating excess noise that would disturb others,” the spokesman said on Monday.
A camera live streaming the concert reportedly panned from the stage to a poster on the premises when the show was interrupted. The singer could be heard asking fans to wait while staff attended to “a situation”.
Ho was also heard asking if her own identity card details as well as guitarist Mike Orange’s could be taken down first, so they could resume the concert as soon as possible.
An officer was heard telling attendees that police would need to cordon off the area outside the building because of the noise.
Louis Lee, 30, who attended the concert, told the Post he saw three police vehicles and around 10 officers beginning to cordon off the area when he arrived shortly after 6pm.
Up to 50 people were standing outside the premises, as well as in a park above the former bookstore, Lee added.
“At around 8pm, [police] began to reopen the area, but then they said they would check the identity cards of everyone who was not a staffer there,” Lee added.
Lee said he could not hear anything from the tiny alley next to the former bookshop where he stood.
“I had to turn on my phone to watch the YouTube live stream. The audience and backstage staff around me had to do this too,” Lee said.
The case had been classified as a noise complaint, a police spokesman later said.
