Nearly a festival: 3 Hong Kong street parties this weekend

With no less than three Hong Kong live music street parties lined up around town this weekend, this is almost like Hong Kong’s Woodstock moment.

“It’s a little crazy this week, but the fact that the gigs are packed so closely together is pure coincidence. Hong Kong’s not Woodstock, we can’t hold a three-day marathon so street artists will have to move their kits to separate venues,” said Kung Chi-shing, curator of all three concerts and Hong Kong’s godfather of street music. Kung is also on our Hong Kong Hot List: 20 people to watch.

First there’s “Street Music Concert 10” outside the Hong Kong Arts Centre in Wanchai tonight. A recurring event, the concert tonight will feature indie rock band Home, Rock Punk group FBI, the Victoria Jazz Band and a traditional Chinese music ensemble.

Then there’s “The Indie Ones Concert" at Former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road on Saturday. It will be the first time a concert will be staged at the Former Police Married Quarters, abandoned for a decade and one-time home to Chief Executive Donald Tsang. The lineup at ‘The Indie Ones” includes Kung himself, Ng Cheuk Yin, Yang Wong, and Logo.

“The Indie Ones venue is near residential areas so we’re wary of complaints about noise, so I’ve chosen quieter bands. Whereas it’s a veritable desert at the West Kowloon Water Promenade, so we have more options there, like having heavy metal bands to play,” said Kung.

The West Kowloon gig "Street Music West Kowloon II" --  the closing concert of the Hong Kong- Shenzhen Biennale -- will feature local indie favorites Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, SaxMax, Wong Jing, Unixx and Poubelle International. DJ collective Songs for Children's indie-pop will have everyone up and dancing for a perfect ending to the biennale.