bc magazine

Aston Villa Win 2023 Soccer Sevens

Aston Villa secured a record-extending seventh HKFC Soccer Sevens title on Sunday as the Premier League outfit defeated Hong Kong’s Tai Po FC 3-0 at a packed Hong Kong Football Club to claim the trophy for the first time since 2016.

Omari Kellyman scored twice in the first half before Lee Ka-ho’s red card for a foul on the 17-year-old left Tai Po short-handed, with Frankie Ealing hitting his side’s third ahead of Luizinho’s late sending-off, which saw the Hong Kong side finish the game with five players.

“At the start of the tournament we had a disappointing result against Tai Po, so to bounce back and win all the games after that hasn’t been an easy thing to do,” said Kellyman, who ended as the tournament’s leading scorer with five goals.

“But we did it and I’m proud of the boys. It’s been a great experience. The tournament has been all about experience and to come out here and play the game I love has been great.

“The physical side of the game, the heat is very different from England. Coming out here, you’ve got to run the hard yards and do everything to the best of your ability. It’s been great.”

Tai Po had pulled off a surprise 1-0 win over Villa in the group meeting between the teams on Saturday but there was to be no repeat of that result as the Premier League side raced into an early lead.

Kellyman gave Villa the perfect start when he bent the opener into the top corner with less than two minutes on the clock and, five minutes later, he doubled the advantage with another strike from outside the area, steering a low left-foot shot beyond Tse Ka Wing.

Lee’s clumsy attempt to halt Kellyman in the ninth minute saw him receive a direct red card and Villa exploited their advantage, with Ealing netting his side’s third from close range after a miss-hit attempted clearance by Tse.

Luizinho received a second yellow card seven minutes into the second half to leave Tai Po with only five players and effectively ensure Villa were crowned champions once again.

Earlier in the day, defending champions Newcastle United crashed out in the quarter-finals, losing 2-0 to Aston Villa, who took on Kitchee in the last four after the Hong Kong Premier League champions had seen off Queens Park Rangers.

Tai Po, meanwhile, notched up a 1-0 win over Leicester City to set up a semi-final meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion following their 1-0 win over fellow Premier League club Fulham.

The Hong Kong Premier League outfit eliminated Brighton & Hove Albion in a penalty shoot-out as Villa beat Kitchee to set-up the decider, with the English club ultimately emerging victorious.

In the Masters Event, defending champions Wallsend Boys Club retained the title with a 2-1 sudden-death extra-time win over 2018 winners Ampcontrol Discovery Bay in the final, with Kim Dong-jin netting the winner.

Wallsend had seen off Rio Cricket Association Athletic to advance to the final for the second tournament in a row while Ampcontrol Discovery Bay defeated Hong Kong Football Club Masters to progress to the decider.

This year’s HKFC Soccer Sevens was the first since 2019 after the event was forced to take a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The 2023 HKFC Soccer Sevens has been a resounding success and I would like to thank all of our sponsors, the teams, Hong Kong Football Club members, and the fans who turned out in fantastic numbers to support this very special event,” said Hong Kong Football Club Chairman Neil Jensen. “We hope through future editions we can continue to showcase the positive qualities of our unique city and its love for this remarkable game.”

Soccer Sevens
Date: 26-28 May, 2023
Venue: HK Football Club
Tickets: $200 (Weekend pass), $120 (Day ticket), Free (Friday night)
More info:
22 May (Fri): 6 – 9pm; exhibition youth matches start at 4.30pm
23 May (Sat): 9am – 7.40pm
24 May (Sun): 8:30am – 6pm

images: HK Soccer Sevens

Soccer Sevens Return

Defending back-to-back champions Newcastle United and six-time winners Aston Villa headline the Premier League clubs competing at this weekend’s Soccer Sevens, which returns for the first time in four years.

This year’s Soccer Sevens is the 21st edition of the competition, first held in 1999, and runs from 26-28 May featuring 26 teams across a main event and masters tournaments at Hong Kong Football Club.

Sixteen teams will compete in the main competition, with Aston Villa looking to win a record-extending seventh title and their first since 2016, while Newcastle will be aiming to become the first club to win the trophy at three consecutive events.

“We are delighted to be returning to the HKFC Soccer Sevens,” Mark Harrison, Aston Villa’s academy manager, said. “We are looking forward to defending our record at the tournament and our players and staff are excited to come and experience all that the tournament has to offer.”

Other clubs coming to take part include Leicester City, who have won the event twice, as well as Brighton & Hove Albion and Fulham.

They will be joined by Scottish giants Rangers as well as a Hong Kong Football Association representative side, while domestic champions Kitchee and WoFoo Tai Po will fly the flag for the city’s top flight.

In the master’s tournament, the Citi All Stars will take on defending champions Wallsend Boys Club in a 10-team event that will also boast sides representing the Portuguese Football Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association.

Neil Jensen, the HKFC chairman, said the club was “absolutely thrilled” to bring the Soccer Sevens back to the city “The last three years have been challenging for everyone, but the love of football runs deep in Hong Kong and we are looking forward to seeing some of the finest young talent in the global game back on the pitch at Hong Kong Football Club.”

Match schedule here

Asia Rugby Championship 2023

The 12th edition of the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship kicks off in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 23 May, with Japan, Hong Kong, and Kazakhstan competing for the title of Champions of Asia. The winner and runner-up will earn qualification for the new World Rugby three-tier annual global women’s international 15s competition WXV.

The Asia Rugby Women’s Championship began in 2006 with hosts China winning the inaugural tournament in Kunming. Since then, Kazakhstan has won five times, Japan four times, and China and Hong Kong China once each.

This year’s Asia Rugby Champion will qualify for WXV2 in 2023, and the runner-up will compete in WXV3. Additionally, WXV will provide a pathway to Rugby World Cup 2025, with at least the top five non-qualified teams at the end of WXV 2024 earning qualification for the tournament.

The first match on May 23rd will feature Hong Kong (ranked 15th) taking on hosts Kazakhstan (ranked 19th) at the Almaty Sports Training Complex, Abaya Almaty at 16:00 (+6 GMT) the winner will face Japan in the final on May 28th at the same venue at 15:00 local time.

The Asia Rugby Women’s Championship 2023 will be live-streamed on Asia Rugby’s Facebook page and YouTube channel, AsiaRugbyLive.

WXV 2

Asia Rugby Women’s Champion will compete in the WXV 2 competition which will consist of six teams, playing in a cross-pool format. Participating teams for 2023 will include two teams from Europe, the fourth-placed team from the Pacific Four Series, alongside one team from Oceania, Asia and Africa.

The sixth-placed regional position in the WXV 2 competition at the end of each season will be relegated to WXV 3.

WXV 3

Runner-up of the competition we play in WXV 3 which will also be played as a cross-pool format, made up of six teams: two from Europe and one from Asia, Oceania, Africa and South America. The regional position of the winner of WXV 3 will be promoted to WXV 2 and the bottom team will play off against the next best-ranked side, according to the World Rugby Women’s Rankings powered by Capgemini on the Monday after the final match of WXV that year.

Asia Rugby Women’s Championship 2023

23rd May
Game 1 Hong Kong China v Kazakhstan Live Link
KO 16:00 (2pm HK time)

28th May -Final
Final: Japan v (Winner of Game 1) Live Link
KO 15:00

Hong Kong v Kazakhstan
Asia Rugby Championship 2023
Date: 4pm, 23 May, 2023
Venue: Almaty, Kazakhstan

Additional reporting: Asia Rugby
Images: HKrugby

Heathers the Musical Live in Hong Kong

Welcome to Westerberg High, where cliques rule, jocks dominate and all the popular girls are named Heather. It’s going to take a Veronica and a mysterious new kid to give teen angst a body count and reveal that everyone fears being a nobody, but it’s murder being a somebody…

In 2010, Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy turned the iconic 1988 movie Heathers, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, into a musical – Heathers the Musical. And as illogical as it sounds mostly it works, there’s even a film version.

To celebrate their 10th Anniversary local music school Amusix is bringing Heathers the Musical live to Hong Kong on the 13-14 May at The Box, Freespace in West Kowloon. Director Joul Jacquin spoke to bc magazine about his new production.

What attracted you to put on Heather’s the Musical in Hong Kong?
I’m not a big fan of musicals. I thought that Grease was my only favorite. But the soundtrack of Heathers is wonderful. As a music school for over 10 years, we’ve done many types of performances from bar shows to big venues, to touring around Asia. A bigger project was the next step to celebrate 10 years of the school. The major thing about this show is that the music is played live by the students of Amusix, in a rock band formation.

Have you made any ‘local’ changes to make the show more relevant?
Not really, the talented cast is very eclectic due to HK’s multicultural society.

The film the musical is based on is quite old, do you think it still resonates with a very changed modern youth who exist on social media?
We’ve made a few changes to make it modern, but otherwise, the problems are still the same: ‘popular’ girls, bullies, anorexia, and people who don’t even know you exist. The High School Society.

What were you looking for when casting?
Characters that match at best the role and are ready to spend 6 months on a project. And I think we did pretty well on that. I love this cast. They know what compromise for each other. means.

Can you introduce yourself and Amusix to our readers?
I have been a gweilo in HK for +17 years now. As BC magazine readers know, I was the frontman of a band called Dr. Eggs till it was over my head and I chose to spend more time on productions with young artists at Amusix. We are not only coaching music but we are producing some of them. Let’s say I’m sharing my experience from the past with them. They are fresh. They want to go. They want to play.

What do you hope the audience can draw from the show?
Heathers remind you how important decisions you take are important for your life. Be kind to your friends and also to your enemies. This is a micro-society. Be good for everyone. Be sunshine. it will always pay.

Heathers the Musical
Date: 13-14 May 2023
Venue: The Box, Freespace, West Kowloon Cultural District
Tickets: $450, $280 from Amusix

Police Seize ‘Pillar of Shame’

The Hong Kong national security police have seized a sculpture created to commemorate the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in connection with a subversion investigation. The sculpture, known as the “Pillar of Shame,” was confiscated from the Kadoorie Centre in Yuen Long, an agricultural research facility run by the University of Hong Kong (HKU), on Friday.

The seizure of the “Pillar of Shame” has sparked outrage from human rights groups and the artistic community. The sculpture was created by Danish artist Jens Galschiot and erected on the campus of HKU in 1997 as a symbol of democracy and human rights, and as a tribute to the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre. The sculpture has since become an important landmark for activists and pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong.

According to a source familiar with the case, the police used a subversion investigation as a pretext to seize the sculpture, raising serious questions about the state of artistic freedom in Hong Kong. The seizure of the sculpture has been condemned by NGO DEI (我地), which has called for the immediate return of the “Pillar of Shame” and for the Hong Kong authorities to respect artistic freedom….

Continue reading the full article at HK01

image: vawongsir

The Wanch Reopens…

The Wanch Reopens… Or rather a new incarnation of The Wanch, which sadly due to current covid restrictions is without live music – just food and drinks.

The new larger location is the old Uptown 90, on the corner opposite Joe Bananas and the entrance is next to Amazonia with their popular cover bands.

When live music eventually returns will the ‘new’ Wanch be able to step beyond the legacies and memories of the old location and boldly go where no large-sized original live music venue has gone before…

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2010/Bc-unpluggedthe-wanch-19/i-NWLRXSz

The Wanch
1/F, Henan Building, 90 Jaffe Road
Wanchai,
Hong Kong

image: The Wanch, bc magazine

Art Basel, Treasure or Trash

After a two-year absence, courtesy of covid Art Basel returns as a physical event… Although with travel quarantine measures still in place many of the regular Art Basel participants are not here.

If we’re being honest – among art aficionados, the amount of hot air often overpowers the strongest aircon – this year’s Art Basel was simply boring.

While art is very subjective and personal and what you like I may not. Art Basel usually has a fair number of pieces that even if you don’t like them they get you thinking or stimulate discussion. This year it was a bit like walking through Ikea it was all so bland, safe and derivative. Not to mention that most participating artists were of the idea that big, bigger and biggest will be ‘more better’ (and profitable).

Here are a few pieces that were less ordinary than the rest, more can be found here:

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/20220526-Art-Basel/i-wnPCBkm

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/20220526-Art-Basel/i-r5RN4cF

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/20220526-Art-Basel/i-mh9PWSW

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/20220526-Art-Basel/i-Q4K6J29

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/20220526-Art-Basel/i-JzdkgxJ

David Bowie – Imagine, Live in Hong Kong 1983

The final concert of David Bowie‘s Serious Moonlight Tour was in Hong Kong at the HK Coliseum on 8 December 1983. It was also, sadly, the third anniversary of John Lennon’s murder and after performing Fame Bowie and spoke to the audience about Lennon.

“I co-wrote that song with John Lennon.And I asked him one day ‘How do you write your songs’, and he said ‘lt’s easy, you just say what you mean, and you put a back-beat to it’.
I said ‘What do you think of my kind of rock & roll’. He said ‘It’s great, but it’s just rock & roll with lipstick on’”.

Bowie pauses for a moment, as the audience cry out, “Last time I saw John Lennon was in Hong Kong, we went to a Hong Kong market and there was a stall that sold old clothes, and there was a Beatles jacket on the stall, and I did something that is not usually in my character – I asked him to put it on so that I could take a photograph, I took a photograph, and I’ve still got the photograph. The jacket doesn’t fit properly, it looks like John had outgrown it”.

Bowie then performs a beautiful version of Imagine in honour of his late friend. An upgraded 4K version of this iconic performance has been uploaded to Youtube – enjoy.

https://youtu.be/yo5W9ByBbrQ

David Bowie – Imagine (Live at the Coliseum, Hong Kong, 8th December 1983) [4K] (https://youtu.be/yo5W9ByBbrQ)

There’s also an audio bootleg of the whole concert.

https://youtu.be/mKf2T1chytQ

David Bowie 1983 12 08 Hong Kong Coliseum, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong (https://youtu.be/mKf2T1chytQ)

image: screenshot