Sex, drugs and rock and roll - An Id Signal is bringing all those cliches back into rock music.

They may look gentle and refined, but deep down they can be as bad as bad can be. An Id Signal, the band whose Chinese name is a twist on the term ‘stream of consciousness’, was formed in 2005. And as the name suggests, the band’s thoughts – and words – are free-flowing.

The hardcore band features vocalist Lai, Ho Nam on guitar, bassist Waiting and Kin playing drums, a group whose debut album, Known Strangers, is out this month. Frontman Lai says the message of their music is to look for what you want, and so the band are not afraid to speak about their indulgence in drugs. “Some people may need drugs, and some can be happy enough just with a can of Coke,” he says. “The point is, look for what you need and do whatever you like.”

Though the band want to be honest with their audience, Lai doesn’t like everything to be too explicit. He admires Lady Diana, the controversial ’80’s band who dared to shout “Fag!” in their songs, but he prefers to put the message as a subtext in the lyrics. “Surely we say what we want to say directly in daily life,
but in music you don’t necessarily need to do that,” he says. “What you get is what you get.” And if that sounds too obtuse, it is what the band is about.

While they hesitate to identify their musical influences, the band members agree Claire Denis’ crimson-love thriller Trouble Every Day has been a major inspiration. To the band, the film is like post-rock music – slow and tense, keeping the audience riveted. “It is truly crazy. It is not pornography, but all that blood and atmosphere that makes you relate to sex…” And sex is another important element in the band’s music – Lai describes how sometimes they communicate in sexual images while they play: “We would picture a scene, say a girl is riding on the guy, and put it in our music. When we want to replay that segment again, we’d say ‘Hey let’s go back to the line where the girl rides on the guy!’”

Another surprise influence on the band is the Broadway-musical-turned-movie Chicago. Lai says he “can’t explain but just likes it”, but at the same time he observes the similarity between the movie and Hong Kong. “People can make the front page just by committing crime. Isn’t that like Hong Kong?” Um, yes, but isn’t the connection a touch nebulous? “That’s why we called ourselves stream of consciousness,” Lai smiles.

Sex and drugs… sounds familiar. Is this another Pete Doherty?” The band say no. “We are not junkies. Pete can’t even play music now, but we are not like that. We don’t rely on drugs. It is just something that can give us happiness.” That’s all very well, but what about kids who listen to their music? “We are not worried about that. We are fans of Deftones, but we don’t blindly follow what our idols do.” In fact, the band despise pop stars who shout “Say no to drugs!” in public events and then fill themselves up with narcotics at night. Why not just be honest? “After all,” says Lai. “It is just a matter of choice.”

An Id Signal’s album release party is on February 3 at Indie Theatre, Loft Stage (8B Wah Mow Factory Building 202-204 Choi Hung Road, Diamond Hill, Kowloon) at 7pm. Advance tickets $75 from Kubrick and Zoo Records, otherwise tickets are $85 at the door. For enquiries, call 9353 9153 (night) or 6687 7420 (day).