words rachel mok

A new HK album isn’t the result of two bimbos making music in a bedroom

When I first listened to the music of aniDa and Gloria Tang – also known as ‘shopkeeper A at Mackie Study’ and goodmorningloria to some – I couldn’t help wondering if these two girls were from Taiwan. The laid-back melody, simple arrangements and heartfelt lyrics are unlike anything on our Cantopop-dominated airwaves. Yet both are born-and-bred Hongkongers. I couldn’t believe it – as I said to them, perhaps they were Taiwanese in their previous lives?

The two burst into laughter, but aniDa answers first without much hesitating. “Maybe I am… maybe I am!” This is her usual style – direct and responsive. “I haven’t thought about that… but I like Taiwan a lot,” says Gloria. “Compared with Hong Kong, I may like to live in Taiwan more.” Their connection with Formosa is not difficult to understand – they both look up to singer-songwriter Cheer Chan and are no strangers to the island’s live music scene, having played in various live houses and music festivals, including Grass Festivals, Hohaiyan Rock Festival and Kafka by the Sea. And the open friendliness of the Taiwanese people overwhelms the girls. “When you ride on a cab in Taiwan, the driver can tell you the story of his entire life,” smiles Gloria. “That is just something that won’t happen in Hong Kong.”

The duo met when aniDa, as a staff member of local indie bookshop Mackie Study, started organizing music events and met Gloria through selling her records. The two became friends and last August they staged three shows under the moniker Two Kids Who Aren’t Dumb at the HK Art Centre. Then this summer they released their first album, Home Buddies. The pair basically took care of all the songwriting, designing, photography, illustration and production of the album themselves. Most of the songs were performed at last year’s concert, but two are new: Walking, composed by aniDa and with mandarin lyrics by Gloria, is an uplifting tune written for the lost souls in Sichuan, while 2020 Rain raises sentiment for environmental issues.

Home Buddies may seem like music for a friends’ get-together at somebody’s house, but aniDa and Gloria hope it will be understood in a much wider context. “It also means when one sits down quietly, one can have time to think over various issues… about happiness, how the world will change in the future,” aniDa elaborates. Gloria adds, “And home can also mean Hong Kong.”

Although the girls are talented musicians – aniDa is a self-taught guitarist and Gloria learnt piano from an early age – they seldom talk about music in the time they spend together. “We are like schoolmates from the photography club,” jokes aniDa. “We take our big cameras out and go to take pictures together!” Still, the two have a lot in common – their voices, for one, are difficult to distinguish from each other, and both are critical of the local music scene and, more broadly, of society in general. The first page of their album’s booklet might read “when two happy girls meet”, but there is much more to this duo than that.

Check out Gloria Tang and aniDa’s Home Buddies CD release party on September 21 at Mackie’s Kitchen. The show starts at 7pm and entry is $100, which includes one drink. Get tickets from Mackie Study (Flat A, 2/F, 52 Yun Ping Road, CWB/Shop A, G/F, HK Arts Centre, Wanchai) and Mackie’s Kitchen (G/F, 9 Caroline Hill Road, CWB). The duo will also plat at Backstage on October 3. Gig starts at 10:30pm and entry is $150 including a drink.