Category: performing arts

Lily Allen Concert Review

Lily Allen live

There is nowhere more soul destroying for a concert than the desolate Hall 10 of the Asia Expo Arena. Still, it’s Lily Allen and expectations are high. As always, getting anything decent to eat or drink was futile so I headed straight into the main hall. On stage a deejay was mixing a variety of sounds. The crowd seemed a bit thin on the ground but the atmosphere, nonetheless, was good. It wasn’t long before Lily Allen appeared, starting her set with ‘Sheezus’. She swiftly segued into ‘Not Fair’ and had the crowd singing along with her.The lighting and visuals were superb and Lily’s stage presence and interaction with the crowd were, as always, fantastic. But where was her band and where were the dancers? She performed several more songs from her latest album, ‘Sheezus’, along with a smattering of her older hits. Surprisingly she didn’t sing ‘Air Balloon’ and unsurprisingly turned down requests from the audience to sing ‘Alfie’. The visual arrangements continued to impress and there was a fun moment when she brought two hapless audience members up on stage to sing with her. The final song ’Fuck You’ had everyone singing along raucously.

It was a good concert but it did feel odd seeing her up there singing to a backing soundtrack mixed by the on-stage deejay rather than with a band. To be honest, it felt more like a glorified karaoke session than a real concert. Was this cost cutting on the artist’s behalf or by the promoter? If I had known in advance, I probably wouldn’t have bought a ticket for the concert. Is this a sign of the times? Will more artists coming to HK do the same and leave their band behind?

Lily Allen Live in Hong Kong 2015
When: 8pm, 31 January, 2015
Where: AsiaWorld-Expo

The Bollands @ Shelter Skelter – The Great European Carnival, 31 January 2015

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2015/The-Bollands-Shelter-Skelter/47246717_rBZF6m#!i=3852530170&k=rXZ6DmH

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2015/The-Bollands-Shelter-Skelter/47246717_rBZF6m#!i=3852536111&k=K4wBtBc

The Bollands were out on a Saturday afternoon at The Great European carnival to support Shelter Box in one of their final appearances in Hong Kong before they set off on a massive US Tour. With Joyce on drums, the gig was great fun. I’d love for Joyce and Christian to be recording their gigs and releasing them online. The CD’s are great, but the live shows are fun and The Bollands will be missed when they head to the US.
Click on the photos to see more. My apologies for the video quality, the sound is fine.

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2015/The-Bollands-Shelter-Skelter/47246717_rBZF6m#!i=3852532381&k=qQnKkb2

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2015/The-Bollands-Shelter-Skelter/47246717_rBZF6m#!i=3852533775&k=dFZ5MsG

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2015/The-Bollands-Shelter-Skelter/47246717_rBZF6m#!i=3852511245&k=5qVkHqR

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2015/The-Bollands-Shelter-Skelter/47246717_rBZF6m#!i=3852512572&k=ZtKmK6F

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2015/The-Bollands-Shelter-Skelter/47246717_rBZF6m#!i=3852507071&k=RTwRzd6

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2015/The-Bollands-Shelter-Skelter/47246717_rBZF6m#!i=3852505314&k=gMpKm6Z

This Week @ The AIA Great European Carnival

The AIA Great European Carnival

Star Performances, Live Entertainment and Community Events

The AIA Great European Carnival have announced an exciting schedule of entertainment, community engagement activities, and special guest performances that will take place over the coming weeks until the Carnival closes on February 22. The Carnival’s Live Stage will be the venue for many of the appearances which will range from professional, to youth group and school performances.

“Our aim has been to make the carnival and the Live Stage venue accessible to the entire Hong Kong Community, and in partnership with our Title Sponsor AIA, we are proud to provide an additional element of fun and entertainment to our event,” said Michael Denmark, CEO of The Great European Carnival.

“Many different groups have been given the opportunity to showcase their talents and we will witness a wide variety of entertainment from theatrical to dance and drama, Rock, Jazz and Folk. We want to see both seasoned performers as well as the stars of tomorrow. With performances in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, there is something for everyone in the Hong Kong public to enjoy,” added Mr Denmark.

A preview of some of the Performances:

Puss In Boots – Presented by The Hong Kong Players
The Hong Kong Players perform a traditional Christmas pantomime every year and have done so in Hong Kong for more than 50 years. Last year’s pantomime was Puss in Boots. The show’s setting is London: The once great city is in a sorry state: the bumbling Mayor Boris can’t keep control and the evil Queen of the Rats and her vermin followers are taking control. The only hope comes from an ancient prophesy says that when London is at it’s lowest ebb, an innocent stranger will arrive in town and save the day. His arrival will be signalled by the tolling of the bells. It’s up to our hero Puss in Boots to find this stranger and save London. Puss is joined in the fight to save the city by the very beautiful Alice, and the unstoppable great Dame, Sherry Trifle. Will Puss and Alice find the new mayor in time? Will Dame Trifle’s soufflé rise? Will the good guys triumph over the evil rats?

Puss in Boots
When: 2pm, 31 January, 2015; 4pm, 6pm, 1 February, 2015
Where: The Community Stage
How much: Free

Shelter Skelter – Presented by Shelterbox Charity
Taking place on January 31 from 4pm onwards, the Shelter Skelter is a line-up of some of Hong Kong’s best rock bands, brought together by ShelterBox, a Hong Kong Based charity that provides emergency shelter and vital supplies to support communities around the world overwhelmed by disaster and humanitarian crisis. Bands include The Bollands, Thinking Outloud, Shotgun Politics, LOGO, Sheperds the Weak, and the After Party. The aim of the day is to enjoy some of the best local music Hong Kong has to offer and raise awareness for this wonderful charity.

Shelter Skelter
When: 4pm, 31 January, 2015
Where: The Community Stage
How much: Free

VS Music Indie Festival
The VS Music Indie Festival will take place on Saturday 7 February and Sunday 8 February from 4pm until late. Sponsored by VS Music, the Indie music festival will feature up and coming performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Included in the line-up is Hey Rachel, Merry Go Round, Tri-dueces, Jabin Law, and Gravity Altestra.

VS Music Indie Festival
When: 7-8 February, 2015
Where: The Community Stage
How much: Free

Youth Performance Groups
Hong Kong youngsters are also given the opportunity to shine on the Carnival’s live stage with a number of song and dance performance groups treading the boards during the matinee shows (between 12noon-3pm) on the weekends. Confirmed already are

31 January – Twinkle Dance Company
1 February – Isla School of Dance
7 February – Island Dance
15 February – The Island Glee Club

The Welsh Male Voice Choir
The Welsh Male Voice choir will sing a selection of Valentine’s themed songs on Sunday the 15th of February at 6pm. The choir was started in 1978 by a small group of expatriates in Hong Kong and now includes some 70 members from a dozen different nations. Over the years they have performed on conventional and unconventional stages at home and overseas. An entirely amateur group, many of their performances are for charity.

The Welsh Male Voice Choir
When: 6pm, 15 February, 2015
Where: The Community Stage
How much: Free

Free Goethe-Institut Online Course for those interested in Arts Marketing

Arts Marketing

The Goethe Institute is offering a free three-month mentored open online course for those interested in Arts and marketing.

The Managing the Arts: Marketing for Cultural Organisations (MOOC) course has been developed by the Goethe-Institut in cooperation with Leuphana University of Lüneburg and will be available worldwide for interdisciplinary further training of (aspiring) cultural managers. Chris Dercon, Director of the Tate Modern in London, will guide the course. Participants will join a global network to discuss and share with academics, cultural professionals, artists, students, experts, journalists and cultural policy-makers. With specially produced video case studies about cultural institutions in Bangkok, Berlin, Budapest and Lagos, the MOOC looks to build a bridge between academics and the practical demands of cultural management.

The course offers insights into practical work for the inexperienced and gives experienced cultural professionals the opportunity for reflection and networking. Students will be able to draw up concepts in the fields of cultural management and marketing in a dialogue with cultural professionals from around the world.

Participation in the course is open to all. Specific professional or formal training is not required!

Enrol here:
https://course.goethe-managing-the-arts.org/users/sign_up

Course structure
The online course is divided up into six phases, which will be conducted with motivations by Chris Dercon. In a multimedia and interactive online learning environment, video contributions by selected academics and experts convey the core terminology of cultural marketing and management. A comprehensive digital reader with academic articles forms the theoretical framework. In small interdisciplinary groups, the participants will work on one assignment per course phase in which they will discuss the knowledge they have acquired and apply it to actual case studies. The groups will have personally supervising mentors as well as the entire learning community at their disposal for feedback and expert support via the online platform. Cultural professionals from four renowned cultural institutions in Lagos, Budapest, Bangkok and Berlin offer a look at the challenges they face. Interviews and on-site impressions put tasks and strategies of cultural marketing, project management, audience loyalty, sustainability, digitization and finance in concrete terms.

The cultural institutions involved are the Centre for Contemporary Art in Lagos, which, as a centre for the development, presentation and discussion of contemporary visual art, pays special attention to photography, film, video, performance and installation art. In Budapest, the Trafó House of Contemporary Arts has made a name for itself with international productions in dance, theatre, literature and music. And we will gain insights into the Thai cultural scene via the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (BACC), a venue for art, music, theatre, film, design and events in the centre of Bangkok. The Berlin HAU Hebbel am Ufer with its three venues for young, experimental theatre is the participant institution from Germany.

More information:
https://www.goethe-managing-the-arts.org/?wt_sc=mooc

This Week @ The AIA Great European Carnival

Battle of the Bands

The largest Battle of the Bands competition Hong Kong has ever seen kicks off this week at The AIA Great European Carnival, with over 100 bands from the SAR entered.  You can expect to see a wide variety of musical genres from folk, to indie, alternative, rock, punk and heavy metal. The bands will also play in a variety of languages, including Cantonese, Mandarin, English, French and more.

Bands will compete in the first rounds every Thursday and Friday evening at the Carnival’s Live Stage and are each given the opportunity to play two songs within an eight minute period. There are two categories including the Students (performing from 4-6pm) and Open (6pm-9pm). The Semi Finals will take place on 5th and 6th of February and the Final will take place on Friday the 13th of February.

Supported by The AIA Great European Carnival, the event is organised by The Underground and is also sponsored by Parson’s Music. Parson’s Music was established in 1986 and is one of the leading and most prestigious multinational musical companies in both Mainland China and Hong Kong. Parsons have their own production line for a wide range of cool musical instruments (pianos, guitars, percussion, string & wind instruments), a strong retail network and well-found music centres for educating music talents.

Prizes include an opportunity to perform in front of the music industry’s top agents, producers, and labels at Music Matters the leading global music industry conference, which is organised by Hong Kong based company Branded Asia. Other prizes include recording time with Sammy So (from the band Kolor) and Jon Lee (This Music Studio) as well as Parson’s coupons and trophies for the champion bands.

The event is one of the many entertainment activities taking place at the Carnival in amongst some thrilling death-defying rides, challenging games, and great food and beverage. For more information on this event and what else is happening at the Carnival visit www.tgec.asia.

Sponsored editorial: The AIA Great European Carnival

A Girl Named Sue – RIP

A Girl Named Sue - RIP

Sadly Sue Shearman has joined the great concert in the sky. Thank you Sue for so many great nights of music, you entertained and touched so many. Your music lives on, an eternal candle to the memories of you – but also as a soundtrack to future stories as they unfold accompanied to your songs. RIP

bc unplugged interview 2011

Sue Shearman’s music doesn’t mince notes
Sue Shearman’s music can envelope you with its raw power, like all good rock songs should. But she also writes tunes that are subtle – and intense in a different kind of way. She claims the unique distinction of having studied djembe in Africa and certainly doesn’t sound like an archetypal female solo artiste. She tells bc about what she does, alone and with her band, New Tonic Press.

Your song Light Me Up has the lyric ‘Let’s sit here and toke’ – is there a story behind the song and its formulation?
Cigarettes! I used to smoke until Alan Carr made me see the light!

In general, your lyrics appear to have their roots in personal emotional experience, which raises the question; what inspires your songwriting?
Personal experience almost always prompts me to write a song, so my songs are nearly all autobiographical. But I’m also inspired by images, such as things I see on the street or in movies. Jon Voight’s boots in Midnight Cowboy got stuck in my mind so I put them into a song.

Your guitar style is “masculine” in the sense that it’s more aggressive than that of the average female singer-songwriter. Is this because you are influenced by people like Hendrix and Prince?
I never really listened to female singer-songwriters until I started singing. Before that I listened to guitar players like Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin, John Lee Hooker and, of course, Hendrix and Prince. That’s how it feels natural to play. So, yes, I suppose it rubbed off on me.

Your band New Tonic Press is about as rockin’ as they come, while as a soloist you are more reserved and pondering. Do you have a preference between the acoustic and electric forms?
The solo shows are really a combination of delicate touch and raw energy. I like playing both acoustic and electric shows equally. They’re satisfying in different ways.

Studying djembe in Guinea is not something every musician does – especially not every musician in Hong Kong. What was behind this decision, and what was the experience like?
I wanted to immerse myself in the music because I loved the sound of the djembe, the melodies and the rhythms. I wanted to listen to the musicians and play with them. I was under the guidance of a world-famous teacher, Famoudou Konaté. We played drums for up to six hours every day and listened to and watched all kinds of musicians and dancers. I could hear how jazz, electronic music and rap all have their origins in West Africa. We travelled around the country and listened to drummers in rural areas too. They played more laid-back, groovy rhythms while the city musicians hit their drums very hard, like a machine gun. You never really realize that there is such a difference until you take the time out to think about it.

Did that kind of immersive experience affect your songwriting or musical philosophy?
I did want to stretch out on the guitar rhythms after that. I’m not sure if I have a musical philosophy. I love playing music and that’s the only reason I do it.

You’ve mentioned a love for electronic music, a preference that tends to eventually blend with many musicians’ rock sensibilities. Any chances you would do an electro-rock project some day?
I’ve been thinking about playing guitar with a DJ for years but it hasn’t happened yet!

Finally, anything in the oven for you and your band right now or in the near future?
Right now I want to play as many gigs as I can with New Tonic Press and as a solo performer. I’m also preparing the release of an acoustic EP. I have lots of ideas brewing for future projects and once I know what I want to do, I’ll put them into action.

Listen to Sue Shearman and New Tonic Press on soundcloud

【話你戇鳩怕你嬲】無篩選版 – David Cheang

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvHJ_yt4k_8

An alternate perspective from David Cheang
歌曲 : David Cheang (多謝你)

酒吧中 聽你跟我呻
你話佔中班友 喺度攪乜撚
阻鳩住做生意 車都冇撚得搭喇喂
快啲 拉鳩哂佢地
我問你 你有冇到過現場
(佢話) 我日日睇TVB 由朝睇到晚呀
(你睇啲學生吖) 攪鳩亂個香港 警察都好撚慘
快啲 拉鳩哂佢地

[CHORUS] (我心諗吖真係) 朋友你太戇鳩
但我講出口又怕你嬲
你既廢話污染這地球
朋友 我好撚難受
朋友 你太戇鳩
怕我講出口覆水難收
若你食屎可以將你拯救
望住你 唔知你要食幾多先會夠[CHORUS]

你咪同我講 有正有反好平常啫
喂 但係依家係良知同暴力打緊仗
你沒有信念 請行埋一邊
咪阻擋理想開花那一天

[CHORUS]

朋友你太戇鳩
但我講出口怕你難承受
呢個世界 太多柒頭
香港 點撚得救
朋友 戇你個鳩
怕我講出口你難承受
若你食屎可以將你拯救
望住你 我怕你食幾多都唔夠
望住你 我怕你食幾多屎
都唔撚夠

Rough English translation of the lyrics
Sitting in the bar, listening to you complain.
You ask, what the fuck are these students doing?
Blocking us doing fucking business.
Can’t even catch the dick bus.
Just fucking arrest them all
I ask if you have ever been there in person.
You say you watch TVB all day and night.
You say look at those students messing up Hong Kong.
Fuck, look at those poor suffering police.
Just fucking arrest them all.
In my heart I think, ‘My friend, you’re so fucking stupid
but I am afraid if I tell you, you would get angry.
But really, your bullshit pollutes the earth.’
My friend your crap makes me feel bad.
But if I say it, I won’t be able to take it back.
Can eating shit save you?
But how much shit do you have to eat before you wake up?
You saying going back and forth is very normal.
That’s saying peace and violence are fighting a war.
If you don’t have belief please get out of the way.
You’re in the way of the day flower blooms.
My friend your crap makes me feel bad.
But if I say it I won’t be able to take it back.
Can eating shit change your mind?
But how much shit do you have to eat before you wake up?
With your thinking, how can Hong Kong will be saved?
I look at you, I am afraid no matter how much shit you eat.
It will never be enough.
Never enough.