False Alarm: the real thing?

This was the scene at HITEC a couple Saturdays ago. Mike and I went, fully suspecting to see/hear some terrible music. We did. But it opened my eyes.

I've hinted at this but I'm just going to come out and say it now. The Hong Kong indie music scene is bad. I can say this now that I've been to some shows and done my research. At first, I thought I was just being a Western snob. Yeah, yeah Toronto is soooo great. Toronto has the Arts and Crafts family. Toronto has Paperbag. Toronto has blah blah blah. Whatever Andrea, nobody here cares about that.

Toronto's music scene may be better than the average developed city, and I do think it is, but I can't actually say that is backed up by thorough research. I can, however say that Hong Kong's indie scene is much worse than the average developed city. Now wait, I'm not going to bash it to bits. The image of the audience jumping up and down, practically moshing to False Alarm for the two songs they performed that night, was eye-opening.

The crowd was young. In Asia, you can never really be sure of people's age. We are a youthful kind. Even I at a greying 25-years-old, have been told I don't look old enough to hold a wine glass. But I'm quite certain that judging from the insecure head-bopping and the-leaning-against-the-wall-with-eyes-darting-around-the-room paranoia that 90 percent of the crowd was younger than me and 80 percent under 20.

The first time we saw False Alarm, the band that is rock with a generous spoonful of screamo, was playing in front of an audience waiting for The Pancakes. It was the kind of show that girls who like Hello Kitty dragged their boyfriends to see. If their boyfriends were lucky, the girls came with two of their friends with whom they share a love for multiple cellphone accessories and giggling. Now I'm just being mean, but you get the picture: False Alarmed scared the shit out of Pancakes fans.

But the following week, in the unrenovated vacant retail space, False Alarm was in its element. The giggly girls in pastels were replaced by kids with moppy hair and black t-shirts who enthusiastically danced with their entire bodies. Despite the short two song set, it was a gradual process. Heads bobbed, then feet tapped, then entire bodies gave in and the audience moved like it probably hadn't all day, maybe not ever.

Even though I think False Alarm is an objectively bad band, they have something going for them I don't think any band in Toronto could pull off. The screaming, the seizure-movements of the lead singer and hilarious dancing, all lead me to believe they can't possibly know better. They could just be the most sincere band I've ever seen.

This gives me honest hope for a bright future in Hong Kong's indie rock scene. To be honest, many people in that crowd probably didn't know why they or their friends were so happily jumping along to that loud music. But they were having fun and this city needs a the kind of fun you can't find at a karaoke bar. I take back what I said in the pre-ceeding paragraph, False Alarm is not an objectively bad band. They are bad from my Western perspective. But from my slowly forming Eastern perspective, I think they're quite decent and even more importantly, they are necessary.

A band like False Alarm just may be the Godfather of an emerging indie rock scene. At least they are real. At least they are an alternative to CantoPop. At least it's the beginning of something.

Comments

[rachael]

i think the hk indie scence doesn't necessarily suck music wise, but the number of venues is very limited. and so people don't play many shows. while popstars you see all the time :p

i think alok would be a good thing to search out...
http://hk.bcmagazine.net/cgi-bin/output.cgi?issue=188&&id=22

i bet the 89268 shop is awesome.
http://www.89268.com

sorry for bombarding you with links, i guess i just wish i could see the shows...

[andrea]

No no. Links are good. I've not heard of this alok guy but he sounds like he could be good.

I've heard the venue's argument and I know it's true. I mean, the fact that the show I went to was 89268's 5th anniversary and held in an empty retail space says a lot about the lack of venues, BUT, it can't be the only reason. Perhaps this is one of those, what comes first the venue or the interest arguments?

[andrea]

P.S. where are you from and how/why do you know so much about the HK scene?

[rachael]

i think there's just not the scene to support regular venues. and because indie rock will not make you money in hk. it's
all a bit circular though...

but people mountain people sea are smart enough to work between commercialisation and art, and that's how they can sustain the collective.
http://www.peoplemountainpeoplesea.com/

hehhehh, i'm from perth in aus. i'm cantonese speaking, so i always kept up with the popstars. and more recent times, become interested in this rather marginalised music scene... the net is good for researching ...

[sarah]

i always felt a little out of place in Singapore... like I just didn't get the music. You're definitely spoiled coming from Toronto though. I think you touched on it in your writing up there, but maybe there's nothing wrong with the music or you, but just that you're coming from profoundly different spaces?

miss you sweetie-poo!

[Andrea]

I'm Cantonese-speaking too but I can't read any of the websites in Chinese which limits me unfortunately. Thanks for the links tho, and hope you can make it out here to see some shows.

Srah, miss you too. I can't believe you call me sweetie-poo. You ran over my cat.

[ahling(false alarm)]

thx for the words and yr interest in our music and performance. here is our lable, Harbour Records' website: www.harbourrecords.com

there is english section in this page. Harbour Records was formed by 5 local indies including us, 22cats, my little airport, joytrendysound and humanheadhorse. if you are interested please come to have a look. there is serveral samples song there for download too.