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Author:  Lamma-Gung [ Fri Nov 21, 2014 11:48 am ]
Post subject:  Clockenflap

CLOCKENFLAP MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL 2014:

Web / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Weibo

YOURMUM Live Music:

Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Your Local Digital Box Office:

http://www.ticketflap.com

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Author:  Lamma-Gung [ Wed Nov 26, 2014 10:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Clockenflap 2014

From Jimbrowski:

"Do you live on Lamma?.. Are you going to Clockenflap??
Here are 2 Lammaites featured on the lineup you may wish to check out.... (If I've forgotten any other Lamma 'acts' plop yourself in here)"


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Author:  Lamma-Gung [ Wed Nov 26, 2014 12:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Clockenflap 2014

From Team Clockenflap:

"The most essential Hong Kong music festival of the year is almost here! Have you got your ticket yet?

More than 100 bands and DJs. All your favourite people in one place. An incredible harbour-side setting. Don't miss it!

Buy your ticket today at http://clockenflap.ticketflap.com and use the promo code below for a special 10% discount on all Limited Edition Premium Tickets.

LAMMA

See http://www.clockenflap.com for the full line-up. See you at the festival!"


The 3 of us (Nick the Bookman, photographer Grahame and Yours Truly) will be roaming the festival during much of the 3 days, reviewing and taking photos for the Lamma-zine, after getting our faces painted by Abigail near the Kids' Area.

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Author:  Lamma-Gung [ Fri Nov 27, 2015 2:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Clockenflap 2014

Clockenflap 2015 is here, opening at 5pm today, Black Friday, Nov 27, '15!

Starting today at 5pm. Nick the Book & I'll be roaming widely as "media" (review & photos).
See you there this weekend? Say Hi!

Latest info from the organisers on their website, Facebook, and the Clockenflap app for the latest info with time reminders, etc.

Plus the best Clockenflap sunset photo I've seen so far this year, from Kitmin Lee!

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Author:  Lamma-Gung [ Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Clockenflap 2014

Sat and Sun schedules on 10 (!) stages, including nearby Hotel W's late-night WOOSTAGE,
from http://www.clockenflap.com/schedule/saturday

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Author:  Lamma-Gung [ Tue Dec 01, 2015 2:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Clockenflap 2015

My photo gallery
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Author:  Lamma-Gung [ Tue Dec 01, 2015 2:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Clockenflap 2015

Plus a few photos emailed to Nick the Bookman:

From Mariannne M., showing her friends with the band Hinds:
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Olivia K. , Marianne M. , Dain Y. , Georgia O.

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From Mike @ SAKAS Photo:
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From Howey Yeung @ The Interzone Collective:
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Cheers from Michal Jeff and Jacqueline, showing them with The Anello and Robert:
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From Nigel J Marshall:
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From Luna @ Electriq stage:
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Author:  sick_boy [ Tue Dec 01, 2015 3:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Clockenflap 2015

Here's another he asked me to take...

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Author:  Lamma-Gung [ Tue Dec 01, 2015 5:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Clockenflap 2015

Plus three more Nick+ photos I just found in my Spam folder...

It definitely looks like Nick's got the Selfie bug, but no selfie stick or even a camera. It's clever and less work to convince people to email the photos and have me improve the sometimes poor-quality iPhone night snapshots. ;-)

There's an entire "Rogues' Gallery" on the website I built for Nick many years ago:
http://Lamma.com.hk/nick/photo.htm

From Kate Fung:
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From Lisa:
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From Jamie & Emma:
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Author:  Lamma-Gung [ Sun Dec 06, 2015 7:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Clockenflap 2015

And here, finally, is Nick the Bookman's review!

Clockenflap 2015

Kinny, you're a Superstar! You sorted me out a 3-day pass.
Which I stupidly mislaid. So you sorted me out a second pass. So I got access to this incredibly addictive Festival. Some people refer to it as HK's Glastonbury. Me included. So without your incisive input, everyone would be admiring a story shaped hole on the Lamma.com.hk Home Page.
Thanks. And so, this first paragraph is dedicated to you. Because no you, no story. Now let's rock and roll the weekend of 27-28-29/11/2015 awa-a-a-ay.

BO NINGEN. When I saw their name on the poster, I damn near had an aortic overload of orgasmic proportions. Their name was in smaller print, but it zapped my attention. I saw it as a dayglow, pulsing, retina searing, optical flashplosion. Sort of like "All Hail The Hypnotoad" (from Futurama). Attention jarred. I didn't care how good/bad they'd be. Just that they're coming. And I'm gonna see them.
If that's the only band I see all weekend, it's still a win. They were the opening paragraph for this story as well. Until Kinny bumped them down to second spot.

Right. This is the sixth successive Clockenflap to be held at West Kowloon Hub. And everyone of the organisers is bigging it up as the bestest yet. (I kind of ran out of superlatives to describe the increasing bestiness of the Festival after the third one (which was 2012). All the earlier reviews are somewhere on the Home Page and Music Forum. Knock yourselves out enjoying them. I've gotta shape this beast while you're doing that.

There are a lot of other great bands and DJs to get into. I couldn't do them all and even my pre-planned choices went walk-the-fuck-about. But, it's 1700 hours and I'm at the Atum Stage where the acronymically awkward ANWIYCTI are busting some massive bass chops. Can't remember what the acronym means, but it's in an earlier review. They use three basses instead of lead/rhythm guitars and play them in a variety of styles. Including use of a Jimi Page e-bow style of sonic assault at one point. Good atmospherics and gothlite vocals.
They're about as good and enjoyable as last time I saw them, but have more swagger and poise in their performance. The Clockenflap program (which I didn't lose this time) describes their set as "90's American Indie Rock. Savage Sonic Youth noise and the raw vitality of Pavement".

At about the same time, the irascible Mark Kozolek(?) is unveiling his alter ego band called Sun Kil Moon. Missed the whole set. All I know about him is that he used to be a Red House Painter and is now fronting SKM. His/their new record is called "Universal Themes". He was (maybe still is) engaged in a childishly petulant spat with The War On Drugs who had the temerity to drown out his soft acoustic set when playing an overlapping set at a recent US Festival. From what I've read, Mark was wrong and the War On Drugs were blameless. Didn't stop him escalating the hostilities though. Probably why he was given a very early evening spot. Did anyone else see him? On the Harbourflap Stage.

Meanwhile, Casey Anderson is recreating his hard driving synthtronic performance from the recent Secret Island Party. He's on the Robot Stage, about a ten minute easy walk, oh, thataway. Doing a great job as well. Anderson, aka The Groove Thief, is chilling hard on the sparsely populated dance floor. It is still early after all. Good to catch up again, mate. And the same goes for Tony, a Canadian based Serb, who comes over and tells me that this is his 4th Clockenflap.
He's been getting closer and closer to chatting with me over the years and now is the gig to swap face time. And beer and pizza. On his tab.
He's done some good business in Honkers and is happy to spread the largesse. Top generosity, my friend. (but I'm a cheap date. At least where pizza is concerned). I'm also hording my few coins to get home again. A cash-poor(ish) punter stuck in the cash-free zone that is Clockenflap.

Friday night is passing in a frenzy blur. There seems to be more stalls and stages and attractions and enjoyments available this year. Which also adds up to a lot of walking. The huge Harbourflap Stage is by the main entrance while Robot. Atum, Electriq, Your Mum and Silent Disco are t'other end of the paddock, At least a quarter of a mile walk and no real shortcuts available. Two popular bands playing overlapping sets could lead to some soul searching. And shoes worn down to the stubs of your soles. I hear about 5 minutes of singer songwriter Damian Rice. He's drawn a reasonable crowd. Has a great voice that fades in and out in blipbursts. Coupled with frenzied outbreaks of acoustic strummery. Didn't think an acoustic set would do that well on the big stage, but he's not disappointing.

The Friday night mindblower is without doubt Flying Lotus. Or Steven Ellison as he's known to his doting parents. He does a tough, sort of sparse soultronic set. Lots of noise and scattered feedback, enhanced by one of the most stunning visual displays it's been my pleasure and privilege to melt my eyeballs too. It's a fractal kaleidoscope mated with Monty Python visuals hither and yon.
Especially a section when damned, doomed, denizens morph and mutate out of what could be a re-imagining of Bosch's Garden Of Earthly Delights. Coupled with the grotguck gore of John Carpenter's movie of The Thing. The spider leg head is horrifying and could have only come from the gentle mind of Terry Gilliam. The visuals completely enshroud the stage and wrap Mr. Lotus in a pulsing patina at times. Then he emerges from the psychedelia to rap some more. All noises done with a small laptop. An extraordinary shapeshifter of an event. Hours later people who saw it, still look like they've been mashed with a magic mushroom mallet.
Many times. Seriously, he packed about 3 hours worth of audio-visual entertainment into his one hour set. Welcome to slurry slo-mo t-i-m-e...

But, don't take my word for it. Here's Kate - one of the first lovely ladies to honour me by trusting me with her inner soul thoughts. Take it away Kate: "Nick, FLYLO was the best. Surprisingly awesome. I need more FLYLO forever. Stunning 3-D visuals. Also going to see New Order and hopefully we can see Swervedriver together".
Well, we did see Swervedriver and were together in the crowd, but not adjacent. And also in the hot and happy horde is Abraham from Malaysia with his sweaty nuggets of wisdom. "Flying Lotus is the shit! Can't wait for the rest of the shows (at this Festival). Swervedriver is rocking right now and Julia Holter is next". We're not time travelling, people. Abraham wrote his comments on Saturday. But in the context of this stunning Festival, All Time Is (the Continuous) Now. And fuck linear continuity.

There's just enough time to ignore most of Ride's 90 set.They're the Friday headliners. They've just reformed a few years ago.
Mark Gardiner is a frequent visitor to our shoes. Doing acoustic shows at an earlier version of Clockenflap and also at the debut Rock-It Festival in Victoria Park in 2003. Andy Bell is also back in the fold after hopefully making a wad of dosh during his training spell with Oasis. Also, their greatest album, the 25 year old "shoegazing" classic Nowhere has just been re-released in expanded form, I caught a couple of songs, but it could have pub rock for all of me. Ride do a Brinsley Schwarz sort of vibe.
I hope they treated the audience to "Kaleidoscope" and "Vapour Trails". But I wasn't holding my breath for an hour in anticipation.

And that was it for Day One!

Right, it's Saturday. Day Two and a lot more to get through.
I've started late, because I haven't actually got my replacement ticket yet. Tried seeking help from the media lasses who might be a bit out of their depth. One in particular seems to reside at the Cusp Point between Logic and Bureaucracy. Which is a bad no-score draw.
Achieved after a fruitless yet frictional bout of gibba/gabba. So I sidestep the horror show and catch up with Kinny. The result you've already read in the first paragraph.

Anyway, I've arrived to catch the final section of Swervedriver's set. They're supposed to be the other "shoegazer" band on the bill. They get 45 minutes on the Your Mum and have pulled quite a robust crowd. Gut instant reaction is that they're more popular that Ride. They appear to be giving their tunes a decent kicking and eliciting wows of applause form the constantly growing crowd. They're touring their first album of the 21st Century - or the Third Millennium if you prepare - and it's a cracking show. The album is called "I Wasn't Born To Lose You" and the audience does its best to ensure that the mutual attraction is visceral and voluminous. Cracking stuff and wild applause follows.
Don't know who's in the band or any of the songs, but hey, that's life in the rock trenches.

Now, there's just enough time to get back to the Atum Stage for Julia Holter. She is quirky and spell-blindingly so. Some details.
Courtesy of the latest issue of Moko Magazine (#266): Julia came to prominence in 2011 with her first release. A full length debut called "Tragedy", it was Mojo's underground LP of the month. And I don't know what particular month it was. She followed that up with "Ekstasis" and "Loud City Song" in consecutive years. And her current release, which she is touring and playing in HK, is called "Have You In My Wilderness". Mojo in their majestic wisdomisity, have named this one their Album Of The Year 2015.

She fronts a quartet. They are: Julia Holter on ethereal, cut-glass fragile vocals and laptop. Dina Maccabee on viola and extra gorgeous femvox. Corey Fogel on drums (since 2012) and manly gruff grunty singing. (no, not really, he blends in beautifully.) Last is Devin Hoff on a golden, tapered girder bass. No vocals. The songs are eclectic, sonically inventive with soundscape and collage up against neo-classical drifts and near grunge explosions of noise and scruff where necessary. Plus darkdance mashed with conventional pop sources.
Julia told Mojo interviewer Jenny Bulley that she "isn't using prerecorded samples or anything like that. All the music is (re) created live". She adds that it's hard to get all the layers of the record live so we take a different approach to the concerts and basically, it's sort of a jam where you can appreciate the difference.
Her favourite songs (which are most likely to appear in the set) are "Betsy On The Roof", "She Calls Me Home" and the eponymous title song of the current LP. Basically, world peace breaks out everywhere when you're listening to Julia and her cohorts. The tunes are too majestically lovely to be ruined by needless warfare.

Now a rare blast of approval for The Libertines. Steve Notman, take a bow and rock me gently with your hard-earned wisdom.
"This is my first Clockenflap! Well curated, well attended and what great line ups. I come from the generation where The Libertines are huge. Saw them in Hull and am massively excited to see them in Hong Kong".

But before we get to Pete, Carl, Gary and John, there are the sexy Spanish senoritas called Hinds making their delightful debut on the Your Mum Stage. Just a bit after Swervedriver. The pouty lasses (and I mean that in the best sense. Check out their photo in the programme. If you have one). The four girls "hail from the streets of Madrid where their dreamy lo-fi dream pop helps them stand out from the pack". Hinds are slightly less than two years old and were blown away to be invited to Clockenflap. Because they love doing Festivals and this is the first one that's not in Europe or the USA. They threw a few lysergic licks into their set and had the boys and girls all in a dizzy dementia. Once they finished their too short set of 45 minutes, they were more than delighted to cross the barricades and mingle with the masses and sell their records and tapes. Simon was an enthusiastic purchaser I noticed...

They were also sweet enough to sign my book, so I know who is who. So in their own write I present to you: "We are Hinds, We come from Madrid, My name is Carlotta and I play guitar and I sing". Next.
"I am Amber and I play the drums in Hinds. Amber". Third up/down. "I'm Ade and I play the bass. Ade". Last, but by no means least is: "Ana. Guitar and voice".
They are indeed a gorgeous foursome and their set was worthy of this Festival. And Elvis would have been proud of the way that they Took Care of Business. Moved a lot of merch and gave the horny guys in the crowd some wet dream band/fan interface poses. Hope you make it back to HK again, lovely ladies.

So, now it's time for The Libertines who have recently reformed after a decade or so in the wilderness. Caused mainly by Pete's descent into drug dementia that really ruptured the band. John the bassist, was the first member to play in Honk Kong. With a nicely psychedelic band called Yeti, featuring a local boy on lead guitar. I wrote a review of them about a decade ago. Should be somewhere. Carl has also gigged twice (?) here with Dirty Pretty Things. Missed both gigs. And missed most of this set because well, it's Mercury Rev on the Your Mum Stage at the same time.

Charlie Carter wrote in the SCMP Sunday Review of 22/11/2015 describes The Libertines "rose tinted view of an England that never was. Based on a mish mash philosophy culled from Carry On films and kitchen sink dramas from the Sixties". Pete's prodigious drug intake of heroin and crack cocaine made him unreliable and basically forced the band to split. Pete went to rehab in Thailand earlier this year and the other three followed him there to make sure he was safe. And to reform and record their third LP "Anthems For Doomed Youth". Older and wiser, and still in possession of some unique world view lyrics, The Libertines have seized this second opportunity with all eight hands. They won't be what they were. But they can play the old songs.
Albeit with a hard earned humility and maturity. What little I heard sounded good, but you know Mercury Rev is calling to me. I'm a psychedelicist more than an indie grot rocker. But from what I heard from other people The Libertines didn't disappoint on their local debut.

I almost did the unthinkable a few years ago and tried to get a ticket to see Coldplay. No, wait. Come back... Two days before their last concert in HK. Failed dismally. The reason was that Mercury Rev were opening for them and it was their local debut. I would have paid just to see the Rev and then fucked off smartish like before Chris Martin gurned me to a slow boring death. Didn't get the ticket, but also missed C******y. So, that was a big plus. (Incidentally, Gwynnie's former hubby's band - see line above - have a new LP out. It samples Barack Obama singing. The whole crappy shebang gets a dismal two stars in Mojo 266. Now Mercury Rev usually get four stars per release. Nuff said).

Time for words of wisdom from two beautiful ladies. Enough to blank out rancid recollections of CM and his homeboys from the preceding paragraph. How many different ways can I not mention...you know who! Here's some love and joy from "...my name is Valeriya. Am enjoying my time here with my really amazing friends Petra and Rain and Adam. We are having the time of our lives and it's really nice to meet you (that's me) from last year.
There is so much love for Clockenflap, but it sucks admitting to getting older while younger generations take over the dance floor".

Petra comments that she "...saw you at Clockenflap 2014. Didn't say hi. Saw you at the SIP. Didn't say hi. Now or never. It's lovely to meet you and I love what you're doing. Petra, x". And Adam chimes in as well. Adam is Adam Wright who has done music reviews for the SCMP for the past 18 years. I'm happy to confess now that I have "borrowed" his erudite story details when I've reviewed gigs that he has previewed. Always Giving Him Total Credit. I try not to plagiarise anyone. His understanding response is "Great to meet you finally, Nick". Likewise and ditto. A good man.

Now MR are here. Hot on the heels of fellow cosmidelic warriors The Flaming Lips. Mercury Rev are a touch more Cosmic Americana progadelic than the Lips. Like going to Peyote Church somewhere under the big skies of Montana or Nebraska, The performance is powerful. The vibes are immense. The harbour skyline (worth about HK$6 trillion or so I've been told) is shimmering. A real gone dazehaze. I'm taking my Elusive Butterfly of Love mindset out there.
To commune with Grasshopper and his tres amigos. The songs included stuff from one of their greatest recordings which is Deserter's Songs.
They finished with a spinetingling rendition of "The Darkness Is Rising". With added unwelcome crass interjections from A$AP Rocky on the adjacent Atum Stage. His set is so loud, it bleeds over into the Rev's more thrilling performance. But hey, if your aunt had balls, she'd be your uncle... make of that what you will. I've forgotten what I was trying to say. Oh yeah, Say-say-sayonara. Until tomorrow. Day Three.

OK folks. Some sort of an end line, finishing tape is hoving into view, We're all gearing up for Day Three. I've basically arrived with time to find friends before getting into BO NINGEN. Tony, who you all remember from 17 paragraphs ago, is waiting for me near the Your Mum Stage. We'd agreed that that was where we'd know we'd be at the appropriate juncture. In the fullness of time etc. Basically this is my break out band and set of the Festival. I think I said that already. And Robert, my late nephew who came with me to the SIP, is back for more good vibrations.

But first, it's the Interzone Collective. Fine world beats music (with an Asian twist) from The Atum Stage. There are up to ten people on stage and here's the line up. Courtesy of Adam. The shifting line up is Vicky on tabla/percussion. Choi on Jews harp and handpan.
Hubert on violin. Eric on cello. Adam on mandolin. Edmond on second handpan. Anson on a third handpan. Moka on the asalato. Hak Gwai on didgeridoo and percussion. Alice performing contemporary dance. The sounds like some trance forming mash up of Miles Davis "Sketches of Spain" /"Tutu eras. Plus hints of Afro Celt Soundsystem when the handpan drums get going with the didge. Plus nods to Jon Hassell's Fourth World music experiments and collaborations and some Mickey Hart Planet Drum. Or as the programme puts it... "finding the door to the corridors of perception and the inner working of the human mind.
Unlocking the power and beauty of the subconscious".
Bloody good stuff for the morning.

I've found myself at the Family Area where Lamma's fave kiddy supergroup is entertaining the kids. It's the Hairy Family. Joyce (with newly blonde hair) and Christian, aka The Bollands. Back in HK from the latest stage of their never ending world tour. Joined by DP.
Dave the bassist and Paul the drummer, Paul's slowed his thrash metal style down to suit the kids. Dave is playing acoustic guitar. So is Christian. Dave's wife Claire is the bassist. Used to be in Shotgun Sisters and briefly in David Bowie Knives. At least that's what DBK's leader Sean tells me. Tiffany is on ever present lead vocals. The kids (of all ages) are having a ball, Mostly original songs. But also a trip to the "Big Rock Candy Mountain". First time I've seen the band.
I get to the LFD's too late for their performance.

Anyway, its BO NINGEN time. There's me, Emma, Mike(?) and Tony. Robert is perched just on top of Emma's head. Sort of up above us all symbolically. Where he belongs. Enjoying the company of a lovely lady. And my breakout band of the Festival are cranking out their brand of "acid punk". A strange, vibrating musical maelstrom.
Gut punch warm blasts of seismic bass. Strafing air raid guitar effects. The drums of doom. BO NINGEN are Taigen Kawabe on bass and lead vox. Yuki Tsujii on guitar. Kohhei Matsuda on guitar. Monchan Monna on drums. They're all blokes, but the bassist is wearing a fetching black maxi dress. Almost a slip. He carries it off magnificently. The guitarist in red is having a bad day at the office.
His guitar leads aren't working and he's reduced to silent plucking now and again. Eventually he lifts the guitar up in the air with one hand and waves the useless leads in the other. Big smile. The other three clock it. Smile back and just fucking up the performance.

Now, they're a power trio and in my fevered state of elation, their show stopping performance is up there with Cream, JHE, Motorhead and Taste. The music is so far over and out there, it's eerily hypnotic and eventually quite balmy blissful. All this in only 45 minutes, I'm sway grooving and jumping up and down on an invisible trampolette. My knees won't thank me tomorrow. It's taken less than the first song for the open space area in front of the stage to become a bobbing sea of people. I'd been raving to everyone not to miss BO NINGEN. Looks like a lot of people may have taken my advice or just sussed it for themselves. The band are Japanese. Hair to their hips almost. They're based in London for the past few years. They have a stunning collaboration on the Mojo playlist from a few months ago. A joint jam with Savages. Four guys from BO NINGEN. Four ladies from Savages. The piece is 38 minutes long and was at the top of the charts. It's stunning. Enjoy it until your ears explode. BO NINGEN have set the stage for local boys King Lychee (always good) and Canada's Obey The Brave. Similar style to Defiant Scum. The programme notes compare them to NOFX, Pantera and Pennywise, Maybe a little bit more flashy guitar by them then. Don't get to check them out. General Levy is ranting down the line...

So, it's off to Robot for a bass heavy mad ragga toaster party. No tupperware here. First up is 30 minutes of Bass Music China which is self evidently explanatory. Their mash up genres include jungle, drum and bass, grime, garage and dubstep. And for the second track... I missed them but got the latter parts of the General Levy coming out party in Hong Kong. He's backed by Heavy HK and they mesh very well. How much rehearsal was there. The General is a real veteran of the UK Urban Dance Scene. Raps at gazillions of syllables a minute.
Loudly and proudly he proclaims that he's a "champion ganja smoker for life". Not sure how that will go down with Clockenflap's Zero Tolerance Policy for illegal substances and drugs. But we're just talking right? Not doing. Hypothetically, I think the crowd in the dance tent will not disapprove of his lifestyle choice. At least in Uruguay and Colorado. I'm sure in other safer places discretion is paramount. Some times you need a blunt to hone the experience. As Rob Zombie has been prone to remark "Art Is Not Safe". And there's a lot of unsafe, boundary pushing going on throughout this Festival.

Chic isn't a part of that though. You're getting the white boy all gussied up pleasant renditions of all their hits. They were brilliant last year and the same again today. Their crowd is Wembley pitch-sized. About 10K people I guess. Sets up New Order rather well.
Some of their tunes did have unsavoury beginnings, but that was then.
It's the Cabaret Circuit time. Earth Wind and Fire also turned in a well received set the day before.

Fractal memories coming. I think it's time to do Battles and gear up for New Order on the main stage. Battles are an astonishing trio. Math and match rockers. The programme says they have computerised loops in their brains. Their performance inspires the audience and nearly expires the band. They're a bit like Geoff Barrow's BEAK with programmed synth drone and precise exact drumming holding everything together. Bass and guitar adds jagged frills. But it all hangs on the master percussionist. The music is electronic, atonal, rhythmic like old machine lungs. Brilliant and beautiful.
Definite points of comparison to BO NINGEN. The band consists of John Stainer, Ian Williams and Dave Kanopka. Which man plays what is an exercise for your ingenuity.

OK, the final furlong. This is the New Order section of the story. Their first return to Hong Kong in 30 years. I was at the previous show in Canton Disco in summer of 1985. I was standing five feet in front of Gillian. My colleague Jane Hutcheons at RTHK was on my shoulders for a while and then in front of me so she could see. It was a brilliant show. The band were Gillian on synths. Steven on drums. Barney on guitar and vocals. Hooky on low slung bass. Hooky tried to wind up the band a few years ago. The others weren't having it. The story is similar to Roger Waters trying to disband Pink Floyd.
Dave and Nick refused. Roger left. Rick Wright came back into the fold. Floyd did "The Division Bell" and "Live Pulse". Raked in mega sackloads of spondulicks and shekels. Roger lost the court case, but negotiated a truce in return for sole rights to "The Wall". Everyone toured the US at the same time. Roger found out that "I was in competition with myself. And I was losing". Roger's tour of old Floyd tracks and his own other stuff did about one 20th as well as Floyd, but he got royalties. Everyone eventually shook hands and reformed to play Live 8. Rick Wright's last-ever show with Floyd. He died in 2008. Sid had already died in 1996.

So Hooky lost out. Formed The Light who toured and played the old Joy Division Stuff. Now he's apparently playing early New Order material as well. He's entitled. They're partly his songs. The Light did a blinding gig in HK a year or so ago. Hooky has also DJ'ed twice in HK. Bought out by Nipper once. I've seen all his shows and New Order twice. Possibly the only person in HK who can say that. So after Hooky left, the band was static and eventually and slowly they reformed and regrouped. Gillian came back from full time mothering of her and Steven's child. Barney pulled in Tom and Phil from his other side band of the time. Can't remember the name. Hooky was outgunned three-one, New Order is now a quintet. A new order of New Order if you will, And they're back. As headliners for Clockenflap 2015.

Incidentally, Mojo issue 266 has named New Order their number one band of the year. Their newest release. "Music Complete" is number three in the annual festive 50. It's apparently the best since "Technique" in 1989. It's likely that the album featured in their show.

Here's the problem. I think they had the love but it wasn't a great set. It wasn't bad. Good in places, But not what the Number One band in England should be like. Maybe a bit of burn-out? I think as a major headlining band on the Big Festival Circuit, they would get about two hours to perform. Including an encore. Their set at Clockenflap was 90 minutes. I think they should have tailored a special exclusive set with all the hits. In remix versions preferably.
I think they should have come on and basically said. "It's 2130. We finish at 2300. That's 90 minutes. Including encores. So we'll give you all the hits and remixes and stop at 2300. Curfew time. You'll get them all. I'm Barney. Gillian on synths. Steven on drums. Tom and Phil on bass and guitar and keyboards. 1-2-3-4. Hey ho! Let's go! Don't stop till you've had enough or at 2300 and hope the times coincide".

Instead it appeared to be a badly truncated set with about 45 minutes allocated to hits and 45 minutes to the new album. I don't think many people have heard the new release. The songs were alright, but not so memorable. People were leaving about halfway through. The only hit I recognised was "Crystal". Maybe "True Faith" as well. Barney started well. There was some banter with the crowd.
And then there wasn't... Barney complained about some equipment malfunctions and was quiet and despondent during the mid sections of the show. At least Tony said he seemed despondent. And we all knew this how? We were sitting in front of the furthest screen from the stage. Right in front of it. No obstructions at all. We could see detail. Enough to know things weren't going so well.

With ten minutes to go, still no hits. No "Blue Monday". No "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (which is technically Joy Division, but Barney and Steven were Joy Division. Along with Hooky and the successfully suicidal Ian Curtis). So they can play it. But the JD members comprise 40 % of New Order. Barney winds up by saying "Arriverderci" to end the show and the band retreat off stage. Rude words were uttered around us. I think the band got a ticking off (nicely of course). Same way as how to punish a mega-millionaire EPL mercenary for hire? Play the fucking hits or no paycheck! Back on real quickly. About five minutes to curfew. They start with "Love". It's a bit ragged. Hooky and The Light played it a lot better, And then it's "Blue Monday". A dance remix version. The drum patterns are all in the computer. Have to be because Steven (who was the hardest working member of the group to my mind) hasn't returned to the stage for the encore. Barney gets a great cheer when he sings the line "...I see a ship in the harbour - I really do". A bit of levity.

So the show ends. New Order were the only act to break the curfew. By five minutes. If they'd cut out the moodiness and silences and striding off stage to drum up support for the hits and just played the hits instead of faffing about... well, you know. Tony and I are in the minority on this, but we know what we saw. People in the front few rows have to look up at the stage and can't see the screens because they're to the left and right of them. Like watching the telly side on. Doesn't work well. If they're all delirious with delight at what they saw and heard, who am I to gainsay their pleasures.

Clockenflap. I salute you. Ten years of shows! A secret(ish) Lamma Island Party with the Robot crews. Two bigger events at Cyberport. Stopped because some pond life/scumbag/lawyer (but I repeat myself) threatened to tie everyone up in court for a few minutes short of forever for ruining his Sunday. Or something like that. A small gig with The Charlatans UK in an industrial building in Aberdeen. The only show I missed. And now a fine run of six Clockenflaps at West Kowloon Hub. And I'm proud to say I've written about eight of them now.
Including this one. My, how you've grown. Thanks for inviting me along on the journey. How about that book idea, eh? Babble babble tweet. Oops.

Gotta run. Men in white coats with large nets approaching. Nah, it's OK. They're dogcatchers, but play it safe. I'm outahere!


P.S. from the editor/publisher, Lamma-Gung:

Photos from the 10 (!!) people/couples/groups of friends who sent their photos to Nick afterwards, see above his review.
For official photos, video and refunds, click here.
For my own photos of what went on outside all the bands on stages, click here.

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Author:  Lamma-Gung [ Wed May 04, 2016 11:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Clockenflap 2015

"CLOCKENFLAP IS BACK!

Hong Kong's biggest and best music and arts festival returns with its ninth edition on 25-27 November 2016 for three days of creativity, community and rocking out in the open air - in the heart of the city.

For 2016, Clockenflap is moving to Central Harbourfront.
"

http://www.clockenflap.com/

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