After a couple of singles, local band Streets of Rage have released their debut EP Raw Dog.
The five-song collection is a mix of cynical and optimistic tunes about life in the 2020’s from five dudes who as they describe themselves on Facebook have “No agenda, no negativity, no hate, just a bunch of dudes who love making heavy music”.
Grab a copy on Bandcamp streetsofragehk.bandcamp.com
Even looking behind the mirror there’s not been much to get excited about for local live music fans over the last 18 months as COVID and government regulations have decimated live music and concert venues.
Sometimes though, behind a cloud there is actually a silver lining as fans of the iconic hardcore band King Ly Chee found earlier this month with the surprise announcement of the band’s first concert in four years.
As resurrections go, this was totally unexpected – seismically similar to the ABBA reunion among pop fans perhaps – as the band’s break-up in 2017 seemed terminal with former members all getting involved in new bands and musical projects.
In 1999 when Pakistani frontman Riz Farooqi returned to his birthplace from New York ‘hardcore’ barely existed in Hong Kong. Riz though was a passionate devote… finding happiness, joy and release/freedom in the music and community.
Finding some like-minded musicians King Ly Chee was born and a generation of HongKongers found their voice and identity in Hong Kong hardcore.
bc magazine spoke with Riz Farooqi ahead of their new concerts:
King Ly Chee live again, honestly didn’t expect to see that to happen – how did it come about?
The band ended in 2017. I carried the band through numerous lineup changes which I did because I had made a commitment to myself back when I started the band in 1999 that I would keep it going no matter what. So regardless of who left I just kept it going which is why it ended up feeling like a revolving door of members. But by 2017 I was done looking for new people – it finally came to a point that it just wasn’t right to keep replacing people. That particular lineup that ended in 2017 included a total of 5 people (Myself, Ivan, Brian, Ho, and Joe) who pretty much made the band their lives and dropped everything to be able to honour commitments when it came to shows, touring and recording.
So in 2017 it was done and I was ready to move on with my new band Dagger.
But then Covid came and put a complete stop to Dagger because my drummer, Ivan, lives in Macau. In fact the very last show I’ve played was two years ago when Dagger played at The Wanch in Feb of 2020 which was also the last time I saw Ivan. So it’s been two years of absolutely nothing going on in my life. NOTHING. I even started another band, Regret, in that time trying to get the fire going again. But the drummer of that band, Egas, ALSO lives in Macau.
I started reminiscing and a bunch of old KLC photos and videos kept popping up on my newsfeed. These photos were from an era of the band that was MOST beloved by Hong Kong. That’s not even an understatement…looking at all those photos and videos of people right here in Hong Kong losing their minds to this band was something that really meant a lot to me. Interestingly enough the drummer for that era is an amazing dude named Kevin (out of all the band members I’ve had the honour to play with in KLC, he was always the closest to me – like a full-on brother), just so happened was also missing that era too. I contacted Andy who played guitar back then and the three of us decided to try it out to see how it felt. It was just a quick jam – but we ripped through all those songs as if literally NO time had passed. After the first jam we all kinda sat there smiling from ear to ear.
There have been many members of King Ly Chee since 1999, who will be in the 2021-22 line-up?
That’s the thing. When people ask if we’d ever reunite I always say, “which era”? For Hong Kong there was never any doubt that the ‘Stand Strong’ era would be it. So the band that is back together is myself, Kevin, and Andy (Unfortunately Alex is not in Hong Kong so it won’t include him, but our good friend Ho (also an ex-member of KLC) will be on bass).
What has it felt like to prepare for a gig and play the King Ly Chee songs again after such a long time?
As mentioned above, it was like literally no time had passed. Kevin, Andy and I got right back into it and the craziest part was that the vibe was exactly the same from back then. People have to understand, we’re talking about something we did almost 20 years ago, and for it to click like the way it did today in 2021 is something none of us envisioned. But it felt right being back in the practice room together and we’re currently gearing up to play the first of our comeback shows. We’re STOKED.
For those who might recognise the name but don’t know the band, can you give us a quick potted history of who are/were King Ly Chee?
King Ly Chee is a hardcore band I started back in 1999 as a way to introduce the world of “hardcore” to HKers. I wanted to introduce this underground culture in a language that was more easily digestible to the local population (Cantonese) because it’s what saved my life once (as did metal and punk rock) and I wanted to see if it could help others as well.
Are you going to record/film/live stream the upcoming King Ly Chee shows?
The current plan is to film the first show back and then see what happens.
The first show sold out in minutes, the second almost as quickly – is King Ly Chee back as a band? Will there be any new KL songs?
We have been totally shocked by how fast both shows sold out!
Yes, we have 2 brand new songs done and will continue to write into the new year. We’ve talked about maybe getting a brand new EP out in 2022 but will see how it goes. The most important thing about getting back together is to just have fun and put zero stress on each other. All of us are married, have full-time jobs, the majority of us have children, we’re just getting back together to have fun, play shows, write music, and use this all to have an excuse to be in the same room together.
Which of the various online music channels can readers buy/stream King Ly Chee?
We’re on everything – bandcamp being the best because bands get paid the best on this platform.
Where can people purchase King Ly Chee albums, merchandise?
Currently, the only store selling our stuff in Hong Kong is the amazing Infree Records in Mong Kok run by a true HK legend Soni. If you all haven’t visited this store yet, you’re missing out on an absolute cultural event.
As a musician what has been the hardest aspect of life under COVID?
Not being able to play shows and tour. I couldn’t care less about recording – I actually HATE recording – being a studio musician/band has never interested me at all. For me the whole point of being in a band is to actually play shows in front of people engaging with music screaming their heads off.
Apart from the King Ly Chee gigs, what’s on the musical horizon for your other bands Dagger and Regret.
Nothing else…not until it’s easier for people to travel to Hong Kong.
Apart from writing, singing and performing in three bands Riz Farooqi started and runs the hardcore website UniteAsia which brings together bands and fans of hardcore, punk, metal from across Asia.
https://www.bcmagazine.net/2017/05/07/king-ly-chee-break-up/
https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/riz-farooqi-interview
Vice: How King Ly Chee Is Keeping Hong Kong Hardcore Alive
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kinglychee
Instagram: kinglychee
Bandcamp: https://kinglychee.bandcamp.com
Spotify: King Ly Chee
King Ly Chee @ Cultkey – 27 December 2021
King Ly Chee @ The aftermath – 29 January 2022
images: skipp zhang, fb
New band Takokat have released their debut j-rock-influenced single Requiem.
Requim was written by TingB with lyrics by Ash; produced and arranged by Takokat and To Lee.
Takokat are:
Vocal: Ash
Guitar: TingB
Guitar: Long
Bass: Duff
Drums: Howie
Several of Takokat’s members used to be in the heavy metal band Deep Inside who played many gigs around town from 2012-2019. Reminisce on youtube/DeepInsideHK
With their roots firmly in the local punk rock scene, Lip Servants debut single is as they beautifully describe it “a nihilistic boogie to celebrate the end times.”
“An exorcism of grief and despair” the cascading torrents of seasick fuzz and propulsive powerhouse rhythms that are Affectation and Stutter are available for free on Bandcamp.
Lip Servants are Arthur Urquiola, Hans Schlaikier and Glen Lewis – familiar names to many from their previous bands Two Finger Salute, Star Whores and The Tracy Lörds- and you can catch them perform their debut tracks live at The Aftermath on 28 August, 2021.
Cantonese rock metal band 逆流 NiLiu have released a new 5 track EP Desire which you can listen to on most major streaming sites.
Formed in 2011 Ni Liu have become popular stalwarts of the local music scene playing at multiple festivals and releasing several singles and EPs.
The band’s ability to write catchy melodies and moving chorus incorporating a wide range of musical elements make them well worth checking out, even if metal isn’t your thing.
Punk band Delay Our Misery, who only formed in January 2021, have released their debut single The After Party.
Amit Gurung (Bass/Vocals), Aaron Mordeno (Guitar/Vocals) and Justin Orcino (Drums) who make-up Delay Our Misery have a passion for pop-punk and list their influences as Blink-182, Ramones, The Beatles, Neck Deep and Belmont.
To quote the band “Amidst the pandemic and current events going on in the world, we wanted to make music that was more on the fun side to take our (and the listeners’) minds off the stressful and serious side of life. We all need to lighten up from time to time!”
New hardcore band Regret have released an eponymous 7-track debut EP on cassette and through bandcamp.
A veteran of the local music scene singer Riz also plays guitar in Dagger, fronted the massively popular King Ly Chee and runs the popular Unite Asia hardcore music website.
Commenting on his new band and their debut EP Riz said “We were just looking to play something that was more straight-ahead hardcore punk whose simplicity and directness is better suited to capture the intense emotions we all have as HongKongers living through the tumultuous past couple of years.”
Regret‘s seven tracks, including We Exist, the band’s debut single released in March, are about political turmoil, minority rights, police brutality and censorship.
“The past couple of years have been heavy on the people of Hong Kong, but then you’re seeing similar issues pop up in Myanmar, Thailand, Chile, USA, and everywhere else,” commented Riz in an interview.
“Though you may find your own situation so utterly hopeless, seeing others fighting the same causes brings a sense of camaraderie. So instead of letting all of these dark, chaotic, uncertain emotions eat us up inside, we’re getting it out through this music.”
Regret: Riz, Kuro, Egas
Originally know as Thud, the band have changed its name to Lucid Express and released a debut track Wellwave.
Lucid Express’s eponymous debut album will be out on 16 July. You can pre-order the 7 track release on vinyl, cassette and CD from http://smarturl.it/lucidexpress
