Monthly Press Review – 4 (May 2024)
Another live venue closing in HK- again: Star Hall
After Music Zone last month, it’s the turn of Star Hall (a medium 3,600 seats capacity live venue) to close down in Kitec this month, according to a SCMP article. Star Hall, which witnessed the rise of the Hong Kong boys band Mirror, is set to close down as a consortium is turning the Kitec venue into prime office space as part of a 20 billion HKD redevelopment plan.
The last days of Teresa Teng, according to the butler
It was not the butler with the candlestick in the library. A very good long read in the SCMP on the testimony of the Chiang Mai hostel’s butler where Teresa Teng and her French fiancé spend their last years together, disproving all the conspiracy theories regarding Teng’s death on May 8th 1995. Her suite is now a very popular attraction for fans. Tatler Asia also published an article on the 5 things to know about Teresa Teng, and we also learn in The New Straits Times that the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) and Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation Malaysia (ADFM) have entered a collaboration to raise RM1 million during two Teresa Teng charity concerts in July.
MayDay (again) but in HK this time
Popular Taiwanese pop-rock band MayDay postponed its show in Hong Kong after heavy rainfall disturbed the LED installation according to SCMP – a LED sphere caught fire (“Great Balls of Fire”?). But they did share the stage with the Taiwanese boys band Energy in HK to sing “Friday Night”, according to Focus Taiwan.
If the balls didn’t catch fire, a Hong Kong worker fell from 2-metre-high stage while dismantling the concert site according to the SCMP.
Rock Home Town again (for the last time?)
Shijiazhuang organized a music festival during the May 1st holidays (like the Midi or Strawberry music festivals), according to Xinhua, with the Shamans and Hanggai. After the “Rock Home Town” municipal plan that we already talked about, is that the last event organized in Shijiazhuang around rock music? According to the Shijiazhuang Culture Tourism Investment Group, 7 000 visitors registered for the event (for comparison, the Midi Music Festival gathers around 20 000 people each day for three days).
“Glory To Hong Kong” officially banned in HK
The protest song created during the 2019 anti-ELAB protests have been officially banned by the Court of Appeal, arguing that it “had become a “weapon” that could be used to arouse anti-government and separatist sentiment” according to the SCMP. The court bans “broadcasting, performing, printing, publishing, selling, offering for sale, distributing, disseminating, displaying or reproducing in any way” the protest song. According to experts, the song could still be listen to privately, but using the phone as a ringtone could breach the injunction order…
According to The Independent, the distributor of the song, Dgxmusic, has removed “Glory to Hong Kong” from the platforms (the taiyu version sang by The Chairman is still on Apple Music from what I see).
Hong Kong indie sensation NYPD on their new album
SCMP article on the Hong Kong indie rock band NYPD (Nan Yang Pai Dui) new album, their inspiration, an A.I. experimentation and the Buddha Machine. If you don’t want to go to Mee&Gee after that…
The end (?) of the MayDay lip-sync controversy and beginning of “We Chinese” controversy
The Paper reports that the Shanghai’s law enforcement authorities have cleared the band of lip-syncing in a series of concerts in Shanghai in November last year. The issue was back in spotlight again as the band is scheduled to host 10 concerts between May 18 and June 1 in Beijing, which revived the wave of controversies on the legitimacy of the concerts.
In other MayDay news, the band was heavily criticized in Taiwan during the ongoing protests for stating during the aforementioned concert in Beijing that “as Chinese, we have to eat roast duck when in Beijing”. The singer A-Shin also shared on Weibo his view about reunification, according to Taiwan News.
Children’s Band Battle
According to the China Daily, the China Popular Music Association and the China Society for the Studies of Children Literature have jointly launched the Children’s Band Battle. The jury will feature Zhao Mingyi, the drummer of Black Panther.
小王XIAOWANG debut album to be released in June
Bandwagon‘s article on the first album of Beijing all-female alternative rock band 小王XIAOWANG, entitled KACHAKACHA, to be released this June. The album will be released on their Bandcamp page:
Miserable Faith tour in Europe and exhibition in Beijing
A China Daily article on the recent European tour of Miserable Faith 痛苦的信仰, who reached second place during the first season of The Big Band. The band “builds bridges” with Europe, after holding charity concerts in Xinjiang to help the “Guardians of Village Doctors” project back in 2021. 哪裡有壓迫…
Another article by the China Daily (apparently doing PR work for 痛仰) about Miserable Faith new touring exhibition in Beijing entitle On The Road, an “immersive musical journey” with original stage designs, live concert experiences, rare video recordings, and a display of the band’s cherished instruments and handwritten notes.
Video of children singing “Another Brick In The Wall Part 2” is banned on the Chinese internet
A Telegraph article on the recent ban of a video featuring kids from a Sichuan school performing “Another Brick In The Wall Part 2”. Hey, NRTA! Leave those kids alone.
Wong Ka-kui’s grave defaced by two men in Hong Kong
Two men vandalized the grave of Beyond’s singer Wong Ka-kui according to the SCMP, who passed away during the recording of a game show in Japan back in 1993. A 15 year old was arrested after publishing a video of his vile action on social media. Another SCMP article reflects on the legacy of Beyond and Wong Ka-kui after the turmoil provoked by this scandal.
OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Nathanel Amar (3 juin 2024). Monthly Press Review – 4 (May 2024). Scream For Life. Consulté le 12 octobre 2024 à l’adresse https://scream4life.hypotheses.org/3932
