MUSIC | Clockenflap 7th edition poised to rock Hong Kong

Going from strength to strength, Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s pioneering outdoor music and arts festival is set to rock audiences for the seventh year. Taking place from today and throughout the rest of the weekend, the much-loved event is once again returning to the West Kowloon Cultural District waterfront, set against the backdrop of the glittering Hong Kong skyline.
A top notch live music lineup from around the world is poised to attract a legion of open-air music-lovers in their thousands. Every year the list of musical acts keeps on expanding, and this year is no exception with a highly anticipated mix of bands that includes both international and homegrown performers.
Famous artists taking to the Clockenflap stages include Oklahoma favorites Flaming Lips, legendary US funk-disco-soul heroes Kool & The Gang, UK chart-
toppers The Vaccines, Scottish post-rock giants Mogwai and indie foursome Travis, Danish duo The Raveonettes, Tenacious-D with comedian Jack Black and Kyle Glass, Taiwan’s answer to Patti Smith, Deserts Xuan & Algae, LA cross-cultural hip-hop devotees Ozomatli and the HK debut for trending indie band Chvrches.
On the electronic music front, pioneering melting-pot DJ collective Rudimental, ground breaking drum and bass DJ/musician/producer LTJ Bukem, Fresh Prince of Bel Air star DJ Jazzy Jeff, New York hip-hop trailblazer LE1F and house music veterans Nightmares on Wax are just some of the acts confirmed for the three-day musical extravaganza.
Taking advantage of the pleasantly cooler autumn weather, the alfresco event incorporates not only live music, but film screenings, art installations, a silent disco and food stalls. There will also be activities and entertainment for families including a dedicated kids’ area. With a 45,000-strong attendance expected for this year’s edition, the event aims to continue developing Hong Kong’s music scene and put the city on the artistic map. “This year we’ve searched deeper, dreamt wilder and focused ever more relentlessly to bring Hong Kong a festival experience at West Kowloon Cultural District simply like no other”, states the Clockenflap website.
Making good on its vision to offer a full festival experience celebrating creativity and uniqueness, Clockenflap’s ever-growing arts program features large-format immersive installations and otherworldly experiences, to encourage audience participation. “At its sprightly core, Clockenflap is all about people – at their individual and collective, shared best. It is about music at it’s most inspirational. Art at its most accessible”.
“This year, we conceptualized most of the visual arts in house, and collaborated with trusted and talented local artists to deliver a range of ‘properly wonky experiences’,” says Jay Forster, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Clockenflap. “The boundaries between music, art and performance have been blurred to create mesmerizing and entirely unexpected experiences, many of which invite audience participation.”
For those still undecided about making the short trip over from Macau, “it is, quite simply, the best weekend’s worth of fun to be had in Hong Kong”, say the organizers. “It is all this and the ever unexplainable ‘more’, which can only be experienced by being a part of it yourself”.
One-day Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as well as 3-day weekend tickets for the event are still available via the ticketflap.com website, while kids under 12 go for free. VM