What an awesome festival to be involved in! We were so happy to partner up with Musicians Foundation to curate the live music entertainment part of the festival. Thank you to the Arca for such a great venue! Thank you to Kyle Wagner for great co-MC duties. Thank you to Abe & sound crew for the best sound ever. Thanks to Aaron for the photos. Thanks to our reviewers: CJ & El Jay. Thanks to Bay for the awesome artwork. BIG round of applause for the team members working so hard that night: Shaun, Calvin, Prada, Ken, Kenrick, Chloe & Ashley. Gratitude overload for Ken and Gloria who worked hard on creating all the additional artwork to promote this festival. I couldn’t have done it without all of you guys.
哇!夏日大派對真係好正!我哋好開心可以同音樂家基金會攜手合作,策劃咗今次嘅現場音樂表演。多謝Arca提供咗一個咁好嘅場地!多謝Kyle Wagner做我哋活動嘅主持!多謝Abe同埋音效團隊嘅音效,真係正到爆!多謝Aaron影嘅相。多謝我哋嘅評論員:CJ同埋El Jay。多謝Bay嘅幫我哋整嘅藝術作品!仲要大力鼓掌俾晚上辛勤工作嘅團隊成員:Shaun、Calvin、Prada、Ken、Kenrick、Chloe同埋Ashley。好感激Ken同Gloria,佢哋辛苦創作咗唔少嘢去推廣呢個活動。有你哋嘅幫忙,呢個活動先可以順利完成!
❤️ Chris B xx
【カサ】KASA
Thunder – Boys Like Girls
Man in the Mirror – Michael Jackson
Wherever You Are – ONE OK ROCK
KASA, better known as the lead vocalist for Seasons for Change, graced the charity’s stage at the Summer Festival with a captivating short set of his favorite covers. His strong and unforgettable voice, combined with his smooth guitar playing, created a mesmerizing performance. His rearrangements of the songs were fun to listen to and showcased KASA’s versatility and ease of musicianship.
– Rosie Chan
ADRIAN FU 符致逸
Sunshine
Just Like That
Good Morning, Hard City
Bae
寡人
Mirror
Love You More Than Anyone
Best Part (Daniel Caesar cover)
Overyjoyed (Stevie Wonder cover)
Questions & Doubts
An artist who has been around for a while, having been a member of a number of great bands, written a few songs for big Canto Pop stars, did a stint with a major record label, and now runs his own label.
Like everyone else, Adrian had not played live for the last few years, and admitted to being rusty and nervous. The set kicked off with a few of Adrian’s recent numbers, which made perfect entertainment for the revellers present, many of whom had already spent a few hours there. The moment Adrian started playing, the venue went quiet as the audience gradually became absorbed by the music.
Having been described as “the Elton John of Hong Kong” and I could see why, not so much in terms of the songs sounding similar but rather Adrian’s signature soothing and melodic piano playing, beautifully arranged with clever progressions strategically placed in all the right places. Adrian was supported on stage by Malaysian artist Adam Sang, whom he just met on the day, who added an additional dimension with his beatboxing and “faux” instruments (the trumpet was particularly impressive). A side of Adrian which was totally new to me was his ease of switching between head and chest voice, and indeed his head voice (one of his songs was a duet where Adrian convincingly did most of the female part)!
All in all an excellent performance and a fun set, and I would heartily recommend anyone into the likes of Elton John, Billy Joel and Ben Fold to catch one of Adrian’s performances: I assure you you will not be disappointed.
– CJ
THE ORIGIN
你的樂園
侯鳥
Rain
Because I love u
日落
假裝快樂
The Origin, a 4-piece band established in 2019, graced the stage at the Summer Festival, featuring a fresh rhythm section with a new bass player and drummer.
With their prolific songwriting skills, The Origin had already amassed enough material for a debut album released earlier in the year, and they delighted the audience with a predominantly Cantonese set. Despite the addition of newer members, the band exhibited a tight performance. Their clever use of two guitars allowed them to lay down some highly effective riffs, adding a unique musical dimension to their set.
Overall, The Origin delivered a solid performance, leaving me eager to catch more of their future shows and creations. Their original folk music in Cantonese, infused with a distinctive folk-pop-rock style, creates a soothing listening experience, enriched by their seamless male vocals.
– CJ
GENERAL ACHLIN ACHLINO & THE CAPTAINS
1- WE ARE THE CAPTAINS
2- GOOD MORNING
3- MITSOENAWO
4- KEEP IT UP
(2 Covers by Nicky)
5- KILLING ME SOFTLY
6- TURN YOUR LIGHT DOWN LOW
7- MAZE MAZE
8- CRITICIZED
9- AMANDE
10- Closing with Anthem ”WE ARE THE CAPTAINS”
Dressed in army outfits and ready to party, General Achlin Achlino and the Captains rocked up on the stage. It was their first performance, but there were no signs of nerves or teething problems as the seven-strong collective delivered the kind of polished performance that is becoming increasingly rare in Hong Kong.
Achlino himself held down the show with the confident rhythm work he has become famed for; opener We Are the Captains was tight and bright with a ripping congo solo. From the off, the band’s professionalism was evident in their effortless vocal harmonising and the flawless melding of all seven members. The percussion, especially, was nothing short of astonishing, and all elements shone through on a well-mixed soundstage.
By Misoenawo, everyone in the room was dancing, and the energy levels kept up throughout the show as the band spun afrobeat and reggae into a kaleidoscopic mix. The highlights were covers of the Fugees version of Killing Me Softly with His Song and the Bob Marley and the Wailers/Lauryn Hill track Turn Your Lights Down Low. For these songs, singer Nicky shone under the spotlight; her husky vocals, switching from soul to rap, triggered goosebumps and drew gasps and cheers from the room.
Amande, which followed the story of a pirate, was a sweeping summery track. Then the General thanked a lot of people whom he knew in the audience and then serenaded us all with a spur-of-the-moment Bob Marley’s Redemption Song which clearly moved the audience. Their closing anthem We Are the Captains was the perfect parting shot. Although the Captains’ set was slightly long for a festival, incredible musicianship and onstage charisma made for a performance that will linger in the memory for a long time.
– EL JAY
CHANKA
Gomboc
Who A U
lemon
Noisy (J1M3)
Hypocrite
Like a moth to a flame
Chanka’s set represented a change in energy after the party-starting reggae of General Achlin Achlino and the Captains, but her meticulously crafted set made her exceptionally worthy of her billing
Her whispery, elvish vocals recalled Billie Eilish on more than one occasion and were well-paired with a chill, down-tempo electronic production.
Who A U paired a lush soundscape with organic noises, evoking experimental soloists like Yeule, Jasmine Sokko and, of course, Björk. A pulsing, evolving dance music production and scramble of beats made the track feel like a delicious ASMR buffet to the ears.
While lemon was lush, echoey and distorted, like the music played on a rooftop bar on a summer’s night, Noisy channelled 90s pop – albeit with a futuristic scratching, squeaking and skipping going on in the background – for a mix that Grimes would have been proud of.
By the super catchy Hypocrite, Chanka was on the floor dancing with the crowd and engaging with people, many of whom ended up sitting down for closing track Like a moth to a flame. A fireside feel was created with low BPM and a twinkling piano melody, sending all gathered off into dreamland.
– EL JAY
SHUMKING MANSION
Big Muff
Mario
The explorer
Angle of Attack
What’s on your mind?
Refugia
No shoes
This flood
Intro/Franz
Toadstool
Wanch Song
Auto dreaming
Having been around since 2014, I remember Shumking Mansion as the crazy band with the weird appearance: lead singer with a sadhu (Indian holy man) style hair bun, bass player with a Krusty the clown hair do, keytarist (an endangered animal in itself) with a top hat and full flowing beard: definitely puts them into the category of “once seen, never forget”!
Shumking Mansion’s mission is to make music that would make people dance, groove, and boogie, and on this night, they were very successful with their eclectic blend of psychedelic rock/disco and various other styles. Changing style mid-song without losing any energy/momentum is something they do really well. Engaging the audience is also another one of their strengths, with the keytarist and bass player running all over the stage and dance floor—by now, their signature move.
They were the last act of the evening, and every member of the audience was dancing like there was no tomorrow —a no easy feat after a long day, and credit to the band for creating the energy and atmosphere. Shumking Mansion is definitely brilliant, and their performances offer a thoroughly top-notch experience.
– CJ
Photos by Aaron Michelson.
由Aaron Michelson攝影。
Poster by Bay Leung.
海報由Bay Leung.