A rock'n'roll lifestyle?

Hong Kong rock'n'roll duo Shatalene have only been on stage at Beijing's Temple Bar for a few minutes when the crowd starts whispering nervously. Bass player Natalie Belbin is poised, coolly picking out a distorted, stripped-down riff, but behind her something is wrong. Arms flailing, knees bouncing, his hair already plastered to his forehead with sweat, drummer Shaun Martin is clearly going off the rails.

"He's been into the Jameson," says another musician at the front of the stage, when Martin pauses between songs to rant at the audience. The musician will take the stage with Martin next with their band, the David Bowie Knives, but there's no concern in his voice. And soon, the look of unease on the audience's faces is replaced with a kind of crazed glee.

The drumming gets wilder and wilder, a storm of snares hit hard and symbols that seem always on the verge of falling over. Belbin's bass playing is solid, unrelenting, and when she sings, she channels Siouxsie Sioux and Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O: "He just wants to swim in the sea/Swish his tail and smoke seaweed/Sea Panther!"

Hong Kong has a long history as a regional centre for popular music. Canto-pop dominated the Asian music market for decades and some of the world's most popular musicians call this city home. But think of Hong Kong rock'n'roll and your mind swims with images of stadiums filled with families waving glow sticks, of ballads and of perfect hair. Hong Kong, it is often said, is hell for independent musicians, with few venues and an uninterested public; we just don't have that rock'n'roll soul.

Try telling that to Gabe Andre, the David Bowie Knives' drummer and "the best drummer in Hong Kong. No f***ing contest", according to Martin. Andre has just played four shows, in four cities, four nights in a row. He looks very much in need of a nap: "The good thing about the Hong Kong scene is it keeps people honest. There's no hope of quitting your day job on this thing. You play because you love it."