Uncle Joe
Throughout the past weekend's downpour, a sober few on the street in Lan Kwai Fong might remember running into Andrew Gardener and Tom Read of the local indie rock band, Uncle Joe, handing out invitations to their CD release party at Queens. They are the artists formerly known as the 'spoilt-brat expat kids who think they are a band'.
At least, that's how some scathing reviewers would brand the group. And they would be wrong. As those who track the independent music scene would know, Uncle Joe have long since graduated from wannabes to proficient musicians. They've been around for eight years, building a respectable fan base on the back of an energetic live show. At long last, their debut album, From The Towers Of This City, I Can Still See All Your Promises, has arrived.
Lead guitarist and singer Read says: 'Over the years we've constantly been playing at venues around Hong Kong and performed in festivals and made a compilation of our best work in this album. It's been tried and tested and we've registered what the audience response has been like. Every single number on the disc is something we genuinely like, and think our listeners will too.'
Minutes before we sit down for a chat in a music room, drummer Ben Matthews, the latest addition to the band, enters dressed in a bland blue shirt and tightly wound tie, several office files in hand. As the shirt and tie comes off, he quips: 'English teacher by day, porn star by night!' As the laughter subsides, he points out that all four members (including bass guitarist Ben Tse) have day jobs; they're not counting on their intermittent gigs to pay the rent.
Gardener, 28, says: 'DJs in Hong Kong get anywhere between $1,000 per hour to five-figure earnings per night. In the current scenario, it's trendy and hip to have a DJ at a party, so they get paid. But with bands like us, who create and perform our own music, bring in all our equipment, it somehow becomes every venue doing us a favour by letting us perform. Bands can bring in customers, a fan base, none of that comes into play. The only way to make any money here is if you were playing cover versions of other artists.'
Their day jobs - Read works with youth groups, Gardener is an investment banker, Tse and Matthews are English teachers - keep them away from rehearsal and recording studios, but they try to jam at least twice a week in a rented, sound-proof studio in Wan Chai. 'Between us, we took about 10 to 14 days off to record and put this album together. It's a real labour of love and it's a self-funded album that's cost us a lot, but we believe in it; our faith is in the music.'
Having met through a church group, there's a spiritual element to the songs. But, as Read explains, they're not necessarily about religion. It's up to the listener to interpret the lyrics. 'We're not trying to be preachy in any way, we're not ashamed or shying away from our church but it's not a religious album; it's about faith, believing in whatever it is you believe in,' he says. 'The album stems from a lot of awful things that happened in Hong Kong, with the economic downturn, Sars ... it emphasises that we've got to believe in ourselves, in our city, instead of just complaining all the time.'
Performing at festivals around Asia has been eye-opening as well. Gardener says: 'Playing in Singapore last year was a humbling experience. There is an environment that nurtures their local talent. We could see, particularly with the singers, that they're at a different level altogether. The government supports the music scene at events like Bay Beats, held by the waterfront in Singapore. About 3,000 people turn up, independent bands from all over come to perform. Now there's encouragement for the music scene from the government here, but the motives are clearly different; they want people to come to Hong Kong, to show that we're Sars-free and safe. That's fine but Hong Kong really needs a dedicated venue that attracts punters to listen to original stuff from local talent that's not just Canto-pop.'
Uncle Joe CD release party, Sunday (Sept 21), 6pm, Queens, Theatre Lane, Central (tel: 2522 7773). $50 or $100 (with CD). Special guests Whence He Came.
