Home-grown acts get to play with the big boys A VITAL INGREDIENT in the Rockit Music Festival line-up is the part to be played by local bands. Not only does the festival aim to bring the best in international talent to Hong Kong, it also wants to ensure that the cream of Hong Kong's home-grown acts are given the publicity they have been starved of in the past. To date, 10 local acts have been included in Rockit's line-up, with the promise of more to follow. The ever-popular Uncle Joe will be joined by fellow local luminaries Audio Traffic, the well-hyped Whence He Came, the always surprising Robot Live, as well as the anthemic, party spectacular better known as Semi IQ and The Gospel Nation. Without an established infrastructure, the majority of local bands struggle to realise their full potential. Even worse, they are never recognised in the first place. 'There are no venues to play in or promoters wanting to do shows,' says Tom Read of Uncle Joe. 'In Hong Kong, if you don't do it on your own, you just can't do it. So it's great to be able to play alongside such quality international bands and hopefully it will take the local music to a wider audience.' The Rockit Festival is about a marriage: established international bands invited to entertain and inspire Hong Kong's younger generation, coupled with the support of the city's own future stars.
