Headliners Reflector are set to join a host of top local acts on the Punk-Hardcore-Metal Festival bill. Chief organiser Riz Farooqi of King Ly Chee talks us through his 'best of the rest'.
Departing Cross: 'One of the most insane metal bands in Hong Kong in terms of technical skills and song structure. They're also the most supportive metal dudes I know, who always stick around to watch other bands, even if they don't play metal. They rule, and the sincerity in supporting Hong Kong, in general, is clear.'
Hardpack: 'These guys have been playing punk rock for three solid years, introducing this type of music to a larger audience than any local band has done before.'
Guan 36: 'This band is made up of five people who call themselves 'straight edge' - which means people who don't smoke, don't drink and don't do drugs. Through their music, which is a combination of metal and hardcore, known as metalcore, they show teenagers that there are other things to do with your time than going out and getting drunk and getting high - facing your problems head on, instead of running away from them.'
King Ly Chee: 'May marks our fifth year as a band ... it's going to mean the world for us when we get on stage and play at this festival - it's like a culmination of everything we've fought and struggled to create. It's awesome to know that we're giving back to the scene that we created, and developing bands who will be carrying the torch tomorrow.'
'All the newer bands that will be performing! I've invited the best of the newest talent in each of those genres.'