NEARLY ONE YEAR on from the outpouring that was July 1, 2003, Hong Kong's climate is more politicised than ever. Faith in the powers of politicians, meanwhile, is on the wane. Parties are struggling to persuade a disenchanted youth their work has any meaning, amid intimidated talk-show hosts and the huffing, puffing mainland officials out to dampen hopes for democracy.
Now an age-old remedy has been called on to help change this perception: rock music. A yellow brick road to credibility for politicians the world over, it's been embraced by the Democratic Party in an effort to make itself appear to be 'down' with the younger generation.
Earlier this month, the party diluted tactics in the light of falling popularity - and now this. Is the move a genuine effort to shake youth from its apathy or a desperate lunge for hipness?
It's easy to take the latter view. Tomorrow's concert may be a first for Hong Kong, but rock and politics have formed an uncomfortable and frequently unwise alliance in North America and Europe since the 1960s. US President Richard Nixon famously posed with Elvis; British Prime Minister Tony Blair made the most of the fact that he once fronted a rock'n'roll band while embracing photo opportunities with the likes of Bono, David Bowie and Noel Gallagher. Most recently, a photo of John Kerry with John Lennon, taken at an early 70s anti-Vietnam war rally, was circulated in an attempt to boost the appeal of the US presidential candidate.
From the hippie concerts of Woodstock and Altamont to the modern-day Free Tibet and last year's anti-war gigs, the idea of musicians using the stage to promote a cause has never lost its potency. Tomorrow's free Voice for Justice concert at the Cultural Centre Piazza is the Democrats' appeal for rock music to deliver a message that organisers say had been falling on deaf - or at least uninterested - ears.
It's also, inescapably, the party's attempt to portray itself as relevant to the city's youth. Among the acts playing free of charge are the likes of metallers Hardihood and Freestyle, hardcore noise-merchants King Ly Chee and grungers GSP. The funkier Nude and Thinking Out Loud will hit the lighter notes.
