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AND THEN THERE were 17. The finals of the Tom Lee SoundBase Acoustic Band Competition are on next Friday - but  already the event has been something of a minor miracle.

After all, managing to attract 77 acts for the first round is no mean feat. But on top of that, every one of them was local, amateur - and acoustic.

'In terms of popularity, this competition is much more approachable for the kids,' says Frank Lee King-ting, the head of Tom Lee music. 'They can just pick up a guitar, get onstage and start playing: they don't have to prepare anything.'

Now, with 17 bands left - hoping to win as much as $5,000 worth of Tom Lee music vouchers - the competition is heating up.

'After the preliminaries, I'd say you're left with average to very good bands,' says Lee.

'So, what happens is the average put a lot of effort into practicing and the standard starts going up. When it comes to the finals, it's almost like you're watching a different group.'

The relaxed entry requirements (acts can play covers or originals), professional set-up and range of prizes available (besides gold, silver and bronze medals, there are awards for best original song and best individual performance  decided by a panel of industry experts) have ensured the competition's continuing popularity, not least because of its fan-friendly accessibility.

'Having 17 bands really gives a great variety of music,' says Lee.  'This is our fifth year now. It's a very nice atmosphere,  a gathering of like minds.' Lee founded the SoundBase Competition four years ago. 'We'd been doing a lot of rock band competitions,' he  says. 'And we just thought that part of the music was missing.'

Having lived in Canada for 25 years, Lee 'had a lot of exposure to folk, country and acoustic music - music that's almost non-existent in Hong Kong'.

The SoundBase Competition  is an  attempt 'to have people play as naturally as possible, so what you hear is what  you get.'

'It's a wonderful incentive to switch to acoustic instruments and play the music raw and from its roots,'  says finalist Oliver Quinn of  Bahouki.

It's also seen by local record companies as a good place to discover new talent. Past winners  include local favourites Whence He Came, Ultrastatic and At17, the members of which   met during the 2000 SoundBase Competition and have recently been signed by People Mountain People Sea.

'It's an affirmative act in promoting indie music in a place where people mainly go just with the flow,' says Lam Chun-long of band Innisfallen.

'The competition is really good for exposure and especially for experience,' says Lee. 'There are only a limited number of opportunities to play on stage [in Hong Kong], to build up your experience and showmanship. Once you've done that,  you can  develop a style of your own.'

The finalists couldn't agree more. 'It gives independent musicians the motivation to refine and polish their technique,' says Punch and Judy's Jing Wong.

'This is one of the most important competitions of the year,' says SMS' Lau Chih-lung, 'On the one hand, we can learn from the other bands, and on the other, we can share our music with other people.'

Perhaps a major reason for the competition's enduring popularity is a little less altruistic. 'People go up there because they like to perform,' says Lee. 'So when they get onstage and play that one song for a moment they are  celebrities.'

Celebrities who can sing and play? What will they think of next?

Tom Lee SoundBase Acoustic Band Competition Finals, featuring a performance by Wong Ka-Keung, Sep 3, 7.30 pm,  Ko Shan Theatre,  $60  Urbtix



Plucked from obscurity