THE SURVIVAL OF the fittest rule that applies to most live music scenes has been turned on its head in Hong Kong this year. In what may represent an unthawing after the Sars-induced deep freeze of the entertainment industry last year, it's been an unusually active 10 months. Recently we've had: the Warehouse Teenage Band Competition in Aberdeen; heats of the World Battle of the Bands; the Heart Beat Band Competition at the Hong Kong Comic Fair; the Soundbase Festival Acoustic Band Competition; and then there's this weekend's Yamaha Asian Beat Band Competition. It appears that, instead of weeding out the unworthy, the flood of competitions is injecting life into a growing band community - encouraging large numbers of fresh, young outfits to step forward and be heard. 'I've always believed that there's talent in Hong Kong, but they're never recognised because of the music scene here,' says Irene Sit, a pioneer of the band scene who started Hong Kong's first competition, the Carlsberg Music Festival, in 1983. Sit now runs Puffin Entertainment, which spearheads the annual Rock On showcase concerts. 'If we don't give these new bands something to work on then we're going to lose these talents,' she says. On Sunday, dozens of bands will unleash their sounds at the Yamaha Asian Beat competition, organised in Hong Kong by the Tom Lee Music Foundation. According to Tom Lee president Frank Lee, the number of entries this year supports the argument that the local scene is growing. 'Live music seems to be coming back,' he says. 'In Japan, it came back with a bang this year. In Hong Kong, looking at the entries, it's comparable to previous years before Sars.' The competition - which is a regional event that includes Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand - was cancelled last year because of the Sars outbreak. It had been held annually since 1999 under an assortment of names such as the Yamaha Band Alert before the shutdown. This year, bands of all ages and styles have been again invited to enter by submitting one song (an original or cover) on a CD or mini-disc. Of this year's 68 entries, 55 have been chosen to play. They'll have just six minutes to impress a host of music industry judges and an expected big crowd. Seventeen winners will move on to the finals on December 6. The winner of those will fly to Jakarta for the Asia Grand Final in February - armed with the same song with which they started out. Hong Kong took top honours in 2001, when hardcore band Lam Kei won the competition. 'When Lam Kei, won they really came on to the band scene,' says Lee. 'There was so much energy on stage. They blew everyone away. They had that connection with the audience.' Pop-rock act Ever took part in the Asia Grand Final in Kuala Lumpur last year, after winning the 2002 heats. Their original song Open Your Eyes urged listeners to explore the Hong Kong band scene. As the youngest band in the Asian final, they didn't get far, but singer Yuki Kubo, 24, brought home the best individual performance award. The band members - 23-year-old drummer Andy Ho Ka-ho, who recently signed to Universal as a songwriter; his younger bassist brother 'KK' Ho Ka-Kit; and guitarist Ryan Lam Kin-hang, 21 - are now getting used to life without Kubo, who is half Japanese and half Hong Kong Chinese. The singer left Ever last year to launch a solo career. The split was amicable and they still make music together. After spotting them in the 2002 competition, Sit began to manage the band, and they've had a solid run of gigs as a result. Being spotted by talent scouts is one of the benefits of competition. 'They were contest freaks,' says Sit, with a laugh. 'You name it, they entered. In 2001, there was even an electric appliance company that organised a band show - they were there.' Competitions are great fun and a chance to play with other musicians and gain a wider audience, says Andy Ho. 'If it were just a normal live gig, not that many people would come to watch, but with competitions, bands bring many friends and relatives and introduce them to what rock music is all about.' He says they were bewildered by the range of styles that emerged at the Asian finals in Malaysia. 'Every country was different,' he says. 'Thai bands were really heavy. Bands from Indonesia were very ethnic, with costumes and instruments.' As Kubo and Ho play their upbeat winning Cantonese song Open Your Eyes, they hit on a growing sentiment among local musicians. The lyrics urge Hongkongers to open their minds and seek out local bands. 'I think many people say Hong Kong music is no good, but there are some parts that you maybe haven't listened to,' says Kubo. 'People just don't want to listen [to what's out there]. This is an optimistic song.' Many bands are sending the same message in their original songs submitted in this year's competition. It appears to be a theme that's unifying the groups.. As Vincent Choi, 17, of the nu-metal outfit Gossip, who'll be playing their original song Begin on Sunday, says: 'We want more people to learn and know our music. Sometimes people think that all band styles are noisy, but our song is giving them a message that there's a lot going on. We want them to learn about us.' Yamaha Asian Beat Band Competition, Sun, Oct 10, 3pm, Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre theatre, Clearwater Bay. Free tickets available at civic centre; final, Dec 6, 7.30pm, Ko Shan Theatre, Hunghom (ticketing details to be announced). Inquiries: 2737 7603 or go to www.tomleemusic.com