One great thing about rock'n' roll is that it allows people to behave in a manner they couldn't get away with otherwise - a freedom that's embraced by local punk-pop trio Hard Candy. 'We couldn't get away with jumping around and screaming on an MTR platform the way we can on stage,' says 20-year-old singer and guitarist Tong Pui-yan. 'We love performing live. It allows us to do things that we can't in everyday life. That's the beauty of music - it gives us the strength and opportunity to abandon the rules.' Hard Candy aren't your typical band. The all-singing trio are two parts female, one part male - and all energy. Musically, the band can be awkward, brash, off-kilter and oblique, but their on-stage antics make them well worth watching. The trio - also comprising 22-year-old Renee Ko Wing-tak on drums and 21-year-old bassist Eric Cheung Lok-ming- - have been together for 21/2 years. 'I was originally a bass player and always wanted to write songs, but I never had a chance,' Tong says. 'Eventually, I decided to form my own band. 'My idea was to have an all-girl band. We let Eric join as a temporary bass player, but the arrangement worked really well and all of us felt good about playing together.' Hard Candy is a spiky and belligerent outfit pumping out a dirty guitar fuzz that gleams under the sheen of girl-group pop. 'We're like riot-grrl punk with noise,' Tong says. 'We listen to girl bands and noise-pop stuff like Sonic Youth, the Pixies, Bikini Kill and Babes in Toyland. 'I'm a very pessimistic person. Music - and making music - somehow has the ability to make me more positive. Through music, I want to make myself stay young and imaginative - and also make more friends through it.' And the name? 'We wanted a name that highlighted the contradiction between being hard and being girlish. Also, I went by the name Candy when I was little.' Hard Candy's Save The Child track was a highlight of the recent Come Out and Play compilation of underground Hong Kong bands. The group plan to release their debut album in September. But it's when they play live that the band come into their element. A recent appearance at Taiwan's annual Spring Scream Festival was one of their best, they say. 'The audiences in Taiwan are far more passionate about music than in Hong Kong,' Tong says. 'They dance and sing along and always scream for one more song. It's very encouraging.' But the band have had their fair share of criticism. 'I tend to get very frustrated when people comment on things like what I wear at shows,' Tong says. 'It's so stupid. They'd never say the same things about what men wear. Hong Kong doesn't seem to place the same value on boys and girls when it comes to music. This is a strange place.' Tong isn't alone in bemoaning the local scene. 'People here often believe that making music is the same as handing in an assignment,' says bass player Lok. 'And that's unhealthy. 'The variety of genres isn't balanced. Maybe the media could introduce more alternative genres along with the usual Canto-pop babes. 'I think this is slowly happening, but will require a total change of the audience's mentality and will take time.' Struggle Tone 2, featuring Hard Candy, Milk Shake 7, Howler, Nothing None, Air Tub and more, Sat, 7pm, the Warehouse, 116 Aberdeen Main Rd, Aberdeen, $55. Inquiries: 9313 4448 or 9758 5949
