Sat, 10.30pm, Fringe Club Rock'n'roll tends to bring out the wild side in many people, but AirTub won't be smashing up hotel rooms any time soon. The affable quintet have been pounding out an addictive combination of rock and chemically blurred progressive elements since 2001, and the upcoming release of their new single, Re-Ignition, marks a new chapter for the band. 'For us, this represents the rebirth of the band,' says lead singer Kenny Ngai Man-kam. 'Our first album wasn't really us. We had to write basically what we were told.' The new six-track single will be given free to audience members at the band's launch party at the Fringe Club next week. Lying somewhere between Linkin Park and Maroon 5, the group generate stadium- sized tunes, although their aspirations are restricted by the local environment. 'In Hong Kong, everything has to be fast, and it has to work,' says bassist Edwin Cheung Yin-ming. 'With music, you need time to experiment. We all enjoy what we're doing and that's why we do it. It can sometimes be difficult with deadlines and late rehearsals, and we all have full-time jobs. Positive feedback from listeners drives us.' AirTub's first musical incarnation was a band named AD, featuring Ngai and Cheung, along with Derek To Ti-wei on guitar. They met at university in Australia. When they returned to Hong Kong, the trio drafted in mutual friend David Mak Wat-chung to play the drums. The line-up is completed by Marcus Wan Kam-yeung, on keyboards. 2 Lower Albert Rd, Central, $80 (includes one drink, members free). Inquiries: 2521 7251
