Softhard cash in

More than 15 years may have passed, but Softhard Kids' Rei Kawakubo vs Yohji Yamamoto still makes interesting listening.

The hit from the local duo's eponymous debut album in 1991 name-checks nearly every major clothing label of the day as it makes a sneering, acerbic attack on wannabe hipsters. Like their pop-industry-blasting number in 1993, Murder on Broadcast Drive, it was a witty, spot-on social critique of the excesses in bull-market Hong Kong in the early 1990s.

Now, it's the spending power of trend-seekers that Eric Kot Man-fai and Jan Lamb Hoi-fung (below, left to right) are targeting in their comeback. Having retired Softhard Kids in 1996 to pursue solo careers, the duo are pinning their hopes of success on a vast publicity campaign.

Asked in May about the Softhard Kids reunion, Kot spoke excitedly about concerts, records and, most importantly, merchandise. 'We're also making our own trainers now,' he said.

The Softhard Kids revolutionised radio conventions when they first exploded onto Commercial Radio's programmes in 1988. Driven by youthful abandon and a penchant for unruliness, the duo's mix of edgy music and outlandish humour attracted an audience that previously viewed radio as a straitjacketed medium.

Now, the pair are part of the pop establishment. Lamb has served four years as creative director for Commercial Radio 2 and is a bankable comedian with a series of sold-out, stand-up comedy performances under his belt. And he's still a recording artist - his latest album, 30'mething, sold more than 10,000 copies. Kot doubles up his acting career with multi-media work (he designed the trailer for this year's Entertainment Expo).