It should have been their moment. The Yours had made it to Rockit 2006. They were on the main stage in an afternoon slot on the second day - the day Ian Brown was playing. The crowd was warming up after a feverish set by energetic local band Dr Eggs. The four young indie rockers took the stage ready to pump out their quirky brand of noisy pop. But their set was short-lived. They barely had time to warm up before the organisers cut the set short because of a blunder in scheduling and technical troubles at the other stage. Instead of a full 30-minute set, they had just 15 minutes, after which they were told to get off or have the plug pulled. Singer Jack Leung, having just finished a number called The Decent, politely thanked the crowd and the four quietly left the stage. Today, he isn't so polite about the Rockit gig, and he doesn't think the event is right for the Yours. 'Our music is only for indoors and for very crowded, very moody places,' he says. Fast-forward five months, to February 8. Now with an EP in the bag, the Yours have risen through the indie ranks to become one of Hong Kong's most exciting bands. They're sharing a bill with metallers Qiu Hong and punk rockers Hardpack at the Edge nightclub in Central. But after the show Leung makes a shock announcement: The Yours are no more. Bass player Azia Chau isn't with them and drummer Chin Ho-chan has said he wants out as well. Leung and co-singer/guitarist Nicholas Wong change their MySpace name to 'Not The Yours'. And that's that. Well, not quite. Three months later, the Yours are back with a fresh sound and a new lineup, with Nadim Abbas on bass and Dunson Chan playing the drums. At the Underground on June 9, the reconstituted band will play for the first time. As shown by the success of their EP Abraham, released in October by Lona Records, they were onto a good thing when they split. The post-punk blend of noisy pop with restrained vocals and tidy riffs inspired by the likes of My Bloody Valentine - Leung and Wong's favourite band - did much to establish the band's indie cred. Local magazines in Chinese and English started paying attention and the musicians began to be recognised by fans on the street. Yet they remain modest. 'Many people tell me that the Yours are a very famous band on the indie scene, but I don't think so, honestly,' says Leung. Abraham is still selling well for an indie release, they say, but don't expect more of the same from the new lineup. 'It's time to turn to a new page,' says Leung, 23, sitting beside Wong, 21, in the smokers' section of a Mong Kok cafe. Leung does all the talking in interviews, although it's the quiet Wong who takes on an aggressive stage persona. The style-conscious duo is the driving force behind the Yours, and when frontman Leung says 'I', he speaks for the whole band. 'I need to make people dance this time,' he says between mouthfuls of cheesecake and lungfuls of cigarette smoke. It's a new band, so they'll play new songs. Of the old material, probably only Tasteless, an attitude-laden swayer about a break-up, will get an airing at the Underground. Leung is moving the band into nu rave - a fusion of electronica, disco and punk riding high on the backs of bands such as the Klaxons and the New Young Pony Club. It's not a reflection of how Leung feels about the old lineup, but, despite the positive buzz, he confesses to some embarrassment about Abraham. Like Wong, he's listening to new stuff and opening his mind to fresh musical possibilities. Whereas Leung was once dismissive of metal and hip hop, he now respects the creativity inherent in both. But nu rave is his new passion. Leung takes care to write down bands on his current playlist: Shitdisco, Calvin Harris, Silverapple and CSS. Wong adds Art Brut, the Rapture and LCD Soundsystem. Despite the new direction and the strained circumstances of the break-up, Leung says Chin and Chau are always in his mind when he's practising with the Yours. The original lineup used to be best friends, but Wong and Leung now see little of the others. Chau seems to have no hard feelings. 'I'm sure they'll be a very successful band in Hong Kong, a band that makes Hong Kong proud,' he says. He describes the experience of being in the band, which was formed in 2005, as a bit unreal. 'Thinking back, it still feels like a dream to me.' Leung and Wong have learned from the experience. Forming a band of best friends wasn't a great idea, they say. Now they see their bandmates as bandmates, as they would their workmates. Before each weekend practice at their Kwai Chung studio they hold a meeting to lay out ground rules and plan ahead. Of course, they still face challenges, especially when it comes to finding the time such an enterprise requires. After all, the music faces stiff competition from some powerful outside forces. Relationships always get in the way, says Leung - a bit of a problem, considering that every member of the band is now spoken for. 'I just want to warn people,' says Leung, 'if you want a girlfriend, don't join a band.' The Underground, featuring the Yours, Jan Eliz, Spodac and Snoblind, June 9, 8pm, the Cavern, Shop 1, LG/F LKF Tower, 55 D'Aguilar St, Lan Kwai Fong, HK$50 (students), HK$80. Inquiries: 9486 4648
