One band owned the stage at the World Battle of the Bands Hong Kong finals last Saturday night - but they weren't in the competition. Returning as guests at the event they won in 2004, Audiotraffic showed why they're still kings of the local indie scene. The band formed by singer Adrian da Silva and guitarist Don Cruz, both 28, have enjoyed attention rarely given to unsigned local acts. Since the 2004 victory, they have received substantial media coverage, played a steady stream of gigs and built up a dedicated fan base. Now, after a process that started soon after the Battle of the Bands win, Audiotraffic are ready to release their first album. 'We're sick of it,' da Silva says of the wait. 'It's been three years.' An album of about 10 songs - including favourites Happy, Better and Way Too Long - is almost in the can, but they lack the marketing skills to promote it, da Silva says. They can get an early plug at this Saturday's Underground 49 - a magic number for the organisers, who have decided to celebrate this rather than their 50th show. There will be giveaways and a bill that also features Underground stalwarts Very Ape, trip hop trio Violent Jokes and five-piece alt-pop group Take the Bad with the Good. The Audiotraffic album marks a coming of age for da Silva and Cruz, who met as students at Beacon Hill Primary School before going their separate ways. It wasn't until their late teens that they reconnected through mutual friends to form a covers band playing songs by the likes of Nirvana and Pearl Jam. They soon realised a talent for creating music and formed a group called Cry in 1997 who were signed to Wings Music Entertainment. Later, after severing ties with the label and losing a couple of band members, they became Audiotraffic. Da Silva and Cruz have been the only constants throughout. Their latest lineup includes bassist Glen Bogador (who also plays in Hardpack and Shepherds the Weak), and drummer Ferdie Ramos. Cruz says they don't play Cry material anymore and da Silva reckons as they get older they're producing more sophisticated tunes. 'We're getting better at stopping ourselves churning out the same crap,' he says. Rob Porter, the band's producer and friend, agrees. A Canadian recording engineer who started off in Hong Kong working with Canto-pop and film star Andy Lau Tak-wah, he first met the pair when they were teenagers. Even then he was impressed. Da Silva has 'a bona fide girls-love-to-hear-it lead singer's voice' and they have an ability to blend melodies with musical ideas to create something interesting, says Porter. 'It's not hard on the ears and yet it's cool enough that you can tap your foot to the fast songs.' Porter calls the album 'an excellent calling card' of what the band have so far produced. He can't say if it will make them stars but is sure they are set for big things. 'They're totally going to happen. They're too damn good.' Audiotraffic haven't lost any of their passion. It's been 10 years, and they're gunning for at least another decade. 'We'll be the Hong Kong Rolling Stones,' jokes Cruz. Music is their life, and they feel if they give up on the band, they're giving up on themselves. 'It's the only thing we're really good at, and probably the only thing that makes us happy in the end,' says da Silva. 'It's a job that makes us happy and has a chance to make other people happy, which is cool.' Underground 49, Sat, 8pm, The Cavern, Shop 1, LG/F, 33 Wyndham St, Lan Kwai Fong, HK$80 (students), HK$100. Inquiries: 9486 4648
