Rappers go underground for artist website's second-birthday bash

It's not the most obvious venue for a loud and noisy gig, but Grappa's Cellar in Jardine House can get rocking when all the Italian accoutrements and tables are cleared away. That's where online artist site alivenotdead.com hosted its second-anniversary bash on Saturday.

The party was a continuous lineup of punks, alt-rockers and hip hoppers, including Hardpack, FBI, Josie Ho Chiu-yee and Ryan Hui Wai-yan, jamming all night. With its bar balcony, it could be just the kind of underground music venue the city needs. Heck, it's so underground it's even in the building's basement.

The event also served as a fund-raiser for Aids Concern. Close to HK$40,000 was collected and 6,000 condoms given out. 'Will you be using one tonight?' 24 Herbs' Conroy Chan Chi-chung (left in photo) asked the crowd. His rap unit's boisterous and jocular performance certainly got the crowd excited.

The rap bad boy and website co-founder - who started it along with his former Alive posse Andrew Lin (front), Terence Yin Chi-wai (with mic) and Daniel Wu Yin-cho - also used his share of the condoms on stage, blowing them into balloons and demonstrating how to unroll a prophylactic using his arm. 'I need a big boy!' he hollered.

Oh man, let's hope off-stage he will grow into one.