Going underground: the city's hottest hidden venues
Want to escape the music mainstream? Hong Kong's industrial buildings hide venues hosting drum 'n' bass nights, experimental rock and emerging local acts. Pavan Shamdasani presents the top five
Hidden Agenda was the first on the scene - and the first to face the scrutiny of government officials. Forced to close down its original site, it soon reopened down the road, with a bigger space and a better sound system. Four years on, the venue has defied red tape and kept the crowds coming to Kwun Tong.
Hidden Agenda's musical focus is a strange one, going so far past the mainstream that it defies classification. At times hosting jazzy big bands and at others riling up the crowds with hardcore music that's almost a wall of sheer noise; the owners literally march to their own tune. Some of the biggest names have included US rockers Thee Oh Sees and Russian Circles, while longstanding local act King Ly Chee are regular favourites.
BeatingHeart came into existence with one goal in mind: to give Hongkongers the best sound system money can buy. Originally launched as a cheap and comfortable place for sound-obsessed founder Craig Lomas to jam, the location was immaterial - the focus was exclusively on the space's acoustics.
But soon the city's starving music fans caught on, and the grimy grit of the Shek Tong Tsui industrial space began to add to its Berlin club-like vibe. A concert-ready lighting system here, a couple of professional smoke machines there, and soon BeatingHeart was transformed into the most exciting new rock venue in town.