Hong Kong's rent squeeze forces music venue Backstage Live to close
As Central live house faces closure after eight years, musicians accuse officials of failing to develop a healthy environment for the creative arts
Surging rent is forcing music venue Backstage Live to shut up shop - frustrating musicians who say officials are not doing enough to help the creative industries.
They said the closure of the Central venue next month once again exposed the city's unfavourable environment for the growth of arts and culture.
"The city's decision-makers do not have the mindset to look at the whole ecology. They know how to build buildings, but they don't have any idea about creativity," said Vicky Fung, a singer-songwriter and one of the founders of Backstage Live.
Fung said she and about 10 musician friends founded the place in 2007 because they wanted to make a difference in the city.
"Hong Kong, as Asia's self-proclaimed world city, did not have a proper live house in the city centre. It's a shame," Fung said.
"There aren't many live music happenings around besides pop shows at Queen Elizabeth Stadium and the Coliseum."
After staging more than 2,000 gigs and welcoming 200,000 music fans, the live house in Wellington Street had grown into a hub for local and overseas musicians playing everything from pop and indie to jazz and rock.
Backstage Live also hosted other cultural events like film, theatre and dance, including recent collaborations with the West Kowloon Cultural District.
Watch: Hong Kong's iconic music venue Backstage Live to go off stage due to increasing rent
Fung said it had become a launch pad for many musicians in Hong Kong, such as singer-songwriters Justin Lo, Pong Nan, pop duo Robynn & Kendy and pop sensation G.E.M., who made her live debut there.
Fung said the founders had been planning to renovate but the landlord decided to raise the rent by 30 per cent.
"We rely on hosting special events and selling food and drinks to cover our costs, but we haven't made any profits after all these years," said Fung. "What will happen in the next two to three years? Rent will keep going up and there's no solution."
A range of events will be staged next month to bid farewell to the live house.
Sky-high rents and rigid restrictions on land use, safety and noise have left the live music scene in a dire state. Indie concert promoter and musician Chris B said 12 live houses had closed over the past 11 years. She said she had staged live gigs at Backstage Live for the past seven years and looking for a new venue would be a nightmare.
Chris B, boss of indie music showcase The Underground, said: "You need to alternate among at least a few different venues to keep it fun for the bands and audience."
There are only a few live houses left, including Peel Fresco and Orange Peel in Central, Full Cup Cafe in Mong Kok, The Wanch in Wan Chai, and Hidden Agenda in Kwun Kong, which has moved because of surging rent and regulatory issues.
Musician Teriver Cheung, a Backstage Live regular, said the government might have been good at handing out resources as seed money for new projects, "but they don't groom the environment or think about the ecology as a whole".
Although Freespace, a 450-seat black box, could be a possible new venue for live music in the West Kowloon Cultural District, musicians said that it was not enough.
"If you want culture to be developed in the community, it should be available everywhere. You can't just put all artists in West Kowloon and let them have fun among themselves," said Cheung.
Meanwhile, Musician Area in Kwun Tong also announced it is closing down in October after six years of operation.
Operators said they opened the self-financed live music venue in the hope of promoting indie music and bands but could no longer cope with rising rent.
Operators added they have launched a campaign to recycle second-hand musical instruments in the hope of raising funds for the venue.
