The Underground Compilation #1

This blog is loosely linked to a book I am writing with Alice Chik on Hong Kong English popular music. I want to mention The Underground Compilation #1 here because The Underground is more or less, where we began the book. The Underground #29 in June 2006 at the Edge, to be exact. That's where we first saw Hard Candy, who have a habit of having their picture printed whenever the SCMP writes about us, and later Chris B, the organizer of The Underground nights, who was our first interviewee and gave us the priceless gift of two Sisters of Sharon CDs.

I haven't heard The Underground Compilation #1 yet (seems like you have to go to a gig to get one), but it has got to be good. Two CDs with tracks by 22Cats, Born To Hula, Chochukmo, F.B.I., Forgot, Lazy Susans, Sea Monsters, Tai Tai Alibi, The Sinister Left, Velvette Vendetta & Violent Jokes. Apart from 22 Cats, one of my favourite bands (so are Hard Candy, by the way), I haven't seen or heard the others, but Alice listens to bands on MySpace and says that Born To Hula, Chochukmo and Lazy Susans are good. There have been 67 Underground nights with 200+ bands (they don't repeeat too often) over the last few years. I guess a lot of those bands have disappeared already. The Edge has gone as well. So the fact that The Underground has survived is something in itself. It goes a long way towards explaining why we have such a healthy alternative scene in Hong Kong right now.