Clockenflap 2012: Music for the Masses

Clockenflap 2012: Music for the Masses

The magic of a successful music festival owes itself to the energy of the moment. But, in a stubborn city like Hong Kong, the effort employed behind the scenes is the real magic. To turn a fresh idea into a signature annual tradition? That is legendary.

 

Three men made it their personal and professional quest to put Hong Kong on the world's music festival map, and Clockenflap is the brainchild of their journey. On January 12, 2008 the first Clockenflap rocked Cyberport to its knees, demanding Hong Kong's attention. What some loved, however, others did not, and before long the show was forced from its first location.

 

But the festival's seed had been planted, and Jay Forster, Justin Sweeting and Mike Hill made it their business to nurture its growth. Now, having worked their fingers (and wallets) to the bone, overcoming all manner of trials and bureaucratic tribulations, these three festival organizers finally have the breathing room to sit back and enjoy the show.

 

This year's event is fixing to be the biggest Clockenflap yet, but Mike and Justin still managed to find the time in their hectic schedules to shoot the breeze with GeoExpat. As much as they may look the part, these are no ordinary human beings—music runs in their veins.

 

When I ask them, “What other music festivals have you been to?” they look at each other and laugh. “Everything,” Justin answers with a shrug, and that explains a lot.

 

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Justin Sweeting spent his childhood lamenting our city's sub-standard live-music scene. When he moved to the UK for university the sheer variety of festivals—a new one every weekend—forced him to realize music would be a bigger part of his life than just some hobby or passion; music would become his job. Over the course of his time in the UK Justin played in a number of bands before he wound up working for a record label. This granted him access to a wide range of other musicians, managers and agents, so that when Justin finally returned to HK, influencing the local music scene was simply a matter of connecting the dots.

 

Self-described geek, Mike Hill has called Hong Kong home for the last 13 years. Besides devising Clockenflap's new ticket distribution business, Ticketflap, Mike's day job includes software development and system integration. He is known in DJ circles as half of the DJ duo Robot (Jay Forster is the other half), which has seen him involved in regular DJ nights and an eclectic electronica band. For Mike Hill, music was a hobby that mutated into some kind of superhuman alter-ego. In case you haven't seen them in the past decade, Robot will be rocking out in this year's line-up.

 

Glastonbury, Reading, Ultra, End of the Road, Fuji, Summer Sonic, Lovebox… Clockenflap is just one of many major global festivals. But it is the only one in Hong Kong. Clockenflap—whatever that means—is something we can call our own.

 

 

Tickets are on sale now!

 

 

The Rap on the 'Flap

GeoExpat: If you had to point a finger, who started it all?

Mike Hill: There was a conversation between Jay and Justin.

 

Justin Sweeting: Yeah, we were all involved in another festival 10 or so years ago called Rockit. That did good things, but was maybe a little ahead of its time in terms of the scene and community being ready for an event like that. When we got together and talked about it, it just seemed like there was an opportunity to take it in a different direction, and approach it in a different way; in our way. It was interesting because at Cyberport we just wanted to do a small festival and do it well.

 

Mike: And that took off... It began as a conversation between Justin and Jay, and I was sharing an office with Jay, so it kind of went from there and suddenly became, well, it became my entire life. (laughs) I still don't quite understand how it happened.

 

 

GeoExpat: Once you get something like this going, would you say the event starts to take a life of its own?

Justin: The more you grow the more control you almost have to have, because you don't want to lose the essence of what started it all in the first place. But the bigger it gets the harder it is to control. It's definitely grown more and more intense and will continue to do so.

 

Mike: Next year it will be a totally different beast. We're very much about baby steps. We're not trying to go too fast. Every year has been a different step. Last year was about getting the right venue and proving that it would work, and that the people wanted something like this. And in all seriousness, there were a lot of nay-sayers telling us that Hong Kong doesn't want this. ‘Local Hong Kong people don't want this, they're not interested. This is for you guys,' they tried to tell us. But 55% of our people that were there were local Hong Kong Chinese people, and they loved it, right?

 

The next step is turning this into a truly international music festival: ticketed, perfect venue, proper international calibre line-up, multiple stages running concurrently. Demonstrate that that works, then it will really have a life of its own. But we'll still need to contain it.

 

 

 

GeoExpat: Are there any festivals you attended which have directly influenced your vision for Clockenflap?

Justin: you pick up elements everywhere. But the whole thing about Clockenflap is, it's uniquely Hong Kong. We wanted to create something that was for and about this city, and a product of this city. So, we're very proud of the fact that it's a Hong Kong event and it's something that people from elsewhere will travel to, experiencing Hong Kong in the process. It's kind of showcasing the city in its best possible light.

 

Mike: Our vision of it has changed as well. When we first started doing it we were very much inspired by the kind of Western festivals, you know? Glastonbury being the biggest… but then as we got into it we realized we were creating a city festival. And city festivals are very different from Glastonbury, Redding, Fuji… so then going to Lovebox and things in the UK, that are very in-out, and really convenient—you can go for the day, hop in and hop out—that's what Hong Kong is perfect for; it's the most convenient city in the world. So, being in West Kowloon with that level of convenience, that gives us a true city festival.

 

 

GeoExpat: It was pretty family friendly last year.

Mike: Especially Sunday when helpers weren't available.

 

Justin: Yeah, and this year there will be a larger emphasis on making it kid-friendly, a larger kids area, more activities, more things for them to do. It's very important for us to create a family friendly environment that does entertain all ages.

 

We've teamed up with the Kids Gallery who will run workshops and craft projects throughout the weekend. There'll be performances aimed at children by a local funnyman troupe, sports day activities as well as a giant sandpit and Clockenflap bouncy castle. We're also flying in Nick Cope who is one of the UK's premier children's song writers and performers, to play special sets just for the kiddies each day.

 

 

GeoExpat: Bouncy castle? Very nice. Were there any issues booking the West Kowloon Cultural District for a second year?

Mike: It was easier.

 

 

Did we see you at last year's event? Have you been to any other Clockenflaps? If you've been, how would you describe the event to encourage first timers to come? Let us know on this thread.

 

 

Public Support

GeoExpat: Have you received support from public interest groups?

Mike: West Kowloon is obviously our biggest supporter; The Hong Kong Tourism Board is always very interested because we bring in tourists… Who else should we mention?

 

Justin: The great thing about the festival is it brings lots of groups together. So, on the music side you have a lot of the local promoters, or people who've been in the community working on things, they can all come together for one weekend, and gather to showcase all kinds of things. That goes across art, that goes across film, everything we do is this coming together of these community groups for this collective experience.

 

 

 

GeoExpat: Why do we have to buy tickets this year?

Mike: Why shouldn't you? Have you seen this model before? Free festival? It used to be ticketed, and it was ticketed, and it always has been ticketed. It's just last year we had no choice.

 

Justin: It's simple. There's no way we could possibly sustain this without some revenue coming in. We have massive costs.

 

 

GeoExpat: So, how did you manage to make it free last year?

Mike: We subsidized it out of our own pockets, because it was do or die. We kind of had the rug whipped out from under us, through different situations—nobody's fault, it was just out of our control—and we decided that if we didn't do that it basically would have been finished, because you need momentum. It would have been like two years that we couldn't do it. So we said: ‘stuff it. Let's just do it.'

 

Justin: And we had a lot of people come last year who hadn't really been to a festival before, or seen one in Hong Kong. So it really was a great introduction to, hopefully, hooking people into what a festival is, what Clockenflap is, and hopefully they'll stay with us as the years go by.

 

 

GeoExpat: Where do people go to get tickets? Do you order online and receive them in the mail?

Mike: QR code.

 

Justin: It's all digital. You can print it out or just bring it along on your phone.

 

Mike: We'll have people at the door with QR scanners…

 

Justin: And hopefully this will make it easier for more people to get out to more shows. We want it to be as easy and convenient as possible.

 

Mike: ...it's a great way to keep track of our demographic as well. We know exactly who came when; fans can connect on Facebook, like, and share with friends. We've got some 70,000 likes on Facebook, but we don't know who out of those 70,000 actually comes. With Ticketflap we'll get a better idea, so it's got huge potential. We're not going to just do this here, either. We aim to spread this idea throughout the region, but it's a bottom-up approach, again, which is kind of our style. Start down here and build up slowly.

 

 

 

GeoExpat: Have you had the same team since the first Clockenflap in 2008?

Mike: Yea, pretty much. We've had different members coming in to deal with different parts in the operational side of things, but there's always been Justin, Jay, myself.

 

 

GeoExpat: What were some of the hurdles that first year? Setting up a music festival for the first time?

Mike: The venue is the classic. Everybody talks about the venue. And the venue has been the challenge. Cyberport was pretty out there really, when you think about it; it's right in the middle of Bel-Air. And obviously we got away with it for two years, but the neighbors got grumpy with us and decided enough was enough. Fair enough, right? I mean, they didn't buy those flats to have a rock festival in their back garden.

 

Justin: Yeah…

 

Mike: So then it was looking at all the different options, and West Kowloon is it, right? But West Kowloon has been difficult because it was being controlled by all these different departments. You've got the LCSD, the lands department, and then you have the West Kowloon Cultural Authority coming in, and all these different parties have different agendas and different understandings about what the community wants.

 

 

So, the LCSD has a very particular view about what they believe their purpose in life is, right? Which is not necessarily aligned with what people genuinely want. And that's what killed off Rockit… the LCSD and the whole Victoria Park. Whereas what we have now, with the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, is a space that's run by an organization set up to provide this kind of cultural experience.

 

 

It's quite incredible that Hong Kong finds itself in this position. But it's on a knife edge, right? It could go either way. It could continue down this route, where we have this incredible, iconic venue, I mean, you were there, right?

 

 

GeoExpat: It's pretty much perfect.

Mike: Exactly! And it's going to get better. But if something goes a bit weird (laughs) then we go off down this other route, which is Mega Plaza, you know? So it's a really important time—really incredible time.

 

“If you make a bit of money that's great, but it's about trying to make a difference.”

 

 

GeoExpat: Having been a fundamental part of HK's music scene, in terms of hosting a huge event for people from all walks of life—even making it free last year—how do you think the Hong Kong music scene has developed since you first started?

Justin: It all goes hand in hand, I think. What local bands need is a route, 'cause there's a very low glass ceiling for bands in Hong Kong, that you can only play up to a certain venue, an existing venue, and then there is really nothing else to do.

 

It's very important for bands, when they're progressing in their careers or making music, that they have something next to aim for—something to shoot for—and the festival is a great rung on that ladder. It is the next step up for a band to play at; it creates a bit of excitement and I think the more of these large scale events there are, naturally the bands will start to get better. They'll start taking more inspiration from all the influences that are around them, but they have to step up to that stage and really be able to perform on it, which is a really good target for bands.

 

Mike: And the music scene has changed, you know? I mean, everybody can see it. There have been a number of different parties that have been involved with that change, and a lot of people have taken a risk, basically. Certain groups of individuals, the organizers of these types of events, they're not making money. They're bringing these bands over from the West or wherever, and they're doing it pretty much break even, and they're doing it because they love it, and they have found a model that works. It's quite collaborative, and that sort of sharing has been happening over, what? The last six or seven years? And that's inspired people. So then other people have gone, ‘oh, well if they're doing it, we can do it as well,' and that's inspired others, and that's what really kind of got things going. We just happened to be in the middle of all that.

 

Justin: We can see it in just the number of bands that are getting in touch with us, and that are on our radar. The list grows consistently, and the number of quality acts has grown larger, and across genres—the whole spectrum is getting better.

 

 

 

GeoExpat: What's the connection between Your Mum and Clockenflap, and what else are you guys into at the moment?

Justin: Your Mum is our sister brand. It's just a name we can do regular shows under that isn't a festival. A lot of people and bands we bring out, you might not have heard of before. But we can promise that they've been handpicked and the quality is going to be amazing every time. Also, as Mike was saying, we have this ticket platform that we are releasing this month.

 

Mike: With a very local focus, multi-language, multi-payment options, scalable, not going to break— touch wood—large volume. That's Ticketflap.

 

We're basically creating a collection of businesses that are dedicated to providing a variety of high quality music to inspire the local scene. It's all about bringing in talent from overseas to inspire people. If you make a bit of money that's great, but it's about trying to make a difference.

 

 

GeoExpat: Can you explain media-arts and how Clockenflap helps promote media-arts in Hong Kong?

Mike: The original idea was that we didn't want to do just a music festival, we wanted to do a music and arts festival. The reason for that… well, we were originally inspired by things like Glastonbury, which is a contemporary arts festival. Obviously music is the biggest part of it, because of the huge level of interest in music, but they really do have a lot of art there. From a clinical perspective (art) provides a variety of content and keeps people more engaged. But it also means there is much more room for growth as an event, you know?

 

We have the stages, but the art side of things can be further developed to a point we can't even imagine yet. We aim to inspire local artists, and this setting gives people a chance to come out and interact with what the artists are doing; it incorporates art into popular culture in a way that galleries can't.

 

I mean, the art that we have is not just paintings on the wall. We get people to make, and curate things specifically for the event, so they're always going to be a little bit off the wall and a little bit interesting. We have a film side as well, and the film side was just an experiment... we thought it would be a cool idea to have a little film tent to showcase short films and people loved it. There were always people in there, and the feedback from it was amazing.

 

 

GeoExpat: So is this a long-term trend? Are we going to see more support for the arts and music scenes in Hong Kong?

Mike: You're going to see a lot more this year. Absolutely.

 

 

Who's Playing?

GeoExpat: So who is scheduled to play at the festival?

Justin: Umm… We've got Primal Scream, De La Soul, Sneaky Sound System, Alt-J, Chet Faker, Chochukmo… We'll continue announcing acts over the next few weeks. Some great acts. Lots of stuff we're really excited about.

 

 

GeoExpat: Is Beck coming?

Justin: No. Sadly, no Beck.

 

 

GeoExpat: Cake?

Mike: Cake?

 

Justin: Ummm… no, no Cake.

 

 

GeoExpat: Kolor? You know Kolor?

Justin: Yeah. We know Kolor.

 

 

GeoExpat: Are they playing?

Justin: …Possibly.

 

 

GeoExpat: Grizzly Bear?

Mike: We'd love to.

 

Justin: Yeah…It's possible. There's discussions. But, you know, it's always funny the expectations that people have. People seem to think it's very easy to bring the band you want out here, but the truth is the exact opposite. These bands, people like Grizzly Bear, their schedules are so set—so rigid and set in stone. It's a balancing act, to get something we want and think will work, that will work for the artists as well.

 

Mike: You'll see on Facebook people are writing, like, ‘I can't believe you're not bringing this, this, this, this and this band,' and you get the feeling these people think we don't know these bands exist. You know, we also read Vanity, and Q and Pitchfork, and Justin's got this epic list of artists, and he's in talks with all the agents, you know what I mean?

 

He knows exactly what's going on at all times, exactly who's available, how much they'll cost, whether they'll come. So it's not like we just throw out the line. I mean, he's losing his hair. (laughs) It's a tough job.

 

Justin: We could fill the festival (line up) over eighty times with just submissions that come through the website, and that's nothing to do with the bands we already had earmarked; just the submissions. It's really a great sign, really positive, but percentage wise, probability wise, we're really limited in how many spots we have. Every year since Cyberport we've struggled to put on everything we'd like to, and this year it's going to be harder than ever whittling the list down.

 

But we also make a point of listening to absolutely everything, figuring out where things could fit in the line-up… Things come through, we listen to it all, then we make a decision.

 

Mike: He's in charge of the music (points at Justin), but we all ultimately have a say; we all give input.

 

 

 

GeoExpat: Are you a musician Justin?

Justin: In the UK I was in a kind of electro post-punk band. I do some remix stuff now with a producer in the UK (shrugs).

 

 

GeoExpat: Will you ever play your own music at the festival?

Mike: We don't… all three of us. I mean, Jay and I DJ and we have our own band, and Justin is a musician. Justin actually played at the last one, but we didn't even know about it; he just popped up with a guitar and a mask on...

 

Justin: Very last minute thing.

 

Mike: ...but, this year we're doing something.

 

Justin: Robot's going to DJ this year.

 

Mike: We're on the line up!

 

Justin: That's why you've got to get your ticket early! (laughs)

 

 

GeoExpat: Is there some secret formula for hooking bigger headline acts, like Santigold last year? Is it just a big fat wad of cash?

Justin: There are so many different factors, and it varies from artist to artist. It's not hard to get people to want to come to Hong Kong; it's just making sure that the scenario works for everyone. That could mean any number of things.

 

Mike: It could literally mean the artist wants to come here to go shopping.

 

 

 

GeoExpat: Have any artists had any strange demands?

Mike: Twenty pairs of clean dry socks was a bit weird.

 

Justin: Nothing too off the wall.

 

Mike: Apart from the socks.

 

“It's very important for bands, when they're progressing in their careers or making music, that they have something next to aim for—something to shoot for—and the festival is a great rung on that ladder.”

 

 

GeoExpat: What kind of music is best received by the Hong Kong audience?

Justin: Like I said the festival is a balancing act. You need to have some bands that we can be arm and arm in and sing along to, you need some which will be a total surprise and be a discovery. The great thing about the festival line up is you can take some chances. You can put newer stuff on and really showcase it to a wider audience.

 

Mike: It's interesting that there's a real strong following in the local community of overseas indie bands, like Pains of Being Pure at Heart. They were really popular with the local kids, much more popular with the local kids than they were with the expats. We're seeing the same sort of trend with Alt-J this time.

 

 

GeoExpat: What's the Cantonese naming contest about?

 

Mike: We got a lot of feedback from people we trust, that it would be very useful to have a Chinese name. There are a lot of people who don't speak English, who can't even begin to pronounce the name. That makes it quite hard for the festival to organically spread, you know what I mean? Having a Chinese name solves that problem.

 

The idea was to have a competition where people submit their suggestions, and the winning name becomes the festival's Chinese name forever. The person who submitted the winning name gets VIP tickets for life. And so far participation has been overwhelming, but we just haven't quite got there yet.

 

Justin: The name is going to be with us forever, so it's got to be just right.

 

Mike: The competition is still on-going. (Get in your last minute submissions before tickets go on sale!)

 

 

GeoExpat: Any other way to get lifetime VIP tickets?

Mike: Marry one of us? I'm already married, he's already married. Marry Jay.

 

 

GeoExpat: What's the best part of being involved and making something like this happen?

Justin: I think everyone wants to make a difference in life, and this is something where I really feel it is helping to make a difference. It's the best feeling to look out over the crowd, it makes everything ok; all the stress, all the hours, if you go out and see happy, smiling faces in the crowd then it is all worth it.

 

Jay, Mike, and Justin

 

 

Check clockenflap.com for all the latest updates!

 

 


 

Did we see you at last year's event? Have you been to any other Clockenflaps? If you've been, how would you describe the event to encourage first timers to come? Share your thoughts on this thread.