(中文版在下面)
60 second explainer: What happened to Hong Kong nightlife?
Why do I care? Hong Kong’s once vibrant live music and bar scenes in Wan Chai and Lan Kwai Fong have turned into parodies of their former selves and waste lands.
Because of COVID…SLAP! Stop blaming the pandemic for everything – it’s been happening for years. Nothing has changed in these bar districts for decades and the kids can’t afford the drinks – also they don’t want to listen to pop hits from 80s while they get boozed. Plus, you can’t Instagram a $100 lager #generic #overpriced #warm #ripoff
Where the fuck is everyone going? Didn’t you hear, kids don’t party as much nowadays. It’s all avo-smoothies, yoga and Twitter sex.
If they do, it’s 711, Peel St, events on beaches and warehouses, or Beer Bay. It’s because anything other than Wan Chai and Lan Kwai – where the former regulars are either familied-up, emigrated or dead (presumably from drinking), and the places are time machines from the 1980s-90s.
You’re saying there no future for Hong Kong nightlife? Well you could extend that to the city as a whole… PSYCHE. Maybe I had too much coffee today. The thing is, classic bars have been falling by the wayside but arguably the only one that will actually be missed is live music venue The Wanch… and DROP if you are a techno kid.
However, the general unaffordability of rental in Hong Kong combined with the lack of sympathy from landlords (no rent reductions during the pandemic) has led to a blossoming of innovation with people pushing new music in unusual venues that are low cost (Warehouses) or free (beaches/country parks/WW2 bunkers). The music in these places is cutting edge, fun, and events are spread by word of mouth.
Can this trend continue? Unfortunately most meaningful cultural scenes in Hong Kong are stamped out by authorities, who seem to have a problem with anything remotely fun.
Hope springs eternal.
But… what about… Sixty seconds is up, now fuck off.
60秒解畫——香港嘅夜生活發生咗咩事？
點解我咁着緊？灣仔同蘭桂坊曾經係live music同去蒲嘅代名詞，不過呢兩個輝煌一時嘅酒吧區已經物是人非，同死城無分別。
咁有疫情吖嘛……挑！唔好乜都賴疫情啦——呢個已經唔係一時三刻嘅事。其實呢啲酒吧區幾十年來都無變，只係而家班細路飲唔起酒啫。要佢哋一路飲一路聽80年代啲老餅金曲，真係睬你都有味啦！況且，佢哋叫一杯$100 #超普通 #咁撚貴 #唔夠凍 #呃錢 嘅酒，點擺得上IG啊？
咁啲人去撚晒邊呢？你唔知咩？依家啲細路唔開party㗎啦，佢哋一係就做綠茶婊，一係就做瑜伽，再唔係就喺Twitter搵波友。
就算佢哋真係出嚟玩，都係去吓7-11、卑利街，一係就去沙灘同貨倉搞嘅event，再唔係就去Beer Bay。根本所有嘢都唔關灣仔同老蘭事。再講吖，以前幫襯開嗰班舊客仔，結婚嘅結婚，移民嘅移民，再唔係就瓜咗老襯（應該都係飲得太多）。而家去灣仔同蘭桂坊，簡直就好似坐時光機返去八九十年代咁。
所以你覺得香港嘅夜生活無將來？唉……其實成個香港都係啦（可能我今朝飲得太多咖啡）。老字號嘅酒吧一間一間消失，不過最唔捨得嘅應該就係以前專搞live music 嘅The Wanch，如果你係聽techno大嘅就DROP。
不過又咁講，多得香港咁乸脷嘅租金同食人唔𦧲骨嘅業主喺疫情之下都唔減租，刺激咗大家嘅小宇宙，將音樂移師到非一般嘅地方，好多仲要係低成本（貨倉），甚至唔使錢（沙灘/郊野公園/防空洞）。呢啲地方嘅音樂好多都好正好新穎，而啲event都係靠口碑，一傳十、十傳百咁傳開去。
仲有冇彎轉？其實香港有價值嘅文化都已經比有權有勢嘅人摧殘得七七八八，嗰班人似乎對所有有些微樂趣嘅嘢都睇唔過眼咁。
不過都係嗰句啦——「生命滿希望」。
之但係……60秒，夠鐘啦！過主啦！
Drunken master 