“The live-music industry has just been devastated, for obvious reasons,” says Magnetic Asia’s head of music, Justin Sweeting. “Not only has it been completely crushed, but the nature of it means that it’s going to be one of the last to recover. We’re splitting the profits with the artists because it’s the right thing to do.”

There is, of course, an element of making a virtue out of necessity in the entirely local bill, but Clockenflap’s representation of local musicians has been growing over the years, and Magnetic Asia music director Ivy Yuen, the main organiser of the line-up, says that this kind of event is something the company has been planning for a while.

“We’ve always had the idea of a local showcase, but didn’t have the time to put it in place. The pandemic has given us more time to think about who and how.”

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Sweeting adds: “We understand a lot of the audience probably haven’t heard of a lot of the artists. It’s an opportunity to put some amazing talent in front of people.

“Something amazing is happening in the local scene, with a new generation of talent coming through, with a more sustainable fan base. We want to play a part in encouraging that.”

In particular, and reflecting a key and growing plank of the underground music scene in Hong Kong, there is an awful lot of hip hop on the bill. There are no official headline acts, but probably the best known name is local hip-hop legend MC Yan, fronting collective YellowPeril, which also features DJ Frankie, Chef, Adv, JYD, TT and Kidflo.

Among the other hip-hop performers appearing are trap MC Luna Is A Bep; pop rapper Novel Fergus, along with Dai$hin and SoWhat; Triple G, who play jazzy, laid-back hip hop; and an Alevia Records showcase featuring Diziwastrippy, Y5, Loisey and Maka.

As for other highlights, Yuen points to Anna Hisbbur, a singer-songwriter with a smoky, sparse, retro-soul feel who has been making waves despite only having played in public a handful of times. Sweeting predicts great things too for the appearance of Fds/4eva, who play engaging funky neo-soul with alt rock flourishes, describing them as “a proper party band – just super fun”.

Charming Way and Science Noodles will provide wistful takes on indie pop and rock, while emotive, confessional singer-songwriter Cehryl also draws on indie and post-rock influences.

The event is subject to Covid-era regulations, including the ban on eating and drinking. There’s also a bit of light social distancing, with the crowd theoretically divided into groups of six, and the venue operating at 85 per cent capacity – about 12,000.

MacPherson Stadium, coincidentally, was also the venue of the final concert Magnetic Asia put on before the pandemic, by singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi in January 2020; the company has also put on shows by the likes of Tame Impala and Bon Iver at the venue.

Sweeting says the response to the announcement of the concert “has been super positive. People appreciate we’ve gone for a really current and relevant line-up, with nods to classic, pioneering artists.

“The pent-up demand and the excitement to get back to things translate into really great atmospheres. The fact is that when music comes back, it has to focus on local talent and we think that’s a positive thing. This is a whole new opportunity to shine a spotlight on that, with a bigger bill in a larger venue, and we hope people respond to it.”

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