Clockenflap Music Festival 2023 line-up: De La Soul, Tom Grennan, and Tones and I among the latest additions to line-up of December event in Hong Kong
- Easy-listening tunes from singer-songwriter Tom Grennan, rap from 80s hip-hop veterans De La Soul – Clockenflap adds more acts to roster for Hong Kong festival
- Alt-rock fans have Tilly Birds and The Beths, on top of Idles, to look forward to; Korean electronic music acts 250 and Idiotape are also joining the party
De La Soul, Tom Grennan, The Beths, Tones and I, Tilly Birds and Idiotape are the latest international acts to be added to the line-up of Hong Kong’s upcoming Clockenflap Music and Arts Festival.
The second Clockenflap of 2023 – it returned in March after a four-year hiatus – will provide a deep dive into contemporary and alternative world music.
With a broad spectrum of close to 100 acts to catch over its three days, we pick out the local and international acts you just won’t want to miss.
Indie pop
Fans of indie pop can expect some easy-listening melodies from Tom Grennan, a 28-year-old singer-songwriter from the UK who received several nominations in the late 2010s for MTV and BBC awards and the Brit Awards.
Other singer-songwriters to look out for are Alex G and d4vd, both from the United States, and the Chinese acts Leah Dou and 9m88.
Hip-hop and rap
For those who are into “boom bap” there is De La Soul, a hip-hop group formed in 1988 in New York and known for their contribution to jazz rap and alternative hip-hop.
In 2006, De La Soul won a Grammy Award for best pop collaboration with vocals for their collaboration with Gorillaz on the single “Feel Good Inc.”
BBNO$ is a 28-year-old rapper from Canada who began posting tracks to SoundCloud in September 2016. Chinese female singer-rapper Lexie Liu will grace the stage on Friday evening.
Alternative rock
Aside from Idles, post-punk legends from the UK, there are many newer alt-rock musicians to catch at Clockenflap.
Tilly Birds from Thailand proclaim themselves “a bunch of music nerds with totally assorted musical backgrounds” and an ever evolving sound.
The Beths, formed in New Zealand in 2014 and headed by soulful lead vocalist Elizabeth Stokes, are a refreshing addition to the line-up.
Electronic music
K-pop girl group NewJeans may not be able to make it to Hong Kong this time around, but their producer, 250, has been on the Seoul decks since NewJeans members were still in primary school. A South Korean electronic musician who won four accolades at the 2023 Korean Music Awards, 250 will be spinning for Hong Kong on the last evening of Clockenflap.
Another electronic act from South Korea is Idiotape, who have also been on the scene since the early 2010s and are darlings of festivals at home and abroad.
Hong Kong acts
A Clockenflap Festival line-up is not complete without Hong Kong talent.
All-female band Whizz formed in 2019 with a focus on groovy pop. They have played at festivals in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and sang with Kay Tse On-kay on ViuTV in 2021.
Mansonvibes are indie-pop favourites who rose to fame on ViuTV’s King Maker III talent contest in 2020. They have acted in films such as 2015’s SARA, starring Charlene Choi Cheuk-yin and Simon Yam Tat-wah, as well as 2017’s Hong Kong Master.
For Hong Kong residents active in the party scene, the Triple Happiness Club Takeover featuring Tedman Lee, Bright and Yatlong will be an unmissable vibe-maker, taking over two separate slots on Friday evening.
Most tickets have sold out, but Saturday and Sunday single-day tickets are still available on Clockenflap’s website, priced at HK$1,280 each.
