Two powerhouses of all things alternative and pop have come together to form the godly alliance of Songs for Children Presents Asobi Seksu Live in Hong Kong.

The gig takes place on Tuesday the 23^rd at Hangout in Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong Island, and New York-dwelling, Japanese-fronted Asobi Seksu are the bee’s knees. Here are five audio-visual reasons why. (If you’d like to skip the music and just find out where to get tickets then head to the bottom of the page.)

My first…

Latecomers occasionally have the best deal; when they hear a band there is sometimes already an exciting body of work to delve into and explore. This is how I was with Asobi Seksu. A good friend of mine sent me a link to this video just this summer and I was instantly hooked.

‘Transparence’ is almost archetypal Asobi Seksu – blissful dreampop, shoegaze undertones and a pretty girl up front. All winning elements. This track appears re-recorded on the album Hush and renamed ‘Sunshower’.

The deal sealer

‘Transparence’ hooked me in and ‘Me & Mary’ sealed the deal. This track shows the band have a bite, with the layers of distortion and urgent drumming in the chorus underpinning the sweet vocals.

The pure pop moment

Every band has their roots and gladly Asobi Seksu visited theirs for a b-side. This charged take on The Crystals’ Phil Spector-produced classic ‘Then He Kissed Me’ is bliss.

The hit

‘Thursday’ is the song they seem to be most well known for so remember to memorise the intro to look ‘with it’ at the gig.

The Japanese!

Opening their excellent self-titled album is “I’m Happy But You Don’t Like Me” – a beautiful, twee Japanese language pop song with some explosive guitars that pop up every so often. It’s just so right.

So it’s settled, we’ll see you there.

If you want to get tickets in advance you can do just that and in doing so you boast a saving of $40 ($40 better spent at the bar). Tickets are $280 (advance) and $320 on the door, if you must.

Advance tickets are available from White Noise Records, Zoo Records and Dama Boutique (Staunton Street).

You can also get them online here.

Support comes from Milkteeth and A Roller Control’s Alok.

Date: 23/11, 7.30pm
Location: Hangout 蒲吧 (3/F, 2 Holy Cross Path, Sai Wan Ho// 香港西灣河聖十字徑二號) – Sai Wan Ho MTR Exit B

Check in at the Facebook site.

Tags: asobe, asobi seksu, gigs, hangout, hong kong, live music, shoegaze, Songs For Children
Posted in Features