ALVVAYS in Hong Kong (at This Town Needs in Yau Tong)

The stamp-wielder guy seems to have gone easier on our heroine than on yours truly.

I bought the tickets months ago and promptly forgot about it until I flipped to this week’s page in my tried-and-true dead-tree calendar/planner. Thus it transpired that S. and I went to see ALVVAYS play at This Town Needs (the reincarnation of Hidden Agenda) out in Yau Tong (a gritty-by-HongKong-standards industrial area sort of but not really in-between Kwun Tong and Tsueng Kwan O) tonight.

Much smoke-machining. Much blinky lights.

We both enjoyed the show, with one caveat. If you’re not familiar with ALVVAYS, some say they sound a bit like Best Coast or Camera Obscura. The performance was nice and loud but the sound quality did not seem to be great. Part of it may be the band’s style (a bit reverb-y and distorted-y) but that can’t account for the entirety of the karaoke-in-fiberglass-shower-stall effect we experienced.

S. and I came late enough that we got to skip most of the opening band’s set and left before ALVVAYS had finished. The two of us were slightly footsore from standing pretty much still on a cement floor for an hour-plus. Maybe it would’ve helped if we’d indulged in pogo-jumping or Woodstock-1969-style can-you-dig-it swaying like a fair number of the other attendees. Maybe I’ll source mini anti-fatigue mats between now and the next time we visit This Town Needs. Who knows.

There was also the feeling that our odds of easily getting a taxi ride home might be better if we didn’t wait until the end of the show. My favorite ALVVAYS track is Archie, Marry Me (link to official vid), from their eponymous debut album, and they started playing it just as we were striding towards the elevator that leads from the venue to street level. C’est la vie.

Live music in small doses is neat-o. Hopefully, more good overseas acts will have layovers in Hong Kong and squeeze in performances here.