Hong Kong indie band My Little Airport's five sold-out gigs at Kitec show they've struck a chord
Twee-pop duo's bittersweet pop musings have become anthems for a disaffected generation
One of the cruellest things local indie pop darlings My Little Airport have done to their followers was to name their upcoming concert series "Why Don't We Stay the Night?"
Because as much as fans of the popular duo - made up of guitarist Lam Pang (better known as Ah P) and singer Nicole Au Kin-ying - would like to wallow in the warm embrace of their gentle melodies all night, the reality is that after the shows, they will have to return to the problems of Hong Kong society that the duo have touched on over the years in their irony-laced vignettes.
However, this bittersweet sentiment has not deterred fans seeking some fleeting emotional relief. With little fanfare or promotion, tickets for their five upcoming performances at Kitec in Kowloon Bay quickly sold out, leaving many fans mourning in their tiny flats.
But if Au is excited about the response to ticket sales, she is not showing it, although she does have some harsh words for the scalpers who are reselling them at a 60 per cent mark-up. "I'm actually very anxious about it since we've never done five shows in a row before. I'm not sure if I can handle that physically. But if that's what is coming at us, I'll give it a try to test myself," says Au.
Such is the can-do spirit of one the city's most influential indie bands, who have been the local standard bearers of the twee-pop sound popularised by acts such as Belle & Sebastian. The duo met at Shue Yan College as journalism students in 2001, and became inseparable music partners after a singing contest. "I've been making music all my life. I don't know what else I could do," Lam says. "And although I can't sing, I found Nicole."
