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Ashlyn Chak

From misogynistic young men and misbehaving teenagers to a heavy police presence and overseas performers mixing up Hong Kong with other East Asian cultures, Clockenflap 2024 caused quite a stir over the weekend, and not in a good way.
“Embarrassment” is the first word that comes to mind for this writer, who has nothing but conflicted love for the city.
Sure, it is not the first time people have complained about the antics of the crowd, but what took place during the city’s annual flagship music festival may have, I fear, cast Hong Kong – and some of the visiting musicians – in a bad light.
First came the emotional video – split into six Instagram stories – from Scottish hard house DJ Sim0ne, who said a group of seven or eight teenage boys made “really obscene hand gestures” at her during her set on Saturday evening.


The electronic musician and former model said the group were also holding up “super sexually explicit” messages on their phone screens and waving them at her, “which was not only distracting but was sexual harassment. And they were doing this [less than a metre from] the bouncers who [just ignored them and] did nothing.”
Instead, her tour manager alerted security by “physically going over and pointing these guys out” four times before the situation was taken seriously. Still, the young men were not removed from the crowd.
“If anything, it almost emboldened them,” the 31-year-old DJ said.
This kind of “frat boy” behaviour is undoubtedly disgusting and immature beyond measure, but we should consider how much insecurity there is behind these soon-to-be-men.

I have always believed that, in many cases, abusers and bullies enjoy provoking a reaction out of people and projecting a “strong” front because they crave a sense of power and control – something they lack in their everyday life.
The thing is, I have always secretly considered Hong Kong the most progressive region in East Asia, but all this begs the question: is this city as feminist as some of us thought it to be?
And what does letting these boys get away with their actions mean for Hong Kong, a city previously thought by many as a safe haven for women and girls?
Those boys were not the only people causing a ruckus on the festival grounds.


Several attendees have expressed dissatisfaction over the behaviour of younger festivalgoers in general, detailing their experiences on social media platform Threads.
In a post that had received over 550 likes as of 6pm on Monday, December 2, one user wrote that they “thought it was an [after-school] extracurricular activity”, citing their experience with “some 10, 20 people taking turns to insert themselves into the front row [claiming] ‘they all knew each other’, but once they’d got in, they only knew a song or two, didn’t dance and just chatted”.
Another post with more than 680 likes told a similar story with the strong opening statement that “the new generation will cut queues without remorse”, accompanied by a photo zeroing in on a teenage girl of East Asian descent.
Is it an issue of parental negligence? After all, many East Asian cultures (supposedly) put heavy emphasis on behaving well in public.

Under Clockenflap’s official post on Thread wrapping up the 2024 festival while promoting “blind bird” tickets for December 2025, the most liked comment questions the organiser’s handling of “thick-skinned teenagers” and “foreigners” who kept using the selfish excuse “my friends are over there” to ruin others’ festival experience.
I cannot help but wonder whether the social and political climate today is breeding a new batch of – even more – selfish and disrespectful children.
Meanwhile, others have questioned the heavy police presence at the festival. From what I witnessed on the first night, there seemed to be more uniformed police officers at Clockenflap this year than in past years. Other festivalgoers have also mentioned spotting plain-clothes police patrolling the grounds.
In the lingering aftermath of what happened in Hong Kong in 2019, can local youth truly relax under the watchful eyes of the boys in blue?

Not that the festival was devoid of political statements: Japanese band Turtle Island displayed the texts “ceasefire now” and “stop genocide” on the backdrop of their set in reference to the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, and uttered the phrases “freedom for Hong Kong” and “freedom for Hong Kong people”. I guess we shall see whether the Japanese nine-piece band are allowed to enter China, Macau or Hong Kong again.
Finally, the performance of American musician St Vincent – real name Anne Erin Clark – was also a hot topic online and in my personal circles after the eventful weekend.
It was reported and widely filmed that she attempted to crowd-surf, but the audience either did not carry her properly or there were audience members who tried to drag her into the pit. This did not seem to have fazed her, as she continued her set with positive energy.

Clark later enthusiastically told the Clockenflap crowd she once thought New York was the best city, “until about 48 hours ago when I got to Hong Kong, and I was like, ‘Y’all m*****f***ers know what’s up’! This is romantic, it’s chaotic, it’s dreamy, it’s dirty, it’s clean – and I love it.”
Wholesome, right? Proud, no? Sadly, she also said xie xie (Mandarin for “thank you”) instead of doh jeh (the phrase in Cantonese), which would have been more respectful since, according to government figures, Cantonese is spoken by 88.2 per cent of the population.
“Wrong language; lost respect. I think many in the crowd were unsure of how to answer,” says a friend who witnessed the debacle, citing cultural insensitivity (“a bit embarrassing for her, to be honest”) and a feeling that “the cheers were quieter than they had been earlier”.
Another recalls: “She said it at least twice. This was just lazy. Do your research. Caroline Polachek [another American singer who played at Clockenflap 2023] did the same thing last year.”

Funnily enough, Ryan Guldemond of Canadian indie rock band Mother Mother, on Friday night, shouted to a groaning crowd: “It’s our first time in Japan.” He quickly corrected himself and claimed he was just kidding.
But who actually found that funny?
I don’t blame artists for spontaneous lapses of judgment, but I do criticise some people’s lack of proper education and cultural awareness.
Does it get worse before it gets better? Or does it just get worse?


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Music

At Clockenflap 2024 Hong Kong festival, music but also misogyny, misbehaviour, misnaming

Porter Robinson performs on day one of Clockenflap 2024, at Central Harbourfront Event Space. Photo: SCMP

DJ Sim0ne (above) performs at Clockenflap 2024. She later complained on social media about the behaviour of a group of teenage boys at the front of the crowd. There were other complaints about crowd behaviour too. Photo: Instagram/@sim0ne

Scottish model turned musician Simone Murphy, better known as Sim0ne, complained of sexual harassment by some members of the audience during her performance at Clockenflap. Photo: SCMPost

DJ Sim0ne was disturbed by the behaviour of a group of teenage boys at the front of her Clockenflap set on Saturday, November 30. Photo: Instagram/@sim0ne

Clockenflap attendees on day one. Despite the misogynistic “frat-boy” behaviour of some teenage boys, and people cutting in to get to the front of the stage, most festivalgoers enjoyed themselves. Photo: SCMP

Audience members on day one of Clockenflap 2024, at Central Harbourfront Event Space. Photo: Nora Tam

Revellers on day two of Clockenflap 2024. Photo: Eugene Lee

St Vincent called Hong Kong the best city in the world, then used Mandarin Chinese to say “thank you”. The most commonly-used Chinese language in Hong Kong is Cantonese. Photo: Clockenflap

Japanese band Turtle Island displayed an anti-war message on the backdrop of its set on Saturday afternoon. Photo: Instagram/@clockenflap

St Vincent at Clockenflap. The US musician called Hong Kong the best city in the world over New York City but then mistakenly spoke Mandarin Chinese to the local audience. The most commonly-used Chinese language in Hong Kong is Cantonese. Photo: Clockenflap

Lead vocalist Ryan Guldemond of Canadian indie rock band Mother Mother “joked” to the Hong Kong crowd at the Central Harbourfront about mixing up Hong Kong and Japan. Photo: Clockenflap

St Vincent has always crafted her own identity – she reveals how her new album continues the process

St Vincent. Photo: David William Baum

St Vincent and Dua Lipa at the 2019 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Photo: CBS via Getty Images 

St Vincent at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in August. Photo: Blair Brown

St Vincent performs at Coachella in Indio, California, in 2018. Photo: Getty Images

St Vincent performs in Barcelona, Spain, in October. Photo: Getty Images

St Vincent in a shot with a similar composition to the album cover of Todos Nacen Gritando. Photo: Alex Da Corte

“Is it possible to exist in our times without being shoved into a category?” queries St Vincent in our interview. Photo: Alex Da Corte

St Vincent performs onstage with a guitar. Photo: Skyler Greene

The album cover of St Vincent (2014). Photo: St Vincent

The album cover of MassEducation (2018). Photo: St Vincent

The album cover of All Born Screaming (2024). Photo: St Vincent

Alt-rock veterans Suede still love Hong Kong – and hate Britpop

Brett Anderson and Mat Osman of Suede performing in 2023. Photo: Getty Images

Suede’s founding members Brett Anderson and Mat Osman, with guitarist Richard Oakes, long-time drummer Simon Gilbert, and keyboardist Neil Codling. Photo: Roger Sargent

Mat Osman of Suede playing at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, in 1999. Photo: SCMP Archive

The cover of Suede’s ninth studio album, Autofiction. Photo: courtesy of Suede

Vocalist Brett Anderson of Suede performing at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, in 1999. Photo: SCMP Archive

Suede in 2003. Photo: courtesy of Suede

British band Suede performs at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, in 1999. Photo: SCMP Archive

Hong Kong fans of Suede at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, in 2003. Photo: SCMP Archive

That time St Vincent played with Nirvana – and 4 other stand-out performances

St Vincent in a promotional shot for her new album, All Born Screaming. Photo: Alex Da Corte

Lifestyle

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Hong Kong Opinion

Festivalgoers and performers took to social media with allegations of sexual harassment and bad behaviour, and noted a heavy police presence


Festivalgoers and performers took to social media with allegations of sexual harassment and bad behaviour, and noted a heavy police presence.


Clockenflap Music Festival

Hong Kong gigs

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


At Clockenflap 2024 Hong Kong festival, music but also misogyny, misbehaviour, misnaming

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Festivalgoers and performers took to social media with allegations of sexual harassment and bad behaviour, and noted a heavy police presence

Festivalgoers and performers took to social media with allegations of sexual harassment and bad behaviour, and noted a heavy police presence