2025 may well be the year of the snake in the Chinese zodiac [known as Sheng Xiao or Shu Xiang which features 12 animal signs], but last night in a top London music venue it was very much the night of the dragon. And oh, what a night…
Hong Kong invaded London’s Indigo at The O2 when four of Hong Kong’s top rock bands tore the roof off in front of close to the 2,800 capacity, in the superb venue within the 02 arena dome.
Promoters Wah Tung Music and Touch Music Live along with Hong Kong star singer and movie actress Josie Ho assembled “the crème de la creme of Hong Kong’s rock bands” to join her for a one-night-only show, as part of her commitment to promoting the music culture of Hong Kong overseas.
24Herbs, Paul Wong, LMF [aka Lazy Mutha F*cka] and Josie & The Uni Boys gave their all for this one-night only, almost four hour spectacular, for which fans paid an eye-watering £90 for a ticket. But no one was counting the cost at the end of this incendiary night and it was great value for money.
Galvanized by the prospect of performing live in London, LMF’s DJ Tin (Leung Wai Ting) was inspired to conceive the name of the event, “Dragon Rock”, and designed its dragon-inspired logo. According to Tin, Dragon Rock symbolises the spirit of Hong Kong as a “dragon crossing the sea,” referencing Bruce Lee’s legendary “Way of the Dragon” philosophy.
In total the four acts delivered 35 songs; 24Herbs on first with a slick 30 minute six-song set from 7.30pm.
Paul Wong and his band get 40 minutes for their eight songs, and his arrival prompted loud screams from the women in the crowd and throughout his set.
Next up, Josie & The Uni Boys arrive for a triumphant 65 minute set of 13 songs. LMF on as final act of the night just before 10pm for a 50 minute eight-song set.
Josie duets with Paul Wong’s last song in his set, 24Herbs guest in Josie’s set on song five: “Chilling and Blazin”, and LMF guest on Josie’s penultimate song of her 13-song set.
Paul Wong joins LMF for song # six of their set, and again on their last of eight songs, along with Josie Ho. All of the acts are on stage for the final song, an emotional tribute to a deceased friend who died of cancer, a ballad penned by him. Tears were shed, especially by Josie.
Josie and her excellent band covered Blondie’s “Call Me”, and they gave a great rendition of Josie’s hit song “Johnny Depp”, which many of the crowd knew the words to. After the song, she spoke about being a massive fan of the actor and respecting his career path.
She had her song translated and sent to Johnny in the hope he “wouldn’t sue” her! He replied simply: “Good band.” Later in the set, she brought out her friend Iman, an actor, and they duetted on the Nat King Cole ballad, “Love”.
Hong Kong-born Josie Ho is an actor, producer, singer [with seven albums] and fashion designer who has been in more than 50 films since her debut in 1994. She has starred in blockbuster movies in Hollywood such as Steven Soderbergh’s “Contagion”, with other leading and award-winning roles across many Chinese and Hong Kong-based films.
Josie is one of the only Hong Kong-based artists working on the international stage, such as Roger Avary’s (Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs) “Lucky Day.” She co-produced and starred alongside Jonathan Rhys Myers in “Edge of the World” in 2021.
Josie’s passion for music and the history of rock and roll spurred her on to curate a collection of Pattie Boyd’s photography from the 1960s, 1970s and the ’80s which showcases her never-seen-before photos of The Beatles and Eric Clapton, and gives the audience an insight into the ‘British Swinging London.’ Pattie Boyd has taken several photographs of Josie – included in the exhibition.
Josie’s passion for music and documentary-making lead her to create “Finding Bliss: Fire and Ice,” a documentary filmed in Iceland, and screened at international film festivals to great acclaim. Josie founded Mata Hari in 2007, a bespoke accessories line as seen on ‘A-List’ celebrities such as Beyonce.
While many Hong Kong pop artists have performed in the UK in recent years, rock music has remained notably absent. Until tonight! Josie Ho leads the ultimate Hong Kong rock invasion with this unprecedented collaboration to showcase the raw power of Hong Kong rock music.
Josie Ho has an “unwavering commitment to promoting local music culture overseas.” Reaching out to Josie, the promoters proposed a UK performance and not only did Josie enthusiastically accept, but she also suggested bringing along some of Hong Kong’s most iconic rock bands. The participating artists were equally thrilled about the opportunity.
The Indigo at The O2 in London was the prefect venue for this event. All standing downstairs and seated on the balconies. It created an intimate atmosphere despite there being almost 3,000 fans in attendance.
The very first time these four acts have performed in the UK – Josie singing her set in English and Cantonese, while the other three acts performed solely in Chinese. Even when the songs were in Chinese, for me and other English folk in the audience, it was still a thrilling event to be at.
I say this to all four bands and the organisers:
“gǎnxiè nǐmen dùguò le yígè měihǎode yèwǎn” or “感谢你们度过了一个美好的夜晚”. [Google translate it if you need to!]
Live photos by Liam Battersby
Words by Steve Best
