Lucid Express Share Hong Kong's Shoegaze Scene and New Album
Get lost in the never-ending synthy waves of Lucid Express, the 5-piece shoegaze band from Hong Kong. Their airy sound takes the listener on a journey through the band's colour-soaked world, weaving in traces of their personal values and activism.
The group formed as teens in the winter of 2014 in the turbulent weeks just prior to the Umbrella Movement, the latest in a series of tense pro-democracy protests against increasingly brutal state suppression in their home region. Kim explains that "At that time, it felt like we have a need to hold on to something more beautiful than before. Like close friendships, the band, our creation."
I caught up with the band via email to talk about their music scene, creative influences, and more.
Malaika Astorga for Also Cool: Hi! It's very nice to e-meet you all. I want to start with how you all met and how the band came together?
Samuel (bass) for Lucid Express: Wai and I are brothers, and we first met Andy on the Internet. Andy then met Kim and Sky in their vocational training school.
Also Cool: You've spoken a bit about the music scene in HK and have mentioned that it was only in Taiwan where you started to find shoegaze, dream pop, and new wave music. What kind of music do bands typically play in HK? What are the venues like there?
Sky (guitar): There are actually quite a lot of different genres of bands in Hong Kong! The more you explore the scene, the more you will discover. From classic rock' n roll, core, metal, hip hop and alternative, to blues, jazz, post-punk, math, electronic, noise and experimental, and more. There are venues like cozy bars, independent live venues, cool hidden venues and standard large live spaces. Some of them aren't functional anymore, but some new venues are starting up as well.
AC: You've spoken about the difficulties of making it as a band in HK due to rent prices, the cost of putting on shows, and the land issues. How have these challenges affected you as a band? What are the benefits of being in HK versus elsewhere?
Kim (vocals/synth): For me, I think being in a band is always challenging regardless of where you are in the world. Hong Kong is a very capitalist city, which makes it harder to do. Everything is tied to money… and we don't have a garage to be our practice place.
AC: You've toured quite a bit as a band now. I'm interested to hear what the music scenes are like in Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan. Do you have a favourite show that you've played?
Andy (guitar): Every live audience was always very enthusiastic, and the performance scene was always very professional. One of our most memorable performances was an outdoor music festival in Thailand. It was pouring rain before the performance, so we had to move to the garage, which was a strange but memorable atmospheric experience.
AC: Aside from the shoegaze and new wave classics, who are some of your musical inspirations right now? Any local bands or friends you want to shout out?
Andy: Yo La Tengo because they're always experimenting with new sounds. I also like the band Fantastic Day in Hong Kong.
Sky: Beach House, they always make simple and beautiful melodies.
AC: What can we expect from your upcoming album?
Wai (drums): It's been seven years since we released our first EP, which is a long time! Some songs from this new album were created in early 2015. It's sort of like a journey of us as a band, documenting how we evolved.
AC: What are you looking forward to in 2021? Will we be able to see you live any time soon? We'd love to have you play in Montreal!
Wai: YES!! We hope to see all of you guys after the pandemic is over. Miss the live gigs, the people, see you soon!
AC: Finally, are there any local causes going on in Hong Kong that you would like to highlight right now?
Kim: We would like the world to see more on what's going on in Hong Kong politically. Many of us out here are being silenced, and freedom is slowly slipping away. We think that the oppressed around the world should stand together. We need solidarity.
Lucid Express
Malaika Astorga is the co-founder of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media strategist currently based in Montreal.