THE BEAT OF THE CITY城市的節拍

Homegrown indie queens GDJYB champion local sounds and concerns. By TIM PRITCHARD土產獨立女子樂隊雞蛋蒸肉餅以本地的聲音唱出對我城的關注。撰文： Tim Pritchard

TO DESCRIBE THE

four-piece Hong Kong band GDJYB as local is not just accurate, it’s the very essence of what they represent.

The band have established a distinct sound – far away from the city’s massappeal Cantopop acts (see page 22 for more on that) – and an identity tied to what it means to be a young Hongkonger today.

This month, GDJYB return to the city’s biggest stage, the Clockenflap music festival, and their self-titled debut EP from 2014 is the perfect way to get acquainted with their Hong Kong-tinged ‘math-folk’ (find out more on page 42).

GDJYB’s music, much like their hometown, is a tangle of melodies, incorporating complex guitar lines and energetic performances. The instrumental opener Intro showcases the band’s fresh, catchy sound, switching between slow and dreamy to energetic, frenetic guitar picking and drumming – a reflection of the city’s own stop-start energy.

On songs like Double Nono, lead guitarist Soni Cheng, bassist Wing Chan and drummer Heihei Ng create a tapestry of overlapping melodies over which singer and guitarist Soft Liu addresses the anxiety many Hongkongers feel about the city’s future. Her lyrics are sung in a style dubbed ‘Honglish’, which switches between English and Cantonese. Many of Liu’s lyrics have political overtones, with songs like Philip the Buster and

Where It Goes tapping into the ongoing questions of the city’s shifting identity.

But you don’t need to be a local to appreciate the inventive songwriting on songs like Where It Goes, with its groovy basslines and spiky guitars that will strike a chord with fans of intelligent guitar music.

Since their last Clockenflap appearance in 2016, the all-female math-rockers have played festivals around the world, including Taiwan, Tokyo and San Francisco. Their return to Clockenflap is a boost for Hong Kong’s homegrown festival and one of its most promising bands. You can also listen to a special Clockenflap playlist onboard, featuring songs by GDJYB as well as various artists playing this year’s festival. Clockenflap is held over 9-11 November at the Central Harbourfront

由四位成員組成的香港樂隊雞蛋蒸肉餅不但是本地樂隊，她們簡直就是本土精神的體現。

樂隊發展出自家的獨特音樂風格，與城中主流的粵語流行曲（參看第22頁的相關內容）截然不同，歌曲內容緊扣今時今日香港年輕人的心聲。

本月雞蛋蒸肉餅再度回歸城中最大型音樂盛事 Clockenflap 音樂節的舞台，若想在看樂隊演出之前，認識她們的音樂風格，不妨聆聽於2014 年首次推出、與樂隊同名的細碟《GDJYB 雞蛋蒸肉餅》，體驗散發港式風味的「數學民謠」曲風（參看42頁的相關內容）。

雞蛋蒸肉餅的音樂風格，是以糾結的旋律配合複雜的結他彈奏，加上活力十足的演出，就跟她們的家鄉一樣。唱片內第一首樂曲是以樂器演奏的〈Intro〉，在舒緩及如夢似幻的音樂與狂熱有力的結他彈奏及鼓聲之間游移，向人展示出樂隊清新而惹人注目的曲風，反映香港獨有的爆發力。

主音結他手Soni Cheng、低音結他手Wing Chan及鼓手 Heihei Ng在其他歌曲如〈Double Nono〉中以不同的旋律交織重疊，再由主音歌手及結他手Soft Liu 唱出香港人對未來焦慮不安的心聲。Liu 的歌詞英、粵夾雜，是所謂的港式英語，其中含對政治的影射，例如〈Philip the Buster〉與〈Where It Goes〉等歌曲更探討這個城市 不斷改變的身份以及在世界上的位置。

不過，即使你並非本地人，亦能欣賞樂隊在作曲方面的創意。例如〈Where It Goes〉曲中巧妙的低音結他部分及突出的結他旋律，顯出精雕細琢的心思，可見在作曲上下過一番功夫，定能獲得對結他音樂有要求的樂迷認同。

這隊全女班數學搖滾樂隊曾於2016 年的 Clockenflap音樂節亮相，其後亦曾在全球各地的音樂節表演，括台灣、東京及三藩市等。作為本地樂隊中的後起之秀，雞蛋蒸肉餅重臨香港土產的大型音樂節內演出，無異是對本地樂壇一種極大的鼓舞。你也可以在機上聆聽特備的 Clockenflap音樂節播放歌單，裡面除了雞蛋蒸肉餅之外，還有其他參與今年音樂節的音樂人的作品供你欣賞。Clockenflap音樂節於11月9至11日在中環海濱活動空間舉行