Asia News: Tokyo Club Closing, IAAPA Expo Not Happening, Clockenflap Organizers Producing 'Long Time No See'

Stefan Irvine / LightRocket via Getty Images – Clockenflap
The Chemical Brothers during Clockenflap in Hong King in 2016

Clockenflap Organizers Producing ‘Long Time No See’

In order to reignite the live music scene in Hong Kong, Magnetic Asia, the company behind the city’s biggest international music festival, Clockenflap, is planning a large-scale one-day festival of a dozen or so homegrown pop stars on September 18 called “Long Time No See.” The concert will take place at MacPherson Stadium in the Mong Kok district. Tickets will go for about $62, with all proceeds being split with the artists.

Justin Sweeting, the head of music at Magnetic Asia, told the South China Morning Post, “The live music industry has just been devastated, for obvious reasons. Not only has it been completely crushed, but the nature of it means that it’s going to be one of the last to recover. We’re splitting the profits with the artists because it’s the right thing to do.”

The focus on local artists is not just by necessity. Magnetic music director Ivy Yuen told the newspaper, “We’ve always had the idea of a local showcase, but didn’t have the time to put it in place. The pandemic has given us more time to think about who and how.” As Sweeting points out, many live music aficionados in Hong Kong may not have heard of many of the artists on the bill, so it’s an opportunity for everyone. “Something amazing is happening in the local scene,” he says, “with a new generation of talent coming through, with a more sustainable fan base. We want to play a part in encouraging that.” In line with that thinking, many of the artists are associated with underground hip-hop, which has been growing for a number of years. For most of the artists, the concert will be the largest showcase they’ve ever had.

The show will still be subject to COVID restrictions. There will be a ban on eating and drinking, and some social distancing. The venue will limit attendees to 85 percent of capacity, or about 12,000 people. In the past, MacPherson Stadium has hosted concerts by major foreign artists such as Lewis Capaldi, Tame Impala and Bon Iver.

Popular Tokyo Club Closing

Usen Studio Coast, one of Tokyo’s most popular music venues and event spaces, has announced that it will close early next year. An explanation that appeared on the venue’s web site said that the operators of the venue, Mother Entertainment, had been negotiating with the owners of the property, which is located on landfill in Tokyo Bay, but in the end the lease was not renewed. The final day of business will be January 30.

Studio Coast opened for business in 2002, and was mainly known as a mid-size standing venue for music concerts in the day and evening. During the wee hours it was often the site of all-night dance parties run by Ageha Productions. The “ageHa” club events were famous worldwide. The venue hosted more than 5,000 events during its 20-year run and attracted more than 7 million visitors. Ageha said it will continue with its club events at a revolving set of venues in the future. Since January, Usen, a streaming company, had signed a contract for the naming rights to the venue.

Chinese Event Cancel Due To COVID

As infections of the Delta variant started spiking in China in July, music concerts and festivals have been cancelled across the country, according to website Radii China. Many festivals had been planned earlier in the year by promoters who were confident that the worst part of the pandemic had faded in China, but apparently they acted too soon.

According to a web search by the Qianjiang Evening News, more than 50 performances had been cancelled or postponed as of the beginning of August, including the Happy Taihang Valley Music Festival in Changzhi set for August 6-7, featuring numerous Chinese rock acts. According to various social media posts, the festival was postponed by the government, though no new date was set. Also the 2021 Yinchuan Lebao Open Mania Music Festival, another event featuring Chinese rock acts, was postponed. It was set to take place August 7-8 in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region in northwest China.

Among the other postponed events in August are the Ningbo Orange Music Festival, the Nanjing Grand Music Festival, the Shijiazhuang Starlight Music Festival, the Hangzhou Citrus Music Festival and the Fuzhou Strawberry Music Festival. The Chongli Midi Music Festival was cancelled outright.

IAAPA Expo Canceled

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, which represents more than 6,000 amusement industry businesses in over 100 countries, has cancelled the IAAPA Expo Asia 2021, which was slated to take place in Shanghai in August. As a result, all related in-person tours and events have also been cancelled. Exhibitors have been told to contact the IAAPA sales team about transferring exhibit fees forward to any IAPPA Expo taking place in Asia, Europe or Orlando, Florida, over the next several years. Those who have purchased tickets will receive refunds.

The IAAPA Expo Asia was originally scheduled to take place in Macau in June 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID pandemic and rescheduled for June 2021. However, earlier this year, the Expo was rescheduled again to August and moved to Shanghai, since China had seemed to be past the worst of the pandemic. However, in recent weeks the Delta variant has gained a toehold in China, thus the cancellation.