Dear Jane

Local superstars Dear Jane have become so beloved that their original one-off show at Star Hall has expanded, by popular demand, into a weekend of pure Canto pop-rock lovin’.

Tim Wong, Jackal Ng, Nice Lai and Howie Yung formed Dear Jane in 2003. With separate upbringings in Canada, the US and Singapore, the band members grew up with different influences from around the world. Their 2009 number one single, Don’t Say Anything, was one of the first non-Cantopop songs to dominate the Hong Kong charts.

The songs, structurally pop, are very much rock instrumentally. Since their inception a slew of romances and breakups – both with girls and record labels – has fuelled their heartfelt ballads. Originally signed to See Music Ltd, the group went through the first discomfiting label split in 2008, before signing to Music Nation Ltd, putting them in the prestigious company of Aaron Kwok. Now with Warner Music, Dear Jane has dropped the first hint at a new album, the first since 2009’s XOXO, with single Lost, released in June, leading the charge.

Although it’s their balladry that has stolen the heart of Hong Kong, it’s the band’s heavier material that makes their live shows well worth checking out, even for scepts of the Hong Kong mainstream. While there might be a crowd of teary-eyed young girls at the front, gazing up at Wong, there’s a strong chance they’ll eventually get replaced by a diehard moshpit come the more fiery numbers. You can depend on Dear Jane for an honest and skilled performance. Jules O’Brien