Since April, performance venues have reopened and the live music-starved public is finally able to attend concerts and music festivals. Yet live performances in restaurants and bars are still banned due to Covid-19 curbs, affecting many musicians and bars whose major income stream comes from regular live music performances. A lot of struggling musicians are desperate to return to work, while some have given up on Hong Kong and moved out of the city. But with the relaxation of quarantine rules for arrivals in the city, there could be some light at the end of the tunnel. Some of the live music industry stalwarts are hopeful and not giving up.
Music always ebbs and flows, and there's always going to be somebody wanting to play music and listen to music
"I think, probably since 2020, music was no longer front of mind for quite a lot of people. People were looking for other jobs and have left because of lack of work, or they don't like the way things are anymore," says Keith Goodman, who runs Hong Kong’s live music institution, The Wanch, together with fellow musician John Prymmer. "But music always ebbs and flows, and there's always going to be somebody wanting to play music and listen to music," he adds.
After operating for 33 years, The Wanch closed its doors at 54 Jaffe Road in August 2020 and was shut for almost two years before finally emerging at its new address in May – just a few steps away from the old location. Its closure left a huge dent in the Hong Kong music scene, but its reopening is a promising sign for the industry.
Established in 1987, The Wanch had evolved through the years and has seen various owners before New Talent Limited Group, made up of John Prymmer, Bridget Toon, Keith Goodman, and Steve Turner (who left the group in 2015), took over operations and changed the format to improved its reputation from an 'older Western guys bar' to one of the institutions in Hong Kong's live music scene. From up-and-coming bands to renowned local and international artists, a lot of talented musicians, including Chris Barron, lead singer of American alternative rock band Spin Doctors and Hong Kong's Riz Farooqi with his bands King Ly Chee and Dagger, have performed in the three decades old location.
It's almost a duty to make sure that Hong Kong has to have a place like The Wanch
"When John said we will be back, we meant it," shares Goodman. "To some extent, it's almost a duty to make sure that Hong Kong has to have a place like The Wanch, and you know, someone has to make sure it's there. In a sense, it felt like we had a responsibility to the music community," he enthuses. Even with their two year hiatus, they kept their presence online and entertained patrons on Facebook and Youtube with engaging live video discussions and interviews with guest bands from various parts of the world where people could interact and ask questions.
Often likened to New York's CBGB, The Wanch's new location has a bigger space – showcasing numerous memorabilia from the old location – a better stage for musicians and new and improved food and drink offerings. They're just waiting for the lifting of the live performance ban to rock Hong Kong again.
"We used to get a lot of visiting bands who were touring around the region, and when they wanted to play in Hong Kong, we'd be the first venue that comes up when they look for places to play live music," shares Goodman. "We don't want that to change just because we've got a bigger place and we now offer food. With or without the bands – which might be on later – we'd like people to come to have dinner or just for the nice atmosphere," he adds.
According to Goodman, fixing the menu for drinks and dishes alone was a five-month project. In comparison to the first venue, where nibbles and drinks would only consist of nuts and a few boozy options, you can expect items like stone-baked gourmet pizzas, burgers, and an expanded drinks menu offering wine, beers, and cocktails.
"We've been tasting food and knocking back stuff. We tasted 75 wines over about two months. I'd be pretty sensitive about any criticism of the wine because we've really gone into the bottles," he exclaims. Aside from wines, the bar is serving beers from eight taps, including beers crafted especially for them by the Yardley Brothers – Live Session Ale and For Those About to Hop.
Since they started operation in May, though without the presence of live bands, The Wanch has reopened as a restaurant and creatively added music elements to its programme. The bar showcases engaging music quiz nights, plays music videos on projector screens to entertain guests, and livestreams band performances such as the recently held Concert for Ukraine in June, where many Hong Kong artists performed. They also hosted the Wanchai Record Fair, which brought vinyl lovers together to sell and trade old and new vinyl records. On August 20, patrons can come by for drinks to catch the live stream of band performances from Sunset Studios, which will include John Prymmer's band Don't Panic, Crazy Lemon, and Rubicube. There will be a webcam set up at The Wanch so the bands can interact and see guests from the other side of the screen.
"When we were planning the new venue, we wanted to make sure that when we did reopen, we could make ourselves a little bit more Covid-19 proof," explains John Prymmer. "The big problem with the old Wanch was it was so small, and with the social distancing rules in place, only six people were our maximum. The new space is huge, plus we had something else to offer," he adds.
Our primary mission is to be the place for musicians and music lovers to be able to congregate
While people wait for live performances to restart, music lovers can still come by The Wanch to enjoy tunes and meet like-minded folk. "Our primary mission is to be the place for musicians and music lovers to be able to congregate," says Goodman. "Not even necessarily bring a bunch of crowds down. We want people to walk in there on their own and know that they have kindred spirits there. They can chat with somebody about a band and end up with a new friend," he adds.
"When live music comes back, I'm interested to see when new bands are formed, and what's been hiding away in the studio for the last year and a half and who is creating something amazing," enthuses Goodman. "We welcome bands that may have formed since the last time anyone could play live. If they're looking for somewhere to start their journey, we'd like to hear from them, and for those bands that have always used to play in The Wanch, we definitely want to have them back," he adds.
"We want The Wanch's legacy to be the venue that kept live music alive, through pandemic and everything else. The fact that we lived up to our word and we're back and bigger, we're just gonna keep rocking Hong Kong to its core," shares Prymmer.
The Wanch is located at 1/F, Henan Building, 90 Jaffe Road, Wan Chai. Follow The Wanch's Facebook page to keep up to date with their latest programme.
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