Indie Folk Scene in Hong Kong

{Noughts and Exes live at the Full Cup Café}

I was invited by a friend of my fiancé's (who is now also my friend) this past weekend to check out an indie folk band, Noughts and Exes, that she once interviewed and is now friends with. Arriving in Mong Kok on a Sunday, which was sure to be busy, we made our way through the streets and found ourselves in an alleyway off of Portland Street, at Dundas (definitely made me think of Toronto), and entered into a cozy little café a couple of floors up from the ground floor. Since the show did not begin until 3:00, and the band was still conducting their sound check, we decided to have a bite to eat in the café area which was one floor above where the band would be playing. The decorations in the café were a mix of Christmas (the ornaments and baubles on the ceiling seemed to be a permanent installation) and of Halloween (which seemed to only be temporary). Although we enjoyed our meals (my friend ordered their shrimp and mango salad, while I had the smoked duck breast pizza - both delicious), we unfortunately missed the call for audience members to come and find a seat in the venue, so we ended up staying where we were to watch the band from a TV feed.

{Joshua, the lead singer and guitarist of Noughts and Exes}

Not knowing what kind of music I would be hearing beforehand (my friend didn't really say what genre of music the band plays), I was pleasantly surprised to hear their first song and realise that they are an indie folk band. The songs they were playing were filled with interesting instruments such as the glockenspiel (and sometimes the violin as my friend informed me) which was interspersed with the beautiful vocals of Josh, the lead singer, and Alix, whose voice complemented Josh's very well.

I could barely tear my eyes away from the screen, nor my ears from the music as the band's songs and dynamic performance really drew me in, and made me an instant fan. Immediately after their final song, my friend and I headed down where I was introduced to Gideon, originally from Hamilton, Ontario, master of the keyboards, melodica and glockenspiel. Genuinely enjoying the show, I came away from the Full Cup Café not only with Noughts and Exes' latest EP (The Start of Us), but also with a deep appreciation for their wonderful music and the indie folk music scene.

{The backdrop for the many bands that play at the café} 

{Alex, the drummer who was also celebrating his birthday that day}

{Meeting Gideon (who mans the keyboards, melodica and glockenspiel) and taking a picture with him}