Clockenflap Festival review: rave, rap, rock and J-pop collide in stunning Hong Kong setting

Long before Rolling Stone UK steps onto the grounds of Clockenflap festival, the sheer fervour of East Asian fan culture is made clear. Upon our arrival at Hong Kong airport – after a 12-hour flight from London – 90s Brit-pop icons Suede are being mobbed by selfie-pleading fans who hand them armfuls of gifts and worship them like gods. While witnessing this firsthand conveys a level of adoration typically experienced by the likes of BTS, our driver tells us that there are very few festivals in the area, and that household music names don’t visit this part of the world that often. Therefore, Clockenflap’s annual return (which sees Suede’s front row fans once again cling on to frontman Brett Anderson) really is a cause for celebration and, suitably, many big names on this year’s line-up (including alt-pop group Glass Animals and rocker St Vincent) are here for their Hong Kong debut. 

They’re in for a treat. As far as festival locations go, the backdrop for this family-friendly winter weekender is on its own jaw-dropping scale. Towering, illuminated bank-owned high-rises flank the area around the Insta-ready Victoria Harbour – it’s a million miles away from muddy fields full of tents that you’d find in the UK.

Not only is the setting totally unique, but it’s a great indicator of what makes Clockenflap stand out so much. The genre-spanning line-up brings together global and local acts (many of which you won’t have found on your average 2024 festival poster) to perform for an audience of 30,000 per day across six stages that are located a short walk from one another; it takes around 10 minutes to walk the entire grounds. 

What follows is a weekend of sonic contrasts. Having dominated the festival circuit this summer and now in Hong Kong as part of their Asia tour, Fat Dog’s noisy barrage really gets the blood pumping. Inciting rowdy mosh-pits, t-shirts fly in the air as megaphone-wielding preacher-like vocalist Joe Love stands tall, his head-banging disciples kneeling down and jumping back up at his command – even his band mate drops down to do press ups at one point. Landing somewhere between Idles and Madness (with techno-leaning beats thrown in for good measure), the kids up on their parents shoulders seem to be loving it just as much as the adults. Despite it only being 5pm and sunny, it’s easily the rowdiest set of the weekend. With an emphatic spoken-word departure of “woof, woof, woof, good night”, the London band leave the stage – to the sound of Peter Andre’s ‘Mysterious Girl’, naturally. 

Tonally different but equally impressive is Jamie xx, whose love letter to UK rave culture is performed from beneath a glistening disco ball as strobes beam. Weaving between multiple British dance genres, the crowd erupts when the opening chimes of ‘Gosh’ drop, and the bass-heavy beats of ‘Treat Each Other Right’ truly rumble the chests of those on the ground. His club-primed show carries the weight of a Fredagain.. performance, just without the crowd-baiting moments. 

At the opposite end of the spectrum, a sea of TikTok-primed phones await Central Cee’s headline show (which is delayed following advice given to the predominantly young crowd to take a step back). They do, but the trap snares of ‘Retail Therapy’ and ‘Doja’ propel them forward. There’s also the electronic R&B/alt-pop soundscapes of Banks, who performs gothic hits from her decade-old second album ‘Goddess’ and closes with dramatic new single ‘I Hate Your Ex Girlfriend’. For diehard fans, it’s a career-spanning treat, but for casual listeners, while the staging itself is captivating, her minimalistic style falls a little flat on such a big stage. 

Back at the open-sided Electriq tent it’s a whole other, far more ravey spectacle, as legendary producer A-Trak spins bangers as neon strobes flash; unlike the main stage whose volume could at times have done with a dial up, the thumping bass is inignorable. Dropping Frost Children’s bass-gurgling bleepy edit of Charli XCX’s ‘Mean Girls’, he succeeds in bringing BRAT energy to Hong Kong. 

While the plethora of international bookings serves to put the festival on the global map, equal emphasis is placed on homegrown East Asian talent and, pleasingly, they receive just as much love. The city’s coolest kids lap up the frenetic energy of hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts, and indie-rock band The Black Skirts receive a heroes’ welcome. Local DJs DAN-NEO and KONNECTION take things in a darker and more experimental techno direction at the Robot stage, spinning tunes at the mouth of an inflatable creature with giant red spikes that resembles the shell of Bowser from Pokémon. Then there’s Taiwanese guitar band deca joins, intricate post-rockers toe and all-female J-pop group Sakurazaka46; the latter’s fun and energetic performance – packed with synchronised choreo – has everyone clapping along. 

Stylistically similar is Atlanta artist Porter Robinson, whose anime-fuelled indie-hyperpop and inventive stage design and visuals ensure there’s plenty to please the eyes as well as the ears. While his subject matters are sometimes somber, the guitar, drums and synth foundations make it impossible to not smile and bounce along. Fittingly, one girl in the enthusiastic audience records parts of the show – which includes a giant inflatable cat – on a Nintendo DS. The addition of thrashing riffs and lollipop-like sticks that light up when Robinson taps them with his drumstick throw things back to the mid-2010s EDM era; nostalgia, especially in this sensory overload setting, has never felt so thrilling. 

The biggest success of the weekend, though, has to be Jack White, of The White Stripes fame, who delivers a masterclass in good old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. With his leather jacket, sweaty hair, cinematic visuals and plugged-in guitar, he indulges in (perhaps one too many) extended solos. Nonetheless, there’s no denying the joy that world-renowned anthem ‘Seven Nation Army’ brings, closing the curtain on an unforgettable weekend, the riff feedback ringing loud as the audience chant its earworm chorus out the doors.

With an eclectic, world class line-up, eye-popping location and friendly audience, there’s no denying that Clockenflap is one of the most unique festivals on the planet.