13 of the best acts playing at this year’s Clockenflap festival

Hong Kong’s largest and longest-running music festival, Clockenflap , returns for its 14th edition, with an incredible line-up featuring A-list acts and rising stars. There’s no denying that watching your favourite acts perform beneath Hong Kong’s iconic skyline is an unmatched way to experience music, and this year’s lineup is looking like a strong contender for the best yet.

Whether you’re more dancing shoes or devil horns, Clockenflap has tonnes in store for all breeds of music lover, with massive acts from across Asia and the rest of the world jetting in to perform at the Central Harbourfront Event Space – not to mention the best of Hong Hong’s homegrown talent stepping onto the stages to do the city proud. Buckle up, tune in and explore some of the event’s most exciting artists.

Friday, 29 November

Air 

French music duo Air are known for their unique blend of electronic, ambient and pop embellished with lush melodies, vintage synthesisers and a trademark dreamy, cinematic atmosphere. Their influential 1998 breakthrough Moon Safari featured hits including La femme d'Argent and Sexy Boy, which earned them international acclaim. Expect an unmissable feast for the eyes and ears.

Creepy Nuts 

Their name alone has probably earned them a spot on your schedule already, but don’t skip Japanese hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts . Their rapid-fire delivery and frenetic, bass-hungry production make for a restless and joyous live experience. Bling-Bang-Bang-Born has racked up more than 500 million streams on Spotify for its energetic rap bars layered over an earworm swing piano sample.

Saturday, 30 November

Central Cee

His appearance at Dragon-i nightclub last year caused scenes of near-hysteria; now Central Cee returns as a bona fide festival headliner. The drill artist – and most streamed British rapper on Spotify – is known for his tongue-in-cheek humour, deft lyricism and sensitivity behind the usual hip-hop braggadocio, with hits like Doja and Let Go sending him stratospheric. 

Suede 

Suede have an impressive following in Hong Kong, and they mark their sixth appearance in the city with a gift: an extended 90-minute “special guest” performance. Formed in 1989, Suede hit fame with their eponymous 1993 debut before settling on their signature sounds with their sophomore record, 1994’s cult classic Dog Man Star. Seven albums later and they’re still selling out stadiums worldwide.

St. Vincent 

Continually cited as one of the world’s greatest guitarists, Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent , has distilled her live show down to a laser-focused avant-garde art. Her seventh studio album All Born Screaming represents a rebirth for the New York auteur, who strips away exaggerated personas for something much rawer.

Sakurazaka46 

The last few editions of Clockenflap have shown Japanese pop acts to be some of the most powerful draws. In addition to their ever-shifting lineup, Japanese idol group Sakurazaka46 are known for their high-energy, empowering musical style, vibrant performances and dazzling visuals. Prepare for a true spectacle of stagecraft.

Mui Zyu 

Clockenflap represents a homecoming of sorts for Mui Zyu , aka Eva Liu. Notions of identity and rootedness are prominent in the ethereal, Cantonese-laced electronica produced by the Belfast-born singer, whose parents were originally from Hong Kong. Fresh from a spell supporting folk enchantress Bat for Lashes, she makes her debut in the city that has inspired much of her music.

Sunday, 1 December

Jack White

Everything Jack White touches turns to gold. You’ll know him best for his stadium-uniting Seven Nation Army, the timeless blues-rock stomper he recorded with former group The White Stripes. The prolific Detroiter’s solo work spotlights his penchant for vintage recording techniques and haunting southern gothic themes, more often than not shot through with screeching guitar, making for an electric live show.

Jamie xx 

He’s visited the city several times with his minimalist indie band The xx, but this edition of Clockenflap marks Jamie xx ’s Hong Kong debut as a solo performer. The London-based dance music figurehead is riding high on the success of In Waves, his third album (and first in nine years). Its predecessor In Colour was an instant classic, with tracks like Gosh and Loud Places still go-to samples for clubs globally.

Toe 

The post- and math-rock genres have a strong foothold in Asia, and Japanese veterans Toe have led the charge with their intricate and atmospheric tracks that play with dynamics to tell stories. This year, their fourth studio album Now I See the Light finds a space between meditative repetition and explosive energy and gradually introduces more vocals into their formerly instrumental approach.

Ibrahim Maalouf

Riotous, big-band jazz is made for sun-soaked festivals. After last year’s barnstorming set by Ezra Collective, the bar is set for Ibrahim Maalouf . French Lebanese trumpeter Maalouf lands in Hong Kong as he barrels through a sell-out tour of his 18th album, the Trumpets of Michel-Ange, which celebrates his Lebanese ancestry.

Violette Wautier 

Rising pop star Violette Wautier will get you dancing on the Sunday with her collection of catchy, slickly produced tunes that recall the likes of Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter. The Thai Belgian singer and actress got her start on The Voice Thailand, which she spun into a string of hits, including Smoke and Envy.

An ID Signal 

If the scenes greeting Hong Kong rockers NYPD’s sets at both of last year’s Clockenflap festivals are anything to go by, performances by the city’s own bands can become some of the highlights of the weekend. Hong Kong’s own An Id Signal blend pop-punk and post-hardcore – dare we say emo? – into a blustery rush of guitars and shouted lyrics.