5 days ago
Hong Kong parody musician Sunny Lam axes concert after ‘careful consideration'
Hong Kong parody singer-songwriter Sunny Lam, known for his satires on current affairs, has called off an upcoming concert after 'careful consideration.'
Lam, who has 151,000 followers on Facebook and 122,000 followers on Instagram, announced on Friday that his two-day show – translated into English as 'Sunny Lam Birthday Concert in Hong Kong' – would be cancelled.
In a post shared on his social media accounts, Lam said the decision to axe the concert, scheduled for Sunday and Monday, was made 'after careful consideration.'
Those who purchased tickets would be contacted within seven working days for a refund, the musician added.
'We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment this cancellation may cause and kindly ask for your understanding,' his post read. 'Thank you for your understanding and support. We will continue to work hard and look forward to seeing you again in the near future.'
The concert was set to take place at Lau Bak Freespace Livehouse inside the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD). Lam originally planned to host one show on Sunday only but added a second show after tickets sold out within a day in early May.
Some netizens said the cancellation was 'expected,' while others urged Lam and his team to consider moving the concert online instead.
According to Lam's YouTube channel, the musician began sharing songs he wrote on the video-sharing platform in November 2009. Many of his works are parody songs about political and social events in Hong Kong.
His most popular hit, with 1.3 million views, was a song published in August 2022 about lawmaker Eunice Yung and her father-in-law Elmer Yuen, who has a HK$1 million bounty on his head for alleged national security offences.
The song, based on the 1991 Cantonese hit 'Queen's Rd. East,' depicts the conflicts between Yung, a pro-establishment politician, and self-exiled activist Yuen, who stands accused of colluding with foreign forces and committing subversion by requesting sanctions on Hong Kong government officials and judicial officers.
Yuen, who left Hong Kong in June 2020 before the national security law was enacted, was also said to have launched a 'referendum' to form 'The Hong Kong Parliament,' which Hong Kong authorities say aims to achieve self-determination and subvert state power.
In recent months, Lam has also written songs about the US tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, the controversial ports deal by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing's conglomerate CK Hutchison, and Kai Tak Arena's decision in March to kick dozens of snooker fans out of the facility before a match at the World Grand Prix concluded.
Past cancellations
Musicians in Hong Kong have encountered venue cancellations for their shows. In December, Cantopop singer Pong Nan, known for his support for the 2019 extradition bill protests, announced he would scrap his concert due to a venue cancellation by the WKCD.
The WKCD told HKFP at the time that it had no comment on the hiring arrangements for any individual events.
In May last year, activist-singer Denise Ho announced that she would move her performance online after being unable to secure a live venue. Police showed up during the online gig.
The singer, who was arrested in 2021 in connection with the Stand News sedition case, said it was very difficult for her to do a 'normal show' in an 'abnormal place.'
