David Rovics in concert in Hong Kong

On 28 January Socialist Action organized David Rovics’ first ever gig in Hong Kong at The Fringe Club

By J M Roy, chinaworker.info

David Rovics is difficult to categorise. While other protest singers are more famous, none can match him for the sheer honesty and directness of his lyrics. Rovics does not go in for vague calls for peace. He does not shy away from naming the evils of the world or saying what needs to be done to stop them.  Whether he is reciting poetry about armed resistance to the Israeli occupation or singing about the great labour battles of the twentieth century, his poems and songs are a call to action for anyone who believes in social justice and an end to capitalism, war and oppression.

He has been touring for well over a decade from places as far apart as Japan and Canada (where he was banned for a year) and from Lebanon to Ireland. He has shared the stage with, and done benefit gigs for a veritable who’s who of the international resistance community. From opening for Hugo Chavez, to campaigning for Guantanamo prisoners with (former prisoner, British-born) Moazzam Begg, his music and poetry has helped raise much needed awareness in a world where dissenting voices receive very little coverage.

Hong Kong may seem like an unusual place for one of his concerts, but the organisers of Socialist Action ensured a nearly packed theatre at the Fringe Club. Hong Kong may be a famous bastion of capitalism – it is also home to the biggest wealth gap in the world, and the enthusiastic response his songs received showed that the people in Hong Kong are a lot more politically conscious than many would believe.

David’s three-day stay in Hong Kong also saw him do a live interview for RTHK where he performed his Song for Bradley Manning live for the first time, and a lengthy interview with Ming Pao magazine. His set at the Fringe Club included honouring the Paris Commune, an emotional song about the Israeli massacre of aid workers on the boat to Gaza, Mavi Marmara, and a great song defending freedom of speech in which the whole theatre sang the chorus ‘Burn it Down!’ in reference to ‘corporate terrorists’ and their developments.

It also included his song for Bradley Manning, the young soldier who released videos and documents giving proof of American war crimes in Iraq. As David explained while talking to the audience between songs, as the media becomes controlled more and more by corporations, it is they and not the people who are deciding what news and music gets airtime. As David stated, and anyone who has listened to American radio can attest to, “if you don’t like Jesus, American football or Rush Limbaugh, then you might as well turn it off”.

His set ended with a great rendition of The Internationale and David stayed behind to chat with fans and activists after the show. We would like to thank the Fringe Club for their excellent venue and organization and we are looking forward to seeing David again as from the response he received, Hong Kong will become a regular venue on his annual world tour..

David Rovics allows all his songs to be downloaded legally for free on his website: www.davidrovics.com

The following Youtube clip was filmed at the Hong Kong concert by Socialist Action: