Your guide to all the live music at Moonrise Picnic

Made up of guitarist Stephen Mok and keyboard player Sandy Ip, Per Se has been one of the most exciting acts to emerge from the local indie circuit in recent years. Since releasing their debut EP in 2013, the duo has gone on to play at Clockenflap, the Wow and Flutter Festival, and has also done a tour in Taiwan. Explaining its name, the band says, “Per Se means intrinsic or in itself in Latin, which represents our songwriting philosophy. We want listeners to hear concepts or themes in our songs rather than associate it with a specific genre.” Per Se’s most recent album, Ends, for example, is a bilingual collection of songs that addresses different types of endings in life.

Influences
This changes often but, at the moment, it’s Californian rock band Thrice for Mok and Austin-based instrumental ensemble Balmorhea for Ip.

What to look forward to at Moonrise Picnic
All originals, especially songs from Per Se’s third album, Ends. Fans can also look forward to older favourites, such as InPhase and Petals.

Iconic song: InPhase
This beautiful track is from the duo’s debut album. According to them: “The song is about us staying on track and not deviating from our initial goal which is to create music that’ll still be around for centuries to come... Every so often when we get lost creatively or in our career direction we use this song to get back on track.”

Singer-songwriter Shandy Gan is known for her smooth and sophisticated sound, which mixes different music styles from around the world. You’ll find a clear predilection for bossa nova (Gan’s first solo album is titled To Bossa) but also nods to jazz, reggae, flamenco and pop. It’s exactly this eclectic style that caught the attention of Sony Music, which signed her as part of OUR Works – a project focused on producing original music from different genres. Her refreshing brand of global-inspired bossa-pop has won her plenty of accolades, including a new artist award from TVB8, and she’s been featured in TV shows and movies, including the 2014 film, Dot 2 Dot.

Musical influences
A long list including the likes of Caestano Veloso, Cesaria Evora, Salif Keita, Henri Salvador, John Mayer, Dionne Warwick, Lianne La Havas, Solange, Natalia Lafourcade, Dua Lipa and Wednesday Campanella.

What to look forward to at Moonrise Picnic
Smooth, easy-listening tunes that showcase the full range of Gan’s skills and global influences.

Iconic song: I Remember The…
Gan’s bossa-inspired debut single reached #2 on the iTunes chart and was also featured as the closing theme for the popular Mandarin sitcom, iPartment.

Like labelmate Shandy Gan, Cath Wong is part of Sony Music’s OUR Works project. But even before getting backing from a major label, the self-taught musician was already a rising star in the busking scene, thanks to her brand of bright, hook-filled acoustic pop. Wong’s played at popular creative hangouts like The Alchemist Café Bistro, D2 Place and Lost Stars Livehouse. In 2016, she was invited to perform at Taipei’s legendary Riverside Music Café, which has hosted acts such as Denise Ho, Mayday and FIR. So yep, she’s definitely someone to look out for.

Musical influences
Jay Chou, Cheer Chen, Waa Wei, Crowd Lu.

What to expect at Moonrise Picnic
A strong selection of cheery acoustic pop with highly relatable lyrics. 

Iconic song: 7 Days
No, this isn’t a Craig David cover. Wong’s Mandopop song about the ups-and-downs of her life over the course of seven days should resonate with many in the audience.

English singer-songwriter Jules O’Brien has been making music since she picked up her first guitar at the age of 10. She’s developed a folky, acoustic style, which, while often upbeat in sound, is juxtaposed with lyrics that often deal with more sombre matters. Since moving to Hong Kong five years ago, she’s become a regular on the music circuit, performing several times at the Underground and also doing an intimate acoustic set earlier this year for global music community Sofar Sounds.

Musical influences
Arctic Monkeys (specifically Alex Turner’s ‘rambling, night-out-on-the-town storytelling style’, as O’Brien puts it), Laura Marling, Joni Mitchell and, more recently, Frida Kahlo.

What to look forward to at Moonrise Picnic
O’Brien’s sets usually consist of originals but she does occasionally throw in a cover or two (FYI, she had a pre-teen band called Ice Hot, which did Christina Aguilera covers).

Iconic song: Chopsick
Singing about the cruelty of love over a fingerpicked guitar, O’Brien’s meandering vocals mesmerise in this lovely, lilting tune.