Interview by William Chan
Local band Window Cleaning Service is gearing up to host a Video Game & Anime Music Concert at Sifang Art Space this Saturday night, guitarist Henry Huang Seong Fong said in a recent online interview with the Post.
The band, whose members are under the age of 18, includes Huang on the guitar, Diego Lam on keyboards, Vit Polasek on trumpet and violin, Jason Chon on bass, Wyatt Shum on saxophone and Lukas Lei on drums. Saturday’s gig will be largely influenced by jazz fusion.
Huang noted that the decision to organise the concert stems from their love for the music found in video games and Japanese anime shows from their childhood, which holds a nostalgic sentiment for them and their friends, motivating them to perform and share their enjoyment with others.
In Macau, it is rare to find bands with such a young lineup. Huang credits this to their schooling at the Macau Anglican College (MAC), where they have the opportunity to place a priority on music in their academic lives. He said, “The primary educational structure we adhere to is based on A-levels, a British system that allows students to specialise in 3-4 subjects including music of their choice, dedicating the majority of their time to these areas.”
Therefore, their school curriculum incorporates formal music training, with band classes a weekly in-school subject that provide instrumental experience preparing them for future exams and enabling them to form a band at a young age. “Our school also includes composition as a key component, which helped us become familiar with notation software,” Huang added. For their future shows, they plan to compose original songs and perform them.
Regarding their chosen music genre, Huang highlighted that their school culture is supportive of a diverse range of music styles. “While some schools may focus solely on classical music, our school has a jazz band. Before our teacher Johnny Yau departed from MAC, he encouraged us to form a band, which sparked our interest. Additionally, some older MAC students who are now studying music at university level were involved in fusion and jazz music, serving as inspirations for us,” Huang said.
Under the continuous influence of teachers, including Claudio Lopes, Ng Sa and Roy Amitavoin, Huang said that bassist Jason Chon wants to study sound engineering, Lukas Lei (drums) wants to study jazz performance, and he himself is interested in music education.
Tickets for the concert are priced at 80 patacas, primarily to cover rental costs and make the event accessible for their peers, according to Huang. Prior to their 8 p.m. performance at Sifang Art Space on Saturday, an even younger band, a girl band named Finger Biscuits also from Macau Anglican College, will take the stage as the opening act for Window Cleaning Service.
Henry Huang plays the guitar with his fusion band Window Cleaning Service in 2023. – Photos provided by Huang
