“Hong Kong’s independent scene is great as it is, but some musicians deserve more success.”
Surrounded by a dark, obscure grove of towering trees, I saw a performer on the lit stage, carrying an electric guitar and a laptop. I didn’t know who it was. My phone was out of battery, neither were there any notices; people would just enter the stage, player their music, then leave. As the performer strummed the electric guitar, the amplification echoed through the speaker, roamed the entire helipad, and returned a sui generis feedback. I stood at the front of the crowd when the sound pierces my earplug. That was my first encounter with Sariana, a.k.a. the guitarist and the frontperson of Saturn Through My Telescope.
Sariana studied guitar in a university in Germany before moving to Hong Kong. “It was a painful process.” By then, they had only played guitar for four years. In high school, starting guitar at 16 was normal. But, in university, they found themselves between instrumentalists who’ve held their guitar for about a decade of their life. Reasonably, Sariana felt behind; as they recall, “everyone was better.” Moreover, the peers didn’t share many interests with Sariana. Unlike Sariana who predominantly played post-rock, they were into classic rock, blues, and indie rock. “I like it, but I don’t choose to play it.”
Despite the circumstances, Sariana thinks that their academic journey with music was overall beneficial. Because they had relatively less musical experience at start, they were able to develop the skills more efficiently throughout. The skills they’ve acquired—maintaining discipline, having a good stage presence, trusting the instincts, and so on—prepared them for the “mosh” atmosphere for their shows to come. “I got my money’s worth,” Sariana laughed.
When Sariana arrived at Hong Kong, they met their future bandmate Kelsey, who approached them in a concert at the Wanch (live venue in Wan Chai). This marked Sariana’s connection with the music scene. Kelsey invited them to a show, and introduced Sariana to their first band, a post-punk band from Hong Kong. Later then, Sariana joined Kelsey’s punk band KVYLE with Underdog.
The band split up last summer, but Sariana is still working on their solo projects including Saturn Through My Telescope. An year ago, they released second-pressing of CD copies of Every Time I Talk To You, It's Like I Open Up A Part Of My Heart And Let You Look Inside—their three-track debut EP which they’ve recorded in Germany. Besides, Sariana recruited drummer Hei, who participated in their show with renowned screamo band Ostraca. “There were positive feedbacks,” Sariana said. Now, they are looking forward to finding a bassist.
Upon the intensifying and liberating works of Saturn Through My Telescopes, it’s not difficult to derive how prominent post-rock influences are to their music. Initially, Sariana’s interest in post-rock sprouted from Mogwai, and as the time passed, it spread to household post-rock bands such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Explosions In The Sky and This Will Destroy You. When we visited Infree Records, they shared their recent shock when fans speculated Explosions In The Sky’s disbandment, for it to just be a promotion for their new album—End.
Yet, the most significant influence on Saturn Through My Telescopes was none other than Deafheaven. Sariana was first introduced to this black-metal band by their childhood friend. Then, Deafheaven would become the only artist they’ve listened to for an entire year. Sariana recalls a time when they lived in Switzerland, when they—coincidentally—found an advertisement poster of a local concert featuring Deafheaven. Looking back, they find the poster to be weirdly rough-edged, handwritten on colored card papers. Moreover, the show was pretty inexpensive for it to consist of a tour band, costing only twenty-two francs.
Sariana also admires Bring Me The Horizon’s “heavier pop music.” Namely, they credit the band’s sixth studio album amo for successfully blending electronic music with its style of music. As a matter of fact, Sariana have been on an electronic spree recently. They’ve been discovering one artist to another, such as Escha & Ytem, Lorenzo Senni and HDMIRROR, thanks to a friend who’s been a long-time fan of techno. Incidentally, this led them to recover their passion for post-rock, and the Saturn Through My Telescopes as a whole.
It’s hard to see money flowing to Hong Kong’s independent scene. Right now, most of Hong Kong’s indie musicians, including Sariana and their bandmates, have a day job on top of their musical career. Even if listeners are interested in indie music, “some people just don’t know [where to find it].”
Even so, Sariana takes an optimistic view. Knowing that there’s not much profit to be made in Hong Kong’s independent music, musicians cooperate with a purpose other than money: their love for music. Musicians support other musician’s shows, and those venues are often filled with enthusiastic audiences. And promoters have been ensuring that the scene is alive and well by organizing big events. Still, Sariana believes that there are musicians who deserves music to be their primary income. “Musicians deserve [their success], but some musicians deserve more success.”