A handful of bands played a two-venue festival tour of Lamma Island this month, delivering a slice of rock’n’roll to a place that is much misrepresented by lazy journos and other peddlers of received opinion. But in terms of grassroots community culture, Lamma’s got plenty to contribute to Hong Kong.

The first bash was Dickstock, held in the garden of long-time resident Richard Jones who, for the fifteenth year, opened his gates to anyone who wanted to party.

Music was kicked off solidly by the Cicadas with their rootsy folk-rock. They had strong songs, rich delivery, and wicked mandolin riffs. Then my band piled on and once again found the toddlers a good barometer of the groove – if you’ve got the pre-school kids dancing, you’ve got the beat. The Yung Shue Wan Curs belted out their country stompers, and Red Star Rising melted faces with Steve Cray’s blistering solos. Dan the Bastard wrapped things up in his leopard print spandex pants, leading the well-lubricated crowd into Bowie’s Jean Genie. There were a lot of VIPs there that night – very inebriated persons. But the music stayed on key and the vibe stayed positive.

A week later, invited townsiders Twisterella opened Lamma Fun Day with some jangling indie-pop, and Quasar rocked the stage with power-chords and grungy riffs. My band came on in the sunshine, and even the dogs were skanking this time. The other Curs whacked out more Johnny Cash-inspired anthems, while Of Moths and Stars banged out some energetic harmonisations.

LFD is a charity event started by ex-islander Andrew Doig in aid of Nepal’s Child Welfare Scheme, which supports disadvantaged children in an impoverished Himalayan region. So far, the annual one-day festival, along with a town-side funk night (because Doiggy had a fantastic collection of funk) has raised more than $1 million and helped pay for health centres and funded education for dozens of children. So it was a great cause, and a reminder of what live music is all about – good times and community.

See Twisterella play at the Fringe Club, December 18.