Elements of the ancient Han Chinese principles of morality, chung is loyalty, hao filial piety, yan benevolence and yi righteousness. They are often referenced in Hong Kong crime dramas, especially when triads are involved.
“The classic Cantonese [film] genre is usually about the newcomers and the rascals. But for this show, I wanted to give a heavier and darker level [to] their positions,” Mak tells the Post.
“It’s about a group of made men and wise guys, whose difficulties are not just about [surviving] ‘the streets’ because they’ve already developed and built something. They all have something to lose, and that is when the conflict comes in. Wherever there are people, there’s always going to be some sort of conflict.”
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“Project Mayhem” is based on a script that he wrote during the Covid-19 pandemic two years ago, which, he says, was the only thing that kept him sane amid the chaos. From the script, he has filmed eight to 10 scenes to be screened on stage to complement the plot.
The title takes inspiration from David Fincher’s 1999 film Fight Club, from which Mak highlights the brotherhood of “a group of grown men who were in it together, but each had his own demons and internal conflicts”.
The concert also has a loose connection to the Hong Kong triad drama films he grew up watching. “It is ambitious in a sense, but I’d say it’s a nostalgic yet fun way to connect with the audience through my music as well as other singers and rappers.”
Mak will perform rearranged versions of his old songs, alongside Hong Kong gangsta rap young bloods such as Novel Fergus and PetPetShawn, whose music Mak considers to be “more dark and blunt”.
He says: “I like their way of telling stories. It is very different from the traditional Hong Kong commercial singers, but at the same time, I feel there’s a certain power and impact in their work.
“Having them with me is the only way I’d be able to tell the story. It wouldn’t be the same if I invited 20 [Cantopop] singers.”
From the days of LMF, formed in 1999, to the emerging talents of today performing in “Project Mayhem”, Mak thinks the Hong Kong hip hop scene has evolved a lot in the past two decades as younger rappers have developed a new set of “flow, content and style”.
Hong Kong singer-songwriter Sophy Wong Ka-yee is the only female singer in the mix.
The underground scene seems more colourful in recent years. The musicians and my band – most of them are pretty young. They have their own insight, talent and skills
“It all goes back to the story. When I organised the show, I knew it was going to be very masculine and noisy. It needed something more feminine, even just for a small part,” says Mak.
The director has an appreciation for Wong’s music, although it is much unlike his work or those of the rappers, wishing to showcase the musical variety of the talent in Hong Kong with a focus on independent musicians.
He adds that the vocalists will be in their designated characters for the concert, which will be cinematically separated into chapters.
Mak made his debut in 2002 as a commercial Cantopop singer, then turned to more personal projects. “When you’re commercial, you have a company and management behind you. Probably 90 or 95 per cent of the market is love songs and slow ballads.
“The underground scene seems more colourful in recent years. The musicians and my band – most of them are pretty young. They have their own insight, talent and skills.
“What I’m doing is just providing a bigger stage for them with a bigger scope of how cultural elements can be used to create a multimedia performance.”
He defines “Project Mayhem” as a multimedia show because of its oscillation between live performance and concert. It sprang from a creative desire to do “something out of the norm and meaningful, not just in a film sense but in a general culture sense”, where he could work with guests people wouldn’t expect.
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“I wanted it to be challenging, both for myself and for the audience, and to [notch it up], so that when you leave the show, you have something to think about or even discuss with the people you saw it with.
“Expanding horizons with creativity – I guess that’s my way. I started as a singer and had the opportunity to be a scriptwriter, after which I became a director and a producer. Being able to work in different fields … as long as there’s creativity involved, I can evolve as well.”
Mak says: “I’m sort of travelling through music, film and other mediums to find interesting ways to tell stories.”
Project Mayhem: An Urban Fantasy by Juno Mak. Hall 10, AsiaWorld-Expo, 1 Airport Expo Blvd, Chek Lap Kok. February 22, 8pm. Standing tickets are on sale at HK$999 and HK$699 at livenation.hk and cityline.com.