Concert «HEM Homies Fest»

   A Japanese ska orchestra that has been playing around Saigon since 2012 is throwing a farewell party for its tenor saxophone player: Hiroki is heading home to Japan, and this Sunday will be his last stage in the city. Three acts back to back, a full brass section and a Bollywood dance troupe — if you like your live music in broad daylight, this afternoon is built for you.

   Hem★Hem SaiGon was started by three Japanese expats working in Saigon simply because they loved ska. Over the years the trio grew into a fourteen-piece ska orchestra with trumpet, trombone, saxophone and flute, as Saigoneer described the band. They play ska, rock and reggae, and their early model was Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. The name comes from the Vietnamese word hẻm, an alley: for the members it stands for connecting people to people and people to place.

   The organisers published the full running order, and the stage barely gets a break:

• — 14:00 — doors open;
• — 14:30–15:00 — first set by Hem★Hem SaiGon;
• — 15:15–16:00 — rock band Number Shot;
• — 16:10–16:30 — Bollywood troupe Nataraja Dance Team;
• — 16:45–18:00 — the long farewell set with Hiroki;
• — 19:00 — the afternoon officially closes.

   The afternoon is aimed at anyone who misses brass and the kind of music that makes standing still impossible: ska and rock fans, the Japanese and Indian communities of the city, and anyone who would rather hear a band before dark than after midnight. The room has its own history too — Yoko Saigon Bar & Cafe was one of the pioneering live music venues of early 2000s Saigon and came back to life in 2016; as the Rusty Compass travel guide notes, many young Vietnamese musicians started their careers on this stage.

   There is no advance sale: entry is paid at the door, 150,000 VND, and guests under 19 get in free, so bringing the family is a fair plan. Beyond their names, the organisers say nothing about Number Shot or about what Nataraja Dance Team will bring, and we would rather leave that to the stage.

   Seeing a bandmate off is one of those occasions that is cheerful and wistful at once, and the best way to support Hiroki is to show up and dance until the last note.