Oldie but goodie

Hong Kong DJ and entertainer Anders Nelsson brings back the golden age of rock 'n' roll for a baby boomer reunion concert, reports Rebecca Lo.

When he speaks, Anders Nelsson has that indefinable accent of someone who has lived in Hong Kong for a long time. The California-born son of Swedish Lutheran missionaries has called the city home since 1950. He has been part of its entertainment scene ever since he began playing with his high school band The Kontinentals in the early 60s.

Five decades later, Nelsson is paying tribute to the glory days of rock by DJing a concert to welcome classmates from King George V, his former high school.

Music from the '60s and '70s will be featured, with Nelsson taking requests from the audience and singing a few songs while accompanying himself on guitar.

"Every 10 years, there is a mega reunion for King George V grads," says Nelsson, doing some staging prior to the concert at Grappa's Cellar. "There are a lot of activities planned, but nothing specifically for baby boomers. Since I specialize in nostalgia, it is a good way to get my former classmates together. The concert is also open to the public."

Founded in 1894 and the oldest school in the city's English School Foundation, King George V secondary school in Ho Man Tin was the only choice available to expat kids during the 1950s and 60s.

Although there were students of more than two dozen different nationalities, kids would be punished for not speaking English. The severe colonial educational system meant that caning was the norm and prefects ruled the halls.

"It was totally British," recalls Nelsson. "The most common punishment we had was detention. I was caught speaking Swedish and had to write 500 lines of 'I must not speak Swedish'. "