Paul Lam may seem like the average Hong Kong office guy. A regional account manager with Ogilvy & Mather, he goes to a nine to six job five days a week.

But his passion has always been music and he has played in bands ever since he was 14 years old. Growing up in Canada, he listened to a lot of Radiohead, Broken Social Scene, Wilco and Death Cab for Cutie and found them inspirational.

On Aug 19, he and fellow Hungry Ghosts band members will get to indulge their passion for making music against an idyllic sand and surf backdrop at Silvermine Beach Music Festival.

With humble beginnings as an impromptu concert organized by Lantau's rural committee in 2006, Silvermine Bay Music Festival has grown into one of the summer's highlights. This year, it will run for three consecutive nights with upwards of dozens of local and international troubadours such as Yellow, sp'ACE and Maniac playing upon a temporary bandstand erected on Silvermine Bay beach.

Lam previously played at the festival in 2010 and loves the chilled vibe that goes with its outdoor setting. "I feel the most distinctive difference with this festival is that it's on a public beach," he says.

Lam's fellow musicians all have day jobs, though they play as often as possible and can be seen at local Hong Kong haunts such as Hidden Agenda, Backstage, Hard Rock Caf, Hang Out and The Wanch. Band members include teacher Mike Jack on drums; teacher Tiffany Laue on bass and vocals; and dentist Luke Chow on guitar and vocals, with Lam on lead guitar and vocals.

"The name came from one of my favorite bands, Wolf Parade and its song 'dear sons and daughters of hungry ghosts'," explains Lam. "We play indie pop rock. We plan to play all new songs at the festival and see how the crowd reacts to our material. We have also released a mini five song EP and are working hard in the studio trying to put together a full length album."

"We are really excited and hope it's going to be a sweat fest like the last time," grins Lam.

sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/12/2012 page15)